Purpose: To look for answers in educational history, using Sweden as an example, to challenges for library and information science departments from the European higher education reform known as the Bologna process.

Data: Four Swedish library registers from the 20th century containing data on 1790 librarians.

Method: Historical method and descriptive statistics.

Findings: Periods of vocational training (how to do it) have varied with periods of foregrounding academic and theoretic studies (how to think about it). Periods when priority was given to vocational training have decreased the professional status of librarians to a degree of deprofessionalisation.

Implications: Employability in Bologna terminology is a threat to professional status at the Bachelor level. The effect may be significant on public libraries.