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Re: New Member - Reply



Hi all!

Having recently been in the situation of needing to learn more about how to
break into the field, thought I'd answer. :)

My education history:
      Walsh University in Canton, OH,  then transferred to John Carroll
University in Cleveland, OH because they offered an internship with the
Western Reserve Historical Society for credit. Got my BA in History at JCU.
      Went to Northeastern University in Boston for my MA in history with a
certificate in Public history. I chose that school because of the location
and the diverse offerings they showed on paper. I had a wonderful professor
there (Harvey Green) who became my mentor and whose influence helped me get
my first job when I moved back to Ohio. I'm glad I went there because I got
to study under Green, I also was able to get a part time job with the World
History Center working on copyright permissions for a cd-rom they were
developing. Unfortunately, I was somewhat disappointed by what their course
selection turned out to be.

I am a big - ok HUGE - fan of getting experience through working in the
field. I interned at historical societies doing everything from giving
tours, researching exhibits, researching historic properties for ties to
the underground railroad, cataloging collections, inventorying collections,
and more. I made sure to get archival experience too - Interning at the
Northeastern U. Archives. I processed a collection there (or at least
started). Even though I didn't get paid for all of those experiences, I
made sure to try to at least get credit for them.

I have also learned a lot from other jobs I've had. I learned about
copyright (invaluable info. in this field) while at NU, I learned about
admissions and budgets while at another part-time job, and management
skills at another.

I originally wanted to work in a historical society or history museum
getting to work with a variety of materials (objects & papers), so that's
what I based my decisions for internships on. Just so happens that when I
applied for my first job, the person who interviewed me thought I'd be good
with special collections/archives. So that's the route I'm on now. :)

Another big networking help is memberships in professional organizations.
Local organizations can be cheaper (better on student budget) and yet
provide professional guidance and support. National organizations can give
you a broader perspective on the field as a whole and trends.

So, that's my $.02 worth on 'how I got where I am'. (turned out to be
around $.04 - sorry!)
Good luck in your studies!
Bridgette

----------
Bridgette A. Kelly, Archivist
United Church of Christ
700 Prospect St.
Cleveland, OH  44115
216-736-2106     kellyb@ucc.org

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