About
Archives Program Information Session
Thursday, October 22, 2020
5:30pm CST
Join Shaun Hayes, SOIS Archives Program Specialist, as he shares information on UWM’s Archival Studies Program. Shaun will be available to answer questions, discuss courses, and offer ways for students to graduate with the best chance of finding employment as an archivist. We look forward to meeting you and answering your questions about the program!
Archival studies offers you the opportunity to investigate the processes that shape the historical record. By studying how records are selected for preservation, arranged and described, and made accessible to the public, archives students have a unique opportunity to research a field that mixes history, ethics, technology and philosophy. Through this study, you are able to research the influences that help determine how society views itself.
The Archives Program provides a range of professional development opportunities, as well as alumni and other professional connections around the country in order to ensure that you are competitive in the job market and have a well-rounded view of the complex issues facing archives. Completion of this program provides you with a graduate degree that will help you gain employment at a variety of archives throughout the United States.
Things to know…
- Highly Ranked Program
The School of Information Studies Archival Studies Program ranks ninth among LIS programs for Archives and Preservation!. US News and World Report “Best Colleges 2018” - Online & Onsite Program Options
Milwaukee is full of opportunities to gain archival experience.
Can’t come to campus? Complete the MLIS + Archives Concentration fully online.
Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS)
Archives & Records Administration
The Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS in Archives and Records Administration consists of 15 credits of advanced coursework designed to help working professionals develop a specialty in archives and records administration. Visit our Archives & Records Administration CAS page for complete details.
Curriculum
To pursue the Archival Studies Concentration you must complete and submit the Archival Studies Concentration Declaration of Intent form. This will allow the program coordinator to track your progress and communicate with you via the email list.
Things to know…
- You may not earn a concentration and a certificate based on identical coursework.
- Online and onsite availability of electives vary each semester.
- Upon completion of your coursework, your concentration program will be reviewed and approved by the Director of the Archival Studies Program.
You must take 15 credits of coursework in archives as electives within the overall MLIS program. A maximum of 6 transfer credits from an institution other than UWM may count toward the concentration, subject to Graduate School and SOIS transfer policies and procedures. UWM graduate coursework taken prior to admission to the current degree program is subject to standard transfer limits. Any transfer credits applied toward a concentration are part of the total transfer limit for that degree.
For a complete list of required courses and electives for the Archives Concentration, please visit the UWM Graduate School Catalog.
Gain Hands-on Experience
The archival profession is highly competitive. You should have or obtain job experience prior to the completion of their MLIS. Participating in Alternative Summer Break and/or enrolling in INFOST 759 Fieldwork in Library and Information Science is highly recommended.
Three credits of fieldwork are strongly encouraged for students in the Archival Studies concentration. Fieldwork students must have completed INFOST 650 before arranging a fieldwork opportunity. Fieldwork is generally taken for three credits during any semester.
Former Fieldwork Sites Include:
Folger Shakespeare Library | Library of Congress |
Lincoln Presidential Library | University of Texas-Austin’s Harry Ransom Center |
Milwaukee Art Museum | Marquette |
National Parks Service | Wisconsin Historical Society |
How to get started…
- Identify a repository
You are responsible for identifying a repository to work with, but the Archives Program staff can assist you. If you are planning to undertake fieldwork in the Milwaukee area, please contact sois-archivesinfo@uwm.edu before initiating contact with a repository so we can coordinate with other students. You may be able to find fieldwork opportunities at colleges and universities, academic libraries, some public libraries, historical societies, museums, and community organizations. Many of these also advertise when fieldwork opportunities become available. - Complete the Archives Fieldwork Form (Link to Form>>)
After the fieldwork forms are submitted, Archives Program staff will contact the repository to ask for confirmation if they can host the student and to formally approve the fieldwork project(s). Once the repository is confirmed, Archives Program staff will send an email introducing the student and Field Supervisor to each other. The student also must submit the SOIS Fieldwork Placement Form as soon as possible after receiving the introductory email. - Share your experience
During the fieldwork you will be expected to contribute to discussions on the Fieldwork course Canvas site and develop an E-Portfolio based on your experience. Information about the academic requirements for this course will be given at the beginning of the semester. - Complete the Fieldwork Evaluation (Link to Form>>)
Students and Field Supervisors must complete a fieldwork evaluation at the conclusion of the fieldwork.
Deadlines
Deadlines for fieldwork submission are as follows:
Fall fieldwork: June 15
Spring fieldwork: Dec 15
Summer fieldwork: March 1
Alternative Summer Break (ASB) is a non-credit, volunteer career development program which places interested and motivated online and onsite MLIS and CAS students in archives during any two weeks over summer break. Students are placed in archives where they gain hands-on experience and network with professionals. Participation requires that students commit to volunteering 60 hours over two sequential weeks during the summer semester. Students are responsible for their own travel, food and accommodations.
Application Materials
Alternative Summer Break Application Form (PDF)
*Please apply by April 27th
Want to Learn More? Please contact Shaun Hayes: hayes29@uwm.edu
Careers
Employment Advice
The archival profession is highly competitive and the MLIS is usually a requirement for professional-level employment. However, a MLIS is, by itself, not sufficient. Participating in Alternative Summer Break and/or enrolling in INFOST 759 Fieldwork in Library and Information Science is highly recommended.
Examples of other ways to strengthen your resume are: full or part-time paid employment as a paraprofessional, records management certification, leadership positions and/or active participation in professional organizations and the SAA student chapter, technical skills, grant-writing, paper presentations and community engagement, among others.
Many entry-level positions are short-term and/or grant-funded positions.
UWM offers support through the following:
- UWM Career Planning and Resources Center: The Career Center provides career counseling and resume review services to graduate students on both a walk-in and appointment basis.
- Handshake Employment Platform: PantherJobs is a database of general positions targeted towards UWM alumni and students. It also provides a resume referral service, and a system for storing and managing job search materials.
Useful resources available elsewhere:
Resources
Funding Aid & Scholarships
Society of American Archivists (SAA)
- F. Gerald Ham Scholarship
- Mosaic Scholarship
- Josephine Forman Scholarship
- Donald Peterson Student Travel Award
- Harold T. Pinkett Minority Student Award
Midwest Archives Conference (MAC)
Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC)
Northwest Archivists (NWA)
Society of Southwest Archivists
Society of California Archivists
- James V. Mink Scholarship (restricted to SCA members)
- General Scholarships
Research and Presentation Advice
Students are encouraged to use their class assignments as a way in which to explore an issue of importance to them that has the potential for further dissemination. For example, major essay assignments can serve as the first draft of an article for publication or for a conference panel or a course project could turn into a conference poster. SAA and regional conferences have a history of accepting posters highlighting community engagement work by student chapters or other student groups.
Engaging in this kind of activity provides experience for positions in places like archives within academic libraries where a tenure process is the norm. It also gives you an edge on your resume.
The following journals publish archival studies research and some are specifically focused on student research. You are of course always encouraged to apply to any other journals that seem like a good fit:
- American Archivist
- Archival Issues
- Archival Science
- Archivaria
- InterActions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies
- Journal of Archival Organization
- Library and Archival Security
- Library Student Journal
- Provenance: Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists
- RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage
- Records Management Journal
- Student Research Journal at San Jose State School of Library & Information Science
The following student research awards are available for student papers:
- Margaret Cross Norton Award (Midwest Archives Conference, not limited to student authors)
- Theodore Calvin Pease Award (Society of American Archivists, restricted to student authors)
- Poster printing: Free for students, but may require on-site pickup.
- UWM Poster templates
- Campus Institutional Review Board: researchers doing any kind of work with human subjects must complete human subjects research training and submit research for review or apply for exemption from review.
- The Writing Center: Both online and onsite students may use the writing center for assistance with the writing process.
Student poster presentations are a great opportunity to share your research interests and network at professional conferences. It is also generally easier to have a poster accepted at a conference than a professional paper or panel.
Please see the below links for examples of student poster presentations and advice on creating them:
- https://www.flickr.com/groups/alapostersession
- http://www.midwestarchives.org/ccboard/17861033_2c06e24d85b3d017588e3a0da9593cae.pdf
- http://gradschool.unc.edu/academics/resources/postertips.html
- https://www.utexas.edu/ugs/our/poster/samples
- http://www.ga.lsu.edu/Effective%20Poster%20Design%20for%20Academic%20Conferences.pdf
Professional Organizations
Joining professional archival organizations is a great way to network and participate in conferences, either as an attendee or a presenter. Organization websites often have information on upcoming conferences, submission information and networking opportunities. Members may also pursue leadership positions in archival organizations.
The archival profession is divided into groups of professional organizations, usually by geography.
- Midwest Archives Conference (MAC)
- New England Archivists (NEA)
- Twin Cities Archives Round Table (TCART) and the
- Southeastern Wisconsin Archives Group (SWAG)
- Milwaukee chapter of ARMA
Directory of archival organizations in the United States and Canada: http://www2.archivists.org/assoc-orgs/directory
ARMA Chapter Directory:
ARMA’s Chapters and Regions Website
Archives and Records Management Conference Information
Conference attendance is a great way to network with other archivists and develop as a professional. Find information about archives and records management conferences here.
- New England Archivists
- Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference
- Midwest Archives Conference
- Northwest Archives, Inc.
- Conference of Intermountain Archivists
- Society of Southwest Archivists
- Association of Canadian Archivists
- ARMA Canada
- Society of American Archivists
- Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists
- ARMA International