Dear ARLIS Folks,
I've had quite a few requests to share the advice that was generously
offered regarding MLS/MA-Art Hist., so I compiled it (text only, no names
or email addys) into the following list. I guess I should not have
requested off-list replies! :-)
All the advice is certainly welcomed and appreciated.
Alita Pierson
Oberlin College
======
It's a great way to do it. MIT will pay for tuition for its employees (I
got years of education while working as a cataloger there) and all sorts of
academic institutions do it. You might have to plan where you want to be,
what the benefits are, and what kind of job you're willing to take to make
it happen. A lesser job can be good, since you're heart will probably be in
studying.
Don't forget that most good schools, if art history is your game, will give
you free tuition and then tens of thousands of fellowship money, depending
on how good you are and where you choose. I'd say aim high. That way you
get through faster and can really concentrate on the graduate work.
Best of luck with all this. I'm sure you'll get specific recommendations
from the list, but don't trust just the librarians--talk to art historians,
too.
======
Well, that's certainly one way to do it, although working full-time and
going to school is quite stressful. It may take four or five years. Of
course that is the best course financially, if you can find an entry-level
librarian job in an institution which also has an M. A. program in Art
History. I did both degrees at the same time and then went out in search of
a job with no practical library experience. I suffered financially for the
first several years but it was worth it in the end. I am glad I decided to
finish my M.A. degree when I decided to enroll in the M.L. S. program.
One other alternative to trying to get a free degree is to take a job in a
town where there is a state university that has an M.A. program. The
tuition there is often quite reasonable. I knew several colleagues who got
their degrees at Hunter College, CUNY, for example.
======
Hi:
That's what I thought I'd do when I got out of library school. Five years
later,
my experience has been I haven't had the time. Although I could probably have
made more of a priority of it. I went straight into a job as head of a branch
library though; if I weren't in charge of a branch it might be slightly
less of a
problem. I've found that this job and the one I had before it have both
required
that I have a very flexible schedule to be able to cover times when other
staff
are sick or on vacation. I don't think committing to being in class at certain
times would really be feasible for me.
I guess what I'm really trying to say is, there's a lot to be said for
going to
school full-time even for a second masters, and don't fool yourself into
thinking
that going to school while working full-time will be an easy solution, free or
not. On the bright side, I haven't really felt that not having the second
masters
has been a real stumbling block in my career, at least so far.
======
I have my MLIS as of 1999, and am currently finishing
an MA in art history. When I was considering an MA, I
got the CAA catalog of Graduate Programs in Art (not
sure of the exact title) and looked for programs that
tended to offer full funding for their students. I
was offered free tuition from two programs and ended
up going with the program that also offered me a paid
TA-ship. I worked full-time in libraries while in
school for my MLIS and it was doable, but very
stressful. I found the MA in Art History required
even more work and time. I could not have worked
full-time and done my MA in 2 years and stayed sane.
But if you wanted to go more slowly, a school that did
offer free tuition for employees would be a good
option, and plenty of them do. I did feel quite poor
living on a TA salary, and sort of resented the fact
that I had to leave a good paying professional
librarian position to be poor in school. Of course
having the freedome of a student again was nice too
and probably worth the poverty.
=======
It's a great idea. I did exactly that, with several years intervening between
the degrees. The M.A. in Art History took several years itself, so you must
be highly motivated and patient.
I got my MLS at UCLA in 1979 and worked there for three years. I moved to
D.C. in 1982 and began work at George Washington University. I began graduate
study in Art History there in 1987. It took me five more years to get the
M.A., but several intervening events caused delays. People with a singular
focus could go much faster.
You will learn tremendous discipline and time management skills, not to
mention the joy of the subjects themselves.
Good luck.
=======
The Met has a reimbursement program if you are a full time employee. I
think they end up covering 80% of the cost in the end. You can go to
Hunter, the Grad Center (CUNY), or Columbia. (and i think there's one
scholarship that covers a completely free ride to Columbia)
Hope this helps
=======
I got my MLS in 2000 and plan to start my MA in art hist this fall. I would
love to be employed by the academic institution that I plan to attend (CUNY)
so that my benefits will allow me to study for "free." It's a great plan
providing that everything falls into place.
Some additional unsolicited advice--if possible I would consider doing the MA
in art history first and then doing the MLS and working at that academic
institution. Academic libraries typically do hire their MLS students and the
MLS curriculum is less demanding then the MA and will better enable you to
work while you study.
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