I would just like to add that the university of
michigan is beginning their museum studies program
again!  You can also get an MSI in Archives and
records management.  you get the BEST of both worlds!

i just received my MSI from u of m and worked in
archives and an ART museum during my time there.

.marc.

--- Julie Kerssen <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Karla -
>
> Just wanted to add my two cents.  It sounds like you
> probably need to decide
> whether you ultimately want to work with artifacts
> or with archival
> materials before you can start making decisions
> about schools and degree
> programs.  Yes, there will likely be some overlap in
> an actual job -- as an
> archivist, you may work with some artifacts, and as
> a curator, you may be in
> charge of some archival materials -- but in general,
> degree programs (museum
> studies or an MA and/or MLS with an archives focus)
> will prepare you for one
> or the other.  You may get lucky, but you shouldn't
> expect to find it easy
> to land an archives job with a museum degree or vice
> versa, as the two
> fields have very different approaches to their
> materials (as David pointed
> out).
>
> My background is in archives, so I can speak to that
> side of things.
> Someone here stated an opinion that an MLS is
> preferable to a history MA.
> You should know that the MLS vs. MA debate is an old
> one within the archives
> community, and that there are advantages both ways.
> Specific organizations
> will prefer one or the other -- university libraries
> often want archivists
> with an MLS (since librarians generally do the
> hiring and archivists often
> work within the library system), while historical
> societies and the like, as
> Candace pointed out, will find a background in
> history more useful.  You
> might want to think about the environment you
> ultimately want to work in,
> and then check out job ads to see what degree those
> institutions prefer.  Or
> your smartest bet may be to get a dual MA/MLS degree
> and cover all your
> bases.  Several schools, including UW-Milwaukee,
> offer this option.
>
> If you haven't already discovered it, I recommend
> the Archives & Archivists
> listserv -- you can learn a lot about the field by
> lurking there and asking
> questions.  The web interface for the list can be
> found at  h
> <http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html>
> ttp://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html.
> Also, the Society of
> American Archivists has a "So You Want to Be an
> Archivist" page on their
> website (
> http://www.archivists.org/prof-education/arprof.asp
>
<http://www.archivists.org/prof-education/arprof.asp>
> ) that contains some
> good basic information.  Feel free to contact me
> off-list if you have more
> questions.
>
> Julie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Karla Strand [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Sunday, May 19, 2002 3:01 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: career quest
>
>
> Valerie,
>
> Thanks for your reply; I can see how youd be the
> expert on the UW system :).
> It's great to hear from someone that has had
> personal experience with the
> schools.  All I have ever heard is the excellent
> reputation of Madison (esp.
> in history), but when I noticed that Madison didnt
> have the public history
> degree that Milw. has, I began to wonder how
> important the choice of school
> really was.  Also, I have heard so much recently
> from professors, in the
> media or in publications about how the numbers of
> history PhDs awarded (esp.
> 20th c. American) are outnumbering the available
> teaching jobs, that there
> is an overabundance of history teachers at all
> levels (as opposed to
> science, math, special ed teachers who are in great
> demand).  Those issues
> combined with my own developing interest in public
> history over teaching led
> me here to ask these oh-so-many questions.  I have
> asked numerous career
> related questions here, but the bottom line is that
> I want to work in a
> history-related place, be it museum, historical
> site, library, etc, and work
> with artifacts, archives, etc and be able to pay the
> bills and I just don't
> know the best way to go about this.  History PhD?
> MLS? Public history at
> Milw.?  It's all a bit mind-boggling for me but
> everyone who has responded
> to my posts has been very open and helpful, and I
> really appreciate it.  If
> anyone has any other advice I will gladly accept it.
>  :)
>
> Thanks again,
> Karla
>
> "Good luck, boy, take it easy, but take it."
>                *~*Woody Guthrie*~*
>
>
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