Charlene,

Here at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum we have a special
collections library which deals with all types of historical research
and family history related to the Texas Rangers (that's law enforcement
not baseball).  You may want to contact our Research Center staff for
direct.  Our archivist has a master's in both Library Science and
History.  She may be able to direct you in your studies.  Feel free to
contact me off list for her contact information or visit our website at
www.texasranger.org <http://www.texasranger.org/> 

 

Good Luck

 

Tracie Evans

Collections Manager

Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum

PO Box 2570, Waco, TX 76706

254/750-8631

 

________________________________

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Charlene Martin
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2007 12:18 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: special collections/museum librarianship?

 

Hello everyone -

 

I am a library science graduate student who has just completed the
typical "gateway" classes, like Foundations of Library Science and
Reference. Somewhere between the two classes it dawned on me that there
may still be a way of incorporating my love of history into this degree,
which is what brought me here (and to my impending Special Collections
class). Since my background is in public and academic libraries, the
realm of Special Libraries is a mystery to me.  

 

I am still trying to determine whether or not I should at least take
some museum studies and history classes, since my undergraduate has
nothing to do with history (a regrettable decision). I know this
question has been asked many times before, but what do I need to
do/pursue in order to secure my future in Special Collections/museum
librarianship? I have tried to get an idea by reading job postings on
this listserv and visiting the special collection websites of
institutions, but this only provides me with fragments of the overview I
am looking for. 

 

If it helps any, my dream would be to work in a reference/genealogy
position in a historical museum library. I also would be happy to work
in a public library who has incorporated enough local history content
into their collection to warrant a local history/genealogy
librarian-general reference librarian appointment (I am sure budget
constraints would require a mixture of responsibilities). 

 

Are there any "starter" books/websites out there for someone like myself
that needs to get an overview? Does SLA effectively deal with this niche
in LIS?

 

Thank you for considering!

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