While not wishing to engage in a debate I feel unqualified to join (archival education), recent comments from colleagues have necessitated my entering the discussion from a student and archivist's point of view. I trained to become an archivist under two long-standing leaders in the profession while studying for my M.A. in history. After attaining that degree, I became an archivist who managed an archives and supervised staff and developed budgets. Then a records management stint. But something was always missing. I had not been taught how to write a budget proposal or hire/fire personnel; I had learned appraisal, arrangement, description, preservation, records management. Although my archives education was stellar, not having formal education in some areas made me deficient. I noticed when meeting history PhD archivists (without an MLS) at conferences or while visiting their archives that they also lacked some of this basic knowledge called information science, even those who had been archivists for over 25 years. But on the other edge of the blade, those with only an MLS lacked historiographical and historical methodology knowledge necessary in their practices. I had wanted to learn EAD and delve into the area of electronic records management. But I discovered early on in my practice that I could not learn EAD in a one-day workshop. I could not learn the rudiments of ERM by reading articles day in and day out. I also realized that those who knew these things (EAD and ERM) may be practicing archivists, but they were also archival educators. I looked long and hard and found that all the big names in the archives field in these and other subjects (though not all, for sure) were archival educators and many of them in MLS (or equivalent) programs. So I began my MLIS education. I came thinking that I could learn little from the core classes. This has proved true factually and procedurally, but without the course, I could not have put together all the pieces of the puzzle they call library/archives management or not only seen the forest and the trees in that forest but also the leaves on the trees in regard to reference and information services. I loved what is called systems analysis, but I had no idea how to go about doing it on a large facility-wide scale. What I have learned in one semester and a bit more of library school is that the MLS is a necessary component to a far-reaching, wide-vision approach to archival management. Maybe every archivist does not need the history degree. Maybe every archivist does not need to library degree. But those who have both have something special and can become better at their jobs. Russell D. James, M.A. MLIS student Louisiana State University [log in to unmask] Professional portfolio http://www.geocities.com/russelldjames 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]>