Thursday, May 21, 2015
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
I started working on a graduate degree in Library Science a few years ago. One of the reasons I wanted to get this kind of degree is so that I could become a Genealogy librarian. However, over the course of the past few years, the university I attend stopped offering the course due to lack of interest. I was still interested in learning how a librarian should study Genealogy. So, I set off to survey American Library Association approved graduate programs in Library Science at 57 different universities to see if this trend is the same at most universities. So far to date, I have found only 5 universities that even offer a course that touches upon Genealogy.
I began my genealogy hobby several years ago, when I discovered Ancestry.com. Since that time, I have accumulated nearly 1400 members on my own family tree. My interest in this made me want to help others with their own genealogy research. When I first began to investigate this pathway, I began to realize most genealogists start as either hobbyists who find various avenues in which to turn their hobby into a professional career. Some people find their way in to it through undergraduate or graduate degrees in History related scholarly activities. Still others, join various Genealogy associations and take continuing education type courses to build upon their reputation and skill set.
If you are serious about Genealogy and want to take it to the next level, you basically have two career paths in front of you: you either want to be a Genealogist and will get your training to do that in somewhat unconventional ways, or you will train to be a Genealogy librarian. These librarians are typically hired by public libraries in the Adult Reference areas. Looking for training as a librarian, will mean that you have to obtain a graduate degree or certification in Library Science, and Genealogy Librarianship will only constitute one course that you will take in a typical 36 credit hour program.
What I am attempting to do in this blog, is to present that state of Genealogy Librarianship as it is offered through American universities. I would like to point you to the universities that I believe have the best offerings in this area, so that your search for this kind of information will be found right here. I am conducting research in this area and will post my findings in this blog.
So, you want to be a Genealogy Librarian?? Stay tuned for the best way to go about doing that!!
I began my genealogy hobby several years ago, when I discovered Ancestry.com. Since that time, I have accumulated nearly 1400 members on my own family tree. My interest in this made me want to help others with their own genealogy research. When I first began to investigate this pathway, I began to realize most genealogists start as either hobbyists who find various avenues in which to turn their hobby into a professional career. Some people find their way in to it through undergraduate or graduate degrees in History related scholarly activities. Still others, join various Genealogy associations and take continuing education type courses to build upon their reputation and skill set.
If you are serious about Genealogy and want to take it to the next level, you basically have two career paths in front of you: you either want to be a Genealogist and will get your training to do that in somewhat unconventional ways, or you will train to be a Genealogy librarian. These librarians are typically hired by public libraries in the Adult Reference areas. Looking for training as a librarian, will mean that you have to obtain a graduate degree or certification in Library Science, and Genealogy Librarianship will only constitute one course that you will take in a typical 36 credit hour program.
What I am attempting to do in this blog, is to present that state of Genealogy Librarianship as it is offered through American universities. I would like to point you to the universities that I believe have the best offerings in this area, so that your search for this kind of information will be found right here. I am conducting research in this area and will post my findings in this blog.
So, you want to be a Genealogy Librarian?? Stay tuned for the best way to go about doing that!!
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