The University of Chicago Graduate Library School, established in 1928, 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. The pivotal role of the doctoral degree at Chicago from 1921–1951 has been analyzed by John Richardson in his study, The Spirit of Inquiry.
Founded in 1928, the University of Chicago Graduate Library School was the first to award a master's degree in library science, which is now considered the standard professional degree. It also became the first to confer a doctoral degree in the field. John Richardson explored the significance of this doctoral degree at Chicago from 1921–1951 in his study "The Spirit of Inquiry."