Museum Libraries (within or post MSLIS)

Preparing museum librarians for 21st century leadership in global cultural envioronments.

An innovative program intorduced in 2005 is designed for students considering careers in museum libraries and related cultural institutions such as research and academic libraries. If you can envision yourself working in today's dynamic information environment as a leader in the museum field able to: forge new connections between museum libraries, both real and virtual, and users, integrate digital collections and services with physical places and resources, and provide user education and outreach in global networked environments, then you will find that this program will prepare you to meet these challenges.

Program Description

This 12-credit Advanced Certificate in museum libraries can be taken as part of a student's MSLIS degree or as a post master's certificate for those holding an MLS from as ALA accredited program.

The Museum Libraries Certificate Program consists of four 3-credit courses(12 credits), each representing one of four required areas of study that we identify as the program's four pillars of knowledge and skills: 1) research/ curatorial 2) Digital Technology 3) Education and Outreach 4) Field Experience (Practicum).

The curriculum addresses new trends in the profession within today's global contexts and digital landscape. Graduates will gain the knowledge and skills needed to work in a wide range of professional positions, not only in museum libraries, but as well in research libraries, academic libraries and libraries of various cultural institutions. The curriculum is supported by a rich array of courses and strengthened by our partnerships for LIS education with NYPL, Research Libraries, and the Watson Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art.  At the heart of the program, is the practicum that serves to connect theory with practice and includes a culminating project. Full time faculty holding PhDs are responsible for the programs foundational knowledge and skills, while the part time faculty, recognized leaders in the museum library field, bring invaluable expertise.

As the first such program, it brings focus to emerging commonalities between museum and research libraries evidenced by expanding roles for librarians in education and outreach, digital resources and services, and information systems. Importantly, its curriculum transforms the education of museum librarians by defining the full range of knowledge and skills librarians will need to advance the mission of libraries in museum and cultural institutions today.

Required Courses for the Museum Libraries Certificate 12-credit program within the MSLIS presented according to the programs four knowledge areas.

1. Research/ Curatorial - Select one course from the following seven:

LIS 629 Museum and Library Research at the Watson Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art
LIS 667 Art Librarianship; LIS 69
LIS 697 Rare Books at NYPL, Humanities & Social Sciences Library (HSSL); LIS 688 Map Collections at NYPL HSSL, Map Division
LIS 686 Performing Arts Librarianship at NYPL, LPA, Lincoln Center
Florence Summer Program in partnership with SACI (two 3-credit courses)  - http://www.pratt.edu/academics/information_and_library_sciences/international_programs/
     1. LIS 697 Florentine Art & Culture:Museum & Library Resources & Documentation; 2. Cultural Heritage Conservation

2. Digital Technology - select one course from the following seven:

LIS 665 Projects in Digital Archives
LIS 680 Educational & Instructional Technology
LIS 693 Digital Libraries
LIS 643 Information Architecture & Interaction Design
LIS 697 Web Design & Production
LIS 697 Pratt-SILS and University College London, Department of Information - E-Publishing Summer School and Bloomsbury Conference (3-credits)

New Courses to meet this requirement:

Digital Humanities; Digital Preservation and Digitization;

3. Education & Outreach - select one course from the following two:

LIS 697 Literacy & Learning in the Digital World
LIS 675 Museum and Library Education and Outreach at NYPL, HSSL

4. Practicum

LIS 698 Practicum/ Seminar - four sessions with culminating project

Recommended elective courses that enrich and support the required program:

LIS 623 Online Databases: Social Science & Humanities
LIS 634 Abstracting & Indexing
LIS 662 Advanced Cataloging and Classification
LIS 663 Metadata, Description & Access
LIS 618 The Art World, Business & Information at NYPL, HSSL
LIS 632 Conservation & Preservation
LIS 642 Thesaurus Design & Construction
LIS 695 Photography Collections at the International Center for Photography (ICP)
LIS 687 Institute on Art Collections at NYHPL, HSSL
LIS 688 Institute on Map Collections at NYPL, HSSL Map Division.
NYPL, HSSL = New York Public Library, Humanities & Social Sciences Library (42nd Street)
NYPL, LPA = Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center

Museum Library Practicum Course:

The practicum gives students high-level professional experience in museum libraries as well as libraries of related cultural institutions such as research and academic libraries.

For detailed information on the practicum course visit the SILS practicum Web site.

Course syllabus and culminating project.

 

Program Application

 

Download and print the application, fill out and and sign.  Submit completed form to the SILS office in person or by mail.

 

Contact

For questions of further information contact: Quinn Lai, Research Assistant, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

 

A program under the rubric of Cultural informatics - defined at the intersection of culture, information science and digital technology, it is approved by and registered with New York State, Department of Higher Education