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

 

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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