The Archives Track
This month Bibliofile is starting a new series focusing on different tracks available within the MLIS degree. Alisa Johnson was kind enough to write about the Archives track. Here is what she had to say:
The Archives track is one-full year of classes (36 credits) like the regular MLIS degree. For many people in the Archives track, the University of Pittsburgh was appealing because the archives program offers all the needed classes right in a row, and students can finish everything within a year if they go full time. This allows you to get the education you need and enter the workforce sooner than with other programs. Unlike the regular MLIS degree, the archives track is set up so that we only take required classes. We don't have the option to pick any on our own.
Since it's only the beginning of the second term, we've experienced only four classes. They are:
* LIS 2000: Understanding Information--Everyone is required to take this class, so I shouldn't really need to provide an explanation.
* LIS 2110: Action Research--This class deals a lot with statistics and how using different concepts ca apply to libraries and archives when studying users. For example, we've learned how to analyve user surveys to see how much services cost or how much some services are used by patrons.
* LIS 2214: Library and Archival Preservation--This class covers the basic concepts of preservation of books, documents, and other materials used in libraries and archives.
*LIS 2220: Records and Knowledge Management--This is a class that is more about archives. It introduces us to the basic principles of records management. There is also some information about the issues involved with electronic records.
This term (Spring term), we will be dealing more with archives. The classes required are archival appraisal, representation, access, and digital preservation. During the summer term, we will have another preservation class, our field experience, a museum archives class, and a class on moving image archives.
My personal background is in history, and that is the aspect of archives that I am most interested in. Once I graduate, I'm hoping to get a job working in government archives. Others might get jobs at historical societies or in commercial businesses. I have worked in some archives before, but this program has helped me to understand the important issues that archivists have to deal with on a daily basis.
Bibliofile thanks Alisa for sharing her experiences with the archives track. Thanks!
We are looking for people who would like to write about their own tracks. We are especially in need of people within the preservation, law library, and school media specialist tracks. If you would like to brag about your concentration, please email us!
Publication of the Department of Library &
Information Science
University of Pittsburgh
135 N. Bellefield Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Last updated January 31, 2003