Sara,

Have you considered working in an archive?  From what I understand, the MLIS
degree is useful in the archives world, particularly if it includes an
internship in an archives.  As an archivist, you will be exposed to history,
historic conservation, and special collections - all the areas that interest
you.  Also, you might try the Society for American Archivists listserve to
learn about their views of library degrees and  museum work.

Katie Wadell

> From: Sara Shreve <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 22:14:02 -0800
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Library Science and Museum Work
>
> I hope this post is not inappropriate for this list,
> but I am eager to hear the opinions and advice of
> professionals currently working in museums. I am
> within a few credits of finishing my masters degree in
> Library and Information Science, but my true interest
> is in history and historic conservation, special
> collections, and archival work. I felt that an MLIS
> degree might give me flexibility with regard to
> geographic location and the duties of a job, which is
> why I did not originally pursue a degree in Museum
> Studies. I was also told by several LIS professors
> that I could possibly make the transition into museum
> work with an MLIS degree. I would like to ask for the
> opinion of museum professionals about this before I
> make any post-masters plans. Would someone holding an
> MLIS possibly be considered for a position in a
> museum?
>
> I am currently making plans for the internship that I
> need to complete in order to finish my degree, and I
> am hoping to be able to conduct this internship at a
> small local museum. Even if this is not possible, the
> museum does accept volunteers and I would imagine this
> would be a wise opportunity for me to take advantage
> of. But I am also considering a second masters degree,
> in history with a focus on "public history" which
> includes some museum studies. Does this sound like a
> wise course of action, and are there other steps I
> need to take to qualify myself for museum work?
>
> Any information and advice would be greatly
> appreciated.
>
> Thank You,
>
> Sara
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
> http://photos.yahoo.com/
>
> =========================================================
> Important Subscriber Information:
>
> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/
> . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a
> one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the
> message should read "help" (without the quotes).
>
> If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
> [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
> Museum-L" (without the quotes).

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).