I've read most of the recent posts about archivists, librarians, etc. and have found the discussion very interesting. To some extent, whether you focus on getting advanced degrees in history or library science depends on where you plan to work. I know, I know, you can't really plan your life! But here are a few thoughts. I agree with Richard Cox that a strong educational background in archives and information science -- solid grounding in the fundamentals and attainment of good credentials -- are important. Beyond that, you need to think about the type of work you are interested in. If you hope to work as a processing or reference archivist with the a government entity (such as the National Archives, which unfortunately is vulnerable to hiring freezes in the current budget envirnoment), an advanced degree in history is useful. The advantages of a history degree for a subject matter expert or reference archivist, who spends his or her days working intensively with documents and with scholars who seek releasable knowledge about government operations, are obvious. Other government archivists specialize in work as processing archivists, jobs which can require considerable specialization. Consider my late sister, a declassification archivist who spent her entire career reading documents to see if they should be released to the research public or if they should remain restricted. A Library degree would not have helped her. But knowledge of past events and how the government operates enabled her to put the disclosure guidelines she applied each day into context. To see what I mean, take a look at http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB193/HAK-8-6-69.pdf . This document from 1969 originally was security classified. It recently declassified and now is posted on the website of the National Security Archive at http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB193/index.htm . An academic background focused primarily on library skills would do little to enable a reviewing archivist to apply the balancing tests necessary to determine if the document met the threshhold for public release. But a strong background in history might give an aspiring archivist a competitive advantage over other applicants seeking to work with such documents. And, of course, you need to consider continuing education. When I worked at NARA's Nixon Project, reviewing tapes and documents for potential release, I was a voracious reader at home on my own time of memoirs and history books about the Presidency, the Vietnam War, etc. That sort of study enabled me to know who was Jean Sainteny, who was Vernon Walters, what theit relationship was with Kissinger, etc. -- I'm referring to two people mentioned on the second page of the document linked to above. Actually, I still read those types of books now, although I haven't worked at NARA for 16 years Conversely, an archivist who had focused more on history rather than library science might find himself or herself at a disadvantage when competing for a job which required a strong combination of archival and library skills. Or, once hired, have to depend more on "on the job training" than colleagues who came in to their jobs with a strong library background. There are many different archival institutions which offer employment opportunities. For those who are just starting out, I would say that to some extent, you have to think about what type of setting you aspire to work in. Of course, jobs are scarce. It would be great if all aspiring archivists could prepare themselves for job openings of all types, either in governmental or academic settings. But not everyone has the means to get both a Master's in History and a MLIS. Maarja (Former National Archives' Nixon tapes archivist) A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org. For the terms of participation, please refer to http://www.archivists.org/listservs/arch_listserv_terms.asp. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname *or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES To post a message, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>