I have a M.A. in Applied History and a M.L.I.S.  The dual degree has
helped tremendously both interviewing for jobs and my daily work at the
museum.  Currently, I am an Associate Registrar with the Mint Museums.  

Sara, the University of South Carolina has an excellent graduate program
with several tracks including Museum Studies, Historic Preservation, and
Archives.  They also offer a dual masters program if you want to pursue
both an M.A. and M.L.I.S.  

Kristen S. Watts
Mint Museum of Craft + Design
704-337-2058
[log in to unmask]
www.mintmuseum.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Katie Wadell [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 11:47 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Library Science and Museum Work


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
>
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