Today formal qualifications are usually required for professional posts. In practice the distinction is quite blurred. Part-time study can be undertaken at colleges of further education to obtain City and Guilds or GNVQs in library and information work. These qualifications can gain some recognition by salary increase, but ultimately do not provide a basis for undertaking full professional work. Organisations like Aslib run short courses to introduce or update particular skills.
Professional posts are usually only open to graduates.
Sometimes the subject of the degree is important where an information centre in an organisation is dealing with a specific area of information. For posts involving computerised manipulation of information a qualification in computer science could be an advantage. Work such as indexing or database production, in a particular subject, may also require a specific degree in that field. For those graduates of a non LIS discipline it is necessary to supplement their degree with a Masters or diploma in librarianship or information science. For those wishing to advance up the career ladder, whether LIS or not, the Masters should be the preferred qualification because, while many of the important skills are covered in diploma courses, this is not ultimately recognised as a professional qualification.