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Insane Totoro posted:
While it is true the archivist and librarian are cousins good luck getting a job as an archivist, project position or otherwise, without at least an MLS. Just wanted to make sure that was clear since that last sentence there seems a little misleading. The days of being an archivist with just a history or public history MA are pretty much over. There is also a certified archivist exam people can take. I personally feel it isn't worth it and just another hoop to jump through but some places give it credence, so be aware of where you want to work. Another great thing about being an archivist is realizing you are the profession that shapes the historic record, for good and bad. Historians and other researchers and scholars can't find things if you don't process and describe them. What survives and is available for study is often your responsibility. Its a pretty big deal. Its also weird in some sense. I am now so underwhelmed by things like correspondence from Ben Franklin due to working with that stuff regularly its both sad from bringing the thought of those kinds of materials down from their pedestal of historic grandeur and good by making those types of things more accessible to all. Digital archiving is a big deal right now, but it is also very expensive to do correctly and no one has any money right now or at least pleads that they don't. This is one area that people who are more coders and technologists can break in with little or no MLS training, though be warned the approach archivists take to IT (ie. perpetuity or close to it) often conflicts with what modern corporate IT pushes so it can challenge the beliefs and learned behavior of many previously for profit technology staff that want to make a switch.
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Mar 2, 2015 21:37
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That isn't exactly true with archives, at least not in the Philadelphia area. Those things will give you a leg up, but there are not enough programs like that I really see people coming from them applying for jobs. Most people demonstrate interest either by doing volunteer work or (like myself) also get an MA in history with the MLIS. There are some programs, including the one I graduated from, that allow you to concentrate in archival studies but that isn't exactly common.
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Mar 2, 2015 21:58
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That's just not correct. At least for archives. For museums (other than to work in a museum's archives) you need a museums studies degree. To be an archivist, at a minimum you need an MLS and a demonstrated interest in history or archival science. Having something like being a certified archivist (which is a separate certificate), concentration on archival studies (which I have) or a second masters in history (which I also have) helps a lot more. I don't think i have ever seen someone apply for an archives position out here with a specific archival science masters degree though I know they exist. I have a seen a small number having passed the archives certification. I know a very tiny number of people with PhDs in archival science and they are all faculty in universities. Since everyone else has put this down and it seems like a fun way to ID ourselves: I am currently an academic librarian in digital humanities and a consultant for digital archives projects. I have been a department head for digital archives projects and archivist in the past. I hate people, but love computers and books more Home brewer and beekeeper I love my dog and have a strong displeasure of cats. business casual for me most of the time. What is a sweater? glasses free I majored in computer science and history for undergrad
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Mar 2, 2015 22:31
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These days, I would say that the MA in History plus an archival studies degree will get your foot in the door in a lot of places for interviews of entry level and project positions (most of what you will find are project positions for your first 5 years as an archivist). You will be basically be on the same footing as anyone else with 2 graduate degrees, and being in archives that means most of the others will also have them in history. Still, getting ahead of all the people that only have an MLS or maybe a 2nd degree that something is like an MBA is a good help. The only thing that would be more beneficial is lots of demonstrable tech skills and experience. As for the skill, at least around here pretty much no one cares. They just look at the degree, usually not where you come from. There are exceptions of course, but most people just want to make sure you have been vetted via getting that degree and then what specific thing you have experience with. fake edit: for those entry level jobs it can be really competitive largely because it is very difficult to differentiate candidates fresh out of library school. They all tend to have archival experience from school, either volunteering or internships and jobs that go to students, and then they tend to have similar degrees. There was one project position we hired for that the two final candidates were pretty much the exact same and seemed equally competent after the in person interview. We ended up picking one over the other because she had some German language reading skills and the other didn't, and one of the collections out the ~20 in the project that were going to be processed was in 17th and 18th century German. nesbit37 fucked around with this message at 15:28 on Mar 17, 2015 |
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Mar 17, 2015 15:25
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Cognac McCarthy posted:This is really helpful (and reassuring, to be honest). What, in your estimation, sets a candidate apart? Like I said, the program I'd be attending has great archives and libraries I would presumably get lots of hands-on time in, but does that even make a difference if another job candidate also has experience while they're in school, but at a smaller archive? Not necessarily programming, but experience with using tools like Archives Space or Archivists' Toolkit, working with a digital management system, knowing how to use excel and understanding what you can do with it even if you don't know how, knowledge of and preferably experience with databases, etc. As for setting candidates apart, yeah, size of the archives and library doesn't matter, people don't care, its the work your doing. Sometimes the smaller places actually give you a better experience because they are understaffed and you have to do a larger variety of things. Also, be aware that if you are applying in the same area as where you got that experience whoever you are applying to probably knows pretty much exactly the kind of experience you received there. Some of it is going to just come down to the needs of the position you apply for, and if its a project position that could be pretty specific.
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Mar 17, 2015 16:10
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You get a master's degree in a subject to be a practitioner, a doctorate to be a researcher. Where do you want to work? If it's a cultural heritage institution like a historical society they aren't really going to care that you taught. If it's in an academic institution it will help a little, but still if you want to be an archivist and not an archival theory researcher most places are going to want to see practical experiance. Do what you can for a "free" education but just keep that in mind.
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Mar 18, 2015 12:52
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It depends on what you are doing as a GA? I mean, by practical experience I am talking about experience processing, or working with digital collections, appraisals, doing disaster recovery, etc. Unless you are a GA in the archives you probably aren't going to get any of that I am guessing.
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Mar 18, 2015 14:36
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Insane Totoro posted:
It should be this, but it kind of isn't. I was amazed at how many students in my MLIS program were terrified of public speaking. More of them were scared than wern't. One woman even fainted during the first presentation she gave and the professor had to call 911. It's kind of crazy.
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Mar 18, 2015 15:20
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Ha, very true. People in my history MA program definitely didn't have a problem talking. In fact many of them talked in front of groups far too much.
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Mar 18, 2015 16:21
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Its more like stay within your branch. Archivists and librarians are much more cousins, where say a law librarian vs. an academic librarian are more like brothers or sisters. Just try to stay in that broader branch you want to be in, and then beyond being the generic vanilla (processing) archivist you could try and get experience in more specific areas that are general like a reference archivist, digital collections archivist, digital preservation archivist, conservation specialist (though conservation in a detailed level is its own field), disaster recovery specialist archivist, rare books, etc.
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Mar 18, 2015 18:52
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I don't know if this is helpful or not but my history MA was in colonialism, specifically French empire, and my first real archives job out of grad school was at one of the oldest and most prestigious American history archives in the country. I hadn't really studied anything directly related to American history since high school.
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Mar 18, 2015 20:57
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If they are asking for ruby in rails in academy I wouldn't be surprised if they either have or are considering a hydra repository,
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Mar 23, 2015 15:46
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FYI I have a library tech position I am trying to fill in Philadelphia. If you or someone you know who fits the description and would be interested to apply please forward this on. Note that position isn't strictly for a librarian, but certainly more in line of some of what I need for digital scholarship type stuff these days: Academic Information Technology and Support Technician, Digital Scholarship Center Summary: The Temple University Libraries are seeking a creative and energetic individual to fill the position of Academic Information Technology and Support Technician. This position is an opportunity to engage with the digital humanities, digital scholarship and open source software and hardware communities. Temple’s federated library system serves an urban research university with over 1,800 full-time faculty and a student body of 36,000 that is among the most diverse in the nation. For more information about Temple and Philadelphia, visit http://www.temple.edu. Primary Duties and Responsibilities: The Academic Information Technology and Support Technician , reporting to the Librarian/Coordinator of Digital Scholarship Service Development, is responsible for configuring and managing both public and staff facing software platforms on Windows, Mac and Linux desk top and server environments. This position is critical to the delivery of essential applications and services for Temple University Libraries’ newly created Digital Scholarship Center (DSC). The AITST is expected to keep abreast of new and developing technologies, track ongoing trends in digital scholarship, and communicate recommendations to the Temple University community. The incumbent researches, recommends, tests and subsequently implements innovative, open source software applications that are well suited for digital scholarship activities. The AITST assists in setting priorities and timelines for these projects, and then defines and implements strategy for the projects he/she manages. They assist patrons with the migration and transformation of complex data sets, both large and small. The AITST is expected to train other library staff as well as DSC patrons on how these cutting-edge applications can be applied within a specific discipline or field of study, as well as engage patrons and maintain software that is regularly updated via the open source community. Performs related duties as assigned. Essential Functions: Install, upgrade, manage, and troubleshoot hardware, software, and other types of equipment that constitute the DSC server environment Keep abreast of new and developing technologies, track ongoing trends in digital scholarship, and communicate recommendations to the Temple University community Assist in setting priorities and timelines for these projects, and then defines and implements strategy for the projects he/she manages Clearly and accurately report on projects on a consistent basis Test and evaluate new software applications, hardware, and other types of equipment for use in the DSC Train patrons, DSC and other library staff in the use of software, hardware and equipment for digital scholarship use Provide support for software, hardware and other equipment specially designated for a DSC Supervise student workers who assist in supporting software, hardware and other equipment in the DSC Assist in the migration and transformation of large and small data sets for DSC, library staff and patrons Maintain a presence in and knowledge of the open source community for relevant open source software and hardware used in the DSC · Provide occasional after-hours support for upgrades or to respond to technical issues Required Education and Experience: Bachelors in Computer Science or a related field and 2 years of experience working in an academic environment. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered. Required Skills and Abilities: · System administration skills in Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP environments · Demonstrated familiarity with Mac and Windows operating systems · Demonstrated understanding of the open source community, how to communicate with it, and how to work with and maintain installations of open source software · Strong communication skills · Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to work with and train individuals and small groups on use of software applications · Ability to manage one's time and organize small-scale projects · Ability to work well in teams · Ability to provide occasional after-hours support for upgrades or to respond to technical issues Preferred Skills and Abilities: · Familiarity with software used in a variety of digital scholarship areas including but not limited to: o GIS (ex. CartoDB, ArcGIS, Google Fusion Tables) o Data cleaning (ex. Notepad ++, Open Refine) o Textual analysis (ex. RStudio, Mallet) o Dissemination tools (ex. Omeka, Scalar) o Data visualization (ex. Gephi) o 3D Technologies and environments (ex. Sketchup, Oculus Rift) · Awareness of data management and data transformation issues · Understanding of and ability to work with and troubleshoot a local area network with a variety of devices. Compensation: Competitive salary and benefits package. To apply: To apply for this position, please visit https://www.temple.edu click on Careers at Temple, and reference TU-18985. For full consideration, please submit your completed electronic application, along with a cover letter and resume. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Temple University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to cultural diversity.
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Apr 17, 2015 17:34
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berzerker posted:Most urgently, the group sending us materials wants to put labels on the back of photographs. Is there such a thing as labels we could adhere to the backs of the photos that won't destroy the photos eventually? I recognize that in the best of all worlds we wouldn't write anything or adhere anything to the pictures, but apparently that non-negotiable. Archivist here (more like use to be an archivist though I still do archival consulting). Don't put stickers on the photos. Thats just a bad idea. Even if they don't hurt the photos, the adhesive is just going to dry up and they will all fall off in 50 years and then what was the point. Write on the backs of the photos. edit: Also, go find a copy of this somewhere: http://saa.archivists.org/store/photographs-archival-care-and-management/337/
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Oct 14, 2015 21:40
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The only thing you could have suggested that is worse than lamination is gluing them into a scrap book and then laminating them.
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Oct 15, 2015 01:12
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Pencil, crayon. I know it isn't permanent per-se but you are right that inks are not the way to go. Archivists use pencil on pretty much anything, and if they complain it could be erased someone could also just cross off any pen markings with another pen.
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Oct 15, 2015 14:11
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Insane Totoro posted:That's the joke Sorry, I've heard that as a serious recommendation from librarians, volunteers, etc. so many times that I just can't tell what is sarcasm anymore.
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Oct 15, 2015 14:11
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berzerker posted:That's not how the government regs work, though. They need permanent markings on the file, period. I'm being consulted, not making the actual decision. The SAA listserv is where you want to go for those general questions, but be careful, some of the regular posters seem to think its 4chan for archivists and make it a dark and scary place. Don't get them started on the Friday Flowers posts. You might have better luck with the listserv for the regional archives group. (MARAC in the mid-atlantic, MAC for the midwest, etc.). Where are you? nesbit37 fucked around with this message at 15:50 on Oct 15, 2015 |
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Oct 15, 2015 15:46
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I'm certainly not an expert on that since I am not a conservationist. There are inks that are less likely to bleed through and such, but then again there is also a difference between what is archival to archivists and archival to the general public. I am sure most people think archival ink means an ink that will last for near forever. An archivist would think of it as more an ink that will last more or less forever on a specific medium and not damage that medium. I would check the conservation center, they might have some specific info on inks but usually what I hear about is preserving and working with iron gall ink and damage inks can do to things, particularly photographs, over time. http://www.ccaha.org/publications
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Oct 15, 2015 18:40
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"West_Arch" is the Western Archivists Listserv, the listserv for the following archival organizations in the Western United States: Society of California Archivists (SCA) Conference of Inter-Mountain Archivists (CIMA) Northwest Archivists (NWA) Rocky Mountain Archivists (RMA) Society of Southwest Archivists (SSA) The listserv is intended for official communications of the above organizations and as a means for archivists and other professionals who collect, care for, and provide access to the documentary heritage of the West to share information of common interest, including job openings. The listserv is also a professional resource for members to query their peers about issues/problems in their day-to-day work. To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit https://calmail.berkeley.edu/manage/list/listinfo/west_arch@lists.berkeley.eduor, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to west_arch-request@lists.berkeley.edu Send west_arch mailing list submissions to west_arch@lists.berkeley.edu You can reach the person managing the list at west_arch-owner@lists.berkeley.edu
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Oct 16, 2015 20:54
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I also just noticed that your regional groups acronym is NWA. Archivists apparently have a horrible recognition of acronyms outside of their field. My regional group is the hilariously inappropriate DVAG, which someone a couple years ago proposed be changed to the even worse DVDA.
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Oct 16, 2015 20:57
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Why would you think that? Do they have some magical guarantee of employment upon graduation no one else is aware of or something?
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Nov 6, 2015 03:37
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For the most part, no one cares if you go to a top school. Now if you went to a school everyone knows is terrible, that they would care about. After you get your first job and build a reputation it doesn't matter anymore anyway.
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Nov 6, 2015 04:29
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Not a Children posted:Are there any formal figures/information that I can use in the future to back up this argument, or am I really the jerk in this situation? Here you go, the number you want in there is 83% of 2014 graduates are employed full time. But it is more nuanced of course since that is people had to opt in to reply to the survey, what exactly is their job, are they full time in the library field or part time, etc. http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/10/placements-and-salaries/2015-survey/explore-all-the-data-2015/ Toph Bei Fong posted:Reputation is nothing, experience is everything. This is pretty much it. For the most part no one cares where you went to school. They care you know the job, and it can help who you know but that is a hit or miss thing. For example, my first job out of school ended up being in Philadelphia (I went to Milwaukee) because I took a class field trip to do archival disaster recovery in Germany with some others in my program, one of which lived in Delaware and saw a job opening that she thought was perfect for me and I ended up getting it. If I never took that trip and met that other student I might still not be employed in the field. On the other hand, these classes tend to be small so the faculty is going to know almost everyone so I don't know how useful it is to know the same person everyone else in your class does unless you impress them enough to have them recommend you or so. I can't speak for other areas of the country but Philly is fairly incestuous. If you get a job in an institution you will probably spend your whole career getting passed around from institution to institution in the area. In that case knowing someone at certain places and getting an internship or project position with them can help you get on that track. Chances are they will never ask or talk about where you went to school though.
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Nov 6, 2015 17:18
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An MLS will make it easier but it isn't a guarantee. Places will also consider experience when applicable in lieu of a degree, and since it sounds like it's been years for you that might work. In some places though you have to have the degree. Where I work, if your official HR title has librarian in it you have to have an mls.
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Jan 8, 2016 02:19
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a friendly penguin posted:I need some reassurance hopefully from some of you who have had the imposter problem before. I just got a new job as a branch manager in a system I have never worked in before. I got this position after having been a Librarian with a short stint as being an interim branch manager at my current library. In that system you pretty much go from Librarian to branch manager because it's a small system. In the new library there are two levels between librarian and branch manager: department supervisors and assistant branch managers. Granted I manage a department in an academic library so I am not sure of the exact crossover to public, but generally if this is a more managerial role its just getting up on your people skills. By that I don't mean how to be nice and carry a conversation, but balancing the needs of your supervisees with the needs of the branch and the system. It can be a difficult adjustment but you need to watch out for those you supervise while simultaneously making sure you are acting with your organizational purview's best interest in mind. You'll probably be fine. Imposter syndrome sucks. I've been more or less a department head for more than 6 years now and at two different institutions and I still feel like I have no idea what I am doing a lot of the time.
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Feb 3, 2016 15:51
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I wish the laws around the academic tuition remission were better for the graduate level. Undergrad stuff its fine, but apparently with grad classes it counts as income so you get hit with it by being taxed on it, and that would also really mess with the rates for my IBR and paying back these $60k in student loans. As its set up, baisically no more grad classes for you student loan havers! Hopefully congress doesn't screw everyone and the whole repayment thing will still be around in ~4 years when I hit the 10 year payback limit and they fix the issue that the full balance of the forgiven debt be counted as income for the year it is forgiven turning a multi-year repayment into a one time tax charge of $30k.
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Feb 4, 2016 16:35
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You're going to go nuts if you have no days off ever.
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Apr 29, 2016 18:58
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