Applying to archival science programs: need advisement!!
December 12, 2009 1:18 PM   Subscribe

I'm applying to several programs in library science and archives/public history in order to become an archivist, but with little experience in libraries or archives, what kind of preparation do I need?

I was a teacher (uncertified) for a year at a small private school. In the end, I realized that teaching was not the best profession for me; moreover, I got laid off. Now I am unemployed, with no other experience besides my teaching job and the year or so of temp work and various clerical jobs. As a result, I've been competing with hundreds of similarly overeducated and under-qualified people for the same clerical and retail jobs.

One night, I was browsing through videos of different professions. When the video on "Archivists" showed up, my eyes lit up. Ever since I was young I've been fascinated with old documents and the like, so the archival profession seemed to be a good fit.

Since then, I've talked to several people in the profession, such as the archivist for my university and the director of the NYU program in Archives/Public History. Both assured me that people with a variety of backgrounds enter archival science programs, but I want to know from actual archivists on Ask MeFi what it's really like in the real world. Employment prospects, necessary preparation, etc. I don't want to graduate from library school with a load of debt and no job prospects because I don't have my master's in history.

Also, if you know anything about programs in the Northeast (Currently I'm applying to NYU, Simmons, and Pratt) I'd like to know your opinions of them.
posted by etoyasu to Work & Money (9 answers total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
You're going to be competing for jobs with people who have more experience than you do. And there aren't that many archivist jobs to begin with, and library-science programs in general graduate more people than there are professional jobs for them to fill.

I don't mean to sound like a downer, but if this is what you want to do professionally, it might be wise to try to line up a practicum, an internship or, at minimum, a part-time gig at a library while you're in school.
posted by box at 1:25 PM on December 12, 2009


I'd think hard about Simmons since it's an expensive program that turns out a LOT of graduates it makes it tough to find work. Everything box says is true. There is a fair amount of money in digitzation projects lately [history scanning projects and the like] so if I were you I'd learn how to be a decent worker bee in a situation like that. You'd be working with archival documents, but more along the tech end of things than the preservation angle.

Archivists are often not the tech savviest folks as far as the profession goes [there are a lot of very talented museology folks working there as well as people who have practical experience working with all sorts of ancient documents] and people who understand the ins and outs of software [both archival stuff like dspace as well as standard content management systems like wordpress and others] are going to have an easier time getting their foot in the door doing actual work with archival materials.

Above all, think about money stuff. Library/Achivist degrees are expensive and they're often for work that doesn't pay terribly much. Make sure you're making prudent choices as much as possible so you're not forced into work you don't like when you graduate just to keep bills paid.
posted by jessamyn at 1:32 PM on December 12, 2009


A lot of library schools will allow you to do practicums as part of the experience.

I would urge you to look into attending a library school at your state institution. You should get a significant tuition break that way. You can also try to find a graduate assistantship before you begin school; many of these positions offer an in-state tuition waiver. Out of state tuition is usually more than in-state tuition, which is why I suggest going to the school in your state (based on your profile I gather you're in Hawai'i, it looks like UH Manola has an LIS program).

Pratt and Simmons are private schools and will be more expensive. While Simmons has a reputable archives program, I'm not sure that Pratt does and I don't know much about NYU. You should also look at the University of North Carolina SILS (note: this is where I'm currently studying so I might be biased but we do have a great archives program). I got my MLIS at the University of Illinois and their archives program wasn't particularly strong (there weren't many classes specifically on archives, but the ones I took were very good) but there were a lot of opportunities in the community to work at archives for the practicum or as a volunteer. I am still generally on the archive track, but now I'm getting a PhD, so they must have been doing something right at Illinois to make me want to continue on the path!

University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of Pittsburgh -- those are all top notch archives programs and you might consider them as well. Many of these schools might have funding opportunities, especially for people interested in digital archives particularly (this is what I do and there is definitely funding in the area, but for paper documents/preservation/conservation I think there is less money floating around). Again, public schools are cheaper than private schools. NYU is public but it's in New York City so it will be seriously expensive, just as Pratt will. And Simmons is also not cheap. Again, I'd urge you to look at some of the public institutions that I've listed. They're great and won't cost you as much as Simmons or Pratt.

It's hard to get a job as an archivist but not impossible, I know three of my friends who are now working at archives and are really enjoying their jobs. Be aware that you will be doing a lot of processing and stuff that seems fairly clerical in nature, especially when you first start out in the field after getting your MLIS. If you are very flexible about your location this will make the job hunt easier on you.

You don't need a master's in History in addition to the MLIS -- almost all archives jobs require the MLIS but very few will require a second master's.
posted by k8lin at 1:41 PM on December 12, 2009 [1 favorite]


First, I would recommend getting the degree from an ALA-accredited school. This will give you a bit more flexibility in the job search if not enough archivist jobs show up your way.

U. of Michigan is expensive for out-of-staters, but there are fellowships and research assistantships available (but very competitive). There are also many opportunities to get involved in various digitization and curation projects on campus. I can't emphasize enough the importance of getting experience as an intern or research assistant while in school.

UNC definitely has an excellent archives program, and low tuition and cost of living to boot. I've heard UIUC has a fair number of graduate assistantships available, but k8lin might have more information on this.
posted by needled at 1:53 PM on December 12, 2009


needled is right, there were a fair number of assistantships available at UIUC when I was there. I believe that the number has dwindled (my awesome assistantship is now a grad hourly position, for example, because they do not have to give tuition waivers for hourly jobs; because of the economy, many tuition-waiving positions have been eliminated at a lot of schools) so, like Michigan, it is more competitive than it used to be. But don't discount it -- the assistantships are posted online at the UIUC University Library Human Resources page, so you can keep an eye out there to see if anything is popping up that you're qualified for. They still have a lot of graduate assistants, just not as many as they did before, so there is definitely a chance for a position like this.

These assistantships, if they come with a tuition waiver, will usually only pay for the in-state portion of your tuition bill. So you'll still have to take out loans for the remainder unless you're a resident.

needled is also right about making sure your degree is from an ALA-accredited institution. Many, if not most, jobs, require this, even in archives.
posted by k8lin at 2:15 PM on December 12, 2009


Volunteer volunteer volunteer, for every single professional development activity you can. Many people have made excellent suggestions regarding internships and practicums. Absolutely anything you can do to get your foot in the door in an archival setting will help you, both before and during school. Archival work is a small world and a competitive one, and all the work experience, good reputation, and professional connections that you can build up will help you when it comes time to find a job. Your first work experience doesn't have to be an internship at the Smithsonian--it can be volunteering at your local history museum or archive.

I second previous advice regarding building a well-rounded portfolio of skills that can support your archival focus, make you marketable in an increasingly technical field, and set you apart. This is purely anecdotal, but I am a big nerd and have done a lot of work with web design and content management. I know that skills like those, in addition to making sure that I'm familiar with a lot of relevant software packages, have made a difference in landing some work experiences in the past, so I highly encourage you to learn that stuff, too.

Regarding academic programs, everyone makes very good points about the importance of ALA accreditation. If you would like further resources on specifically archivally-focused programs, I recommend checking out the education directory at the website of the Society of American Archivists. In order to be competitive in upcoming years, you may want to consider becoming a certified archivist in addition to your graduate degree. Certification is increasingly a mark of professional distinction in the field and (I have been told) something desirable to employers.

The last thing I would say (and this is not to discourage you) is to make sure that, in addition to your specific archival training, it's never a bad idea to do what you can to build a skill base of general library and information skills that can be applicable to other jobs in the field outside the archives niche. As others have mentioned, a good archival job can be hard to find, especially one that isn't part-time/undercompensated/temporary. Making sure that you have the flexibility to be both a specialist and a generalist can improve your employability, help you to be qualified for a wider range of related jobs until that perfect archival job comes along if necessary, and--finally--potentially make you indispensable to many institutions who may need their archival and library staff to be able to do a variety of tasks and wear more that one hat at a time.

Good luck!
posted by teamparka at 3:47 PM on December 12, 2009


Absolutely most certainly make sure you get as much practical experience as you can. Paid, unpaid, awesome, grunt, whatever. This, more than almost anything else, will help you get a job.

And what jessamyn said. Learn how to do web stuff, learn xml, learn about digitization projects, metadata, etc...
posted by grapesaresour at 4:09 PM on December 12, 2009


You need to go to a school that offers some sort of program that lets you work in an archival setting while you go to school.

For instance, I went to Pitt, and they have the Partners Program. This let me work at their archive, and the experience really helped me get a job right out of grad school (which, as far as I can tell, is pretty rare).

As others said, make sure you get as diverse a skill set as you can. Try to get experience in different types of archiving, such as processing, reference, digital, etc. This will help you find a job.

Go to archival conferences to meet professionals. It will cost you money, but it could pay off in the end. More than anything, be prepared, if and when you graduate, to move somewhere off the beaten track for a job. I moved to Wyoming, and I'd never thought about living in Wyoming before, but I like it, and my job is amazing. Don't get tied to a specific area or type of archiving.

I work with someone who went to Simmons, and she seems to have liked it. And don't worry about having a History degree. Mine was in education. It doesn't really matter.

Me-Mail me if you'd like more tips and information.
posted by elder18 at 4:10 PM on December 12, 2009


NYU is not public! and it costs a lot!
posted by mareli at 6:01 PM on December 12, 2009


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