Charlene, A special collections class is a good start. Also, if your program has a history of books, printing and publishing class, it would behoove you to take it. I am very lucky my program did. I am currently the librarian at the Burlington County Historical Society in NJ. I would be happy to discuss this more with you off-list ([log in to unmask]), so we can talk specifics. Best, Annie Brogan Librarian Burlington County Historical Society ----- Original Message ----- From: Charlene Martin To: [log in to unmask] Sent: 12/7/2007 1:23:14 PM 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! ========================================================= 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).