<P> Education for librarianship is the term for the educational preparation for professional librarians . This varies widely in different countries . In the United States and Canada, it generally consists of a master's degree program in library science . There are also bachelor's, associate, and certificate programs in library science, which provide formal training of paraprofessional library workers, library technicians, and clerks--as well as preparation for graduate study in library science . </P> <P> Until the 19th century, the librarian in charge of an academic collection was normally a scholar, often a university professor with a special interest in the library . There were no training programs, and the new librarian was expected to follow the practices of other similar libraries . (Popular libraries in the modern sense had not yet developed .) In the 19th century, although some librarians followed this older pattern, others prepared as apprentices under the direction of established librarians . </P> <P> "Library school" is a term which has been used to describe an institution of higher learning specializing in the professional training of librarians . The first library school in the United States was established by Melvil Dewey (the originator of the Dewey decimal system) in 1887 at Columbia University . Since then many library schools have been founded in the United States and Canada, with Canada's first formal librarianship program established at McGill University in 1904 . The development of library schools in other countries began in 1915, when librarians' schools were founded at Leipzig and Barcelona (currently, as a faculty of the Universitat de Barcelona, the latter is the oldest library school in Europe). Many others were founded during World War II . The University of Chicago Graduate Library School became the first library school to confer a master's degree in library science, which is now the standard professional degree, and later became the first to give a doctoral degree in the field . Other prominent American library schools are located at the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . </P> <P> Most library schools in North America offer graduate programs only . Accreditation of these programs is granted by the American Library Association . The bachelor's degree in Library Science (or Library Economy as it was called in early days) was, for the most part, phased out several decades ago . Librarians in North America typically earn a master's degree, typically the Master of Library Science (MLS) or the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS). This degree allows one to work as a practicing librarian in public libraries, academic libraries, school library media centers, and special libraries, while many individuals with the MLS credential work with major library vendors . The degree is also applicable to related sectors such as publishing . </P>

Who established the first training program for librarians