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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 2/8/2010
Posts: 2
Points: 6
Location: Cincinnati, OH
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Hello everyone! I'm a junior undergrad thinking about getting an MLS/MLIS. Does anybody here know about or have experience with what an Archives & Records Management program would be like? I interned in textual reference at the National Archives, which was an incredibly rewarding experience, but from what I've seen on programs' websites, I'm afraid that the ARM specialization track might be more focused on the organizational/management aspect than I'm really interested in. Thanks!
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Rank: Member
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Joined: 2/27/2009
Posts: 14
Points: 42
Location: New York, NY
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What exactly are you looking to do? Do you want to do reference in an archives? Or do you just want to do reference in a library? If you want to do reference in an archives you should go the Archives specialization route. If not then you could just get an MLS and focus on reference in your coursework. I should point out that even if you want to just to do reference in an Archives, you will probably have to do all the other things too as many archivists are a one person department. Hope this helps.
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 2/8/2010
Posts: 2
Points: 6
Location: Cincinnati, OH
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Thanks, that's really good to know about archivists frequently flying solo. I think that doing reference in an archives would be ideal, but reference in general is very appealing to me. Has it been your experience that employers care a whole lot about what specialization work you did or didn't do? Or is it like your undergrad major where it kind of stops mattering once you're in the real world?
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Management - Moderator
, Member
Joined: 1/2/2008
Posts: 348
Points: 922
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
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The only thing that matters to a potential employer is do you have the skills and/or experience to fill their need. The school you attended or specialization means little if you cannot express how you fill their need. I recommend you look as many job ads as possible. Tailor your education to match the job ads that interest you, fall in your desirable geographies, and fit into your idea of your ideal organization.
Brian C. Gray Head of Reference & Engineering Librarian Kelvin Smith Library Case Western Reserve University http://blog.case.edu/bcg8bcg8@case.edu
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