MettaSutta

I had a second interview with Simmons and got my acceptance letter yesterday 

Good luck!  Waiting is the hardest part for sure.  

Just got my official acceptance letter for the University of Alabama! So thrilled!! :)

Rinzler Archives Summer Internship
What: An opportunity to learn best practices in archives collection management firsthand
Where: Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Washington, D.C.
When: Ten weeks in the summer, flexible depending on your schedule.
This internship in the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is made possible through the generous support of the Scott and Dorothy Odell Internship Fund. The mentorship goals of this internship include working with archives staff to apply collections management best practices in arranging, describing, and digitizing collections, which consist of papers, photographs, audio recordings, and audiovisual media. The intern may also work with content in our Digital Asset Management System and contribute to finding aids that meet current archival descriptive standards and are Encoded Archival Description compatible using ArchivesSpace (ASpace). The collections include curatorial, ethnographic, and programmatic content associated with the Center’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival and its nonprofit record label, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
The deadline for the 2020 summer internship is March 15. The selected applicant will receive a stipend of $300/week for a full-time, ten-week internship. 
How to Apply
To apply online, visit solaa.si.edu and create an account. After selecting Internship, specify the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. You will be required to upload supporting materials, including an essay, résumé, transcripts, and letters of recommendation.
The submission deadline for summer internships is March 15. There are no deadlines for submitting applications for other seasons. The completed application is to be submitted at least six weeks before the start of the internship.
If you have questions, please contact intern coordinator Arlene Reiniger at ReinigerA@si.edu.
 

My undergrad gpa was 3.65 and i had some limited volunteer/work experience. Some in a high school mentor/teaching program, a little as a job coach, and some more as a health aid for the nyc dept of education. All of my volunteer/work experience totaled about 16 months. I didn't necessarily think I was going to get in or not, I didn't think about it too much, I figured whatever happens happens. I started Columbia two weeks ago and so far I am very happy with it.

It was interesting that the other day a representative from the University of Mongolia came to audit one of my classes in order to learn how to put together the social work curriculum for the University of Mongolia. Kind of gave us students the feeling that Columbia's program was pretty good, lol.

In any event, if your gpa is above 3.0 and you put your heart into your essay I think you have as good a chance as anyone.

Best of Luck!

As a prospective Columbia student I would love to see your stats also!

I chose Columbia

Hello, all! I just wanted to know which program(s) you thought had the best archives and special collections (and/or rare books, if it's a concentration and not just one course) tracks/concentrations? I've looked up rankings and whatnot, but I want to hear from people who have actually had experience in the schools because some information from students have been conflicting from claims from certain programs, so I want to hear which ones you think are best from people you've talked to or your own personal experience. Preferably for online programs, but I want to hear about them all. Thanks in advance! 

From my experience, I don't think it would count against you at all. A lot of libraries specifically want to hire librarians who have degrees (especially advanced degrees) in their field as well as LIS. I know a number of people in my program who already have at least one master's degree but are getting an MLIS to work in a specialized library.
Also, you might want to look at other schools than UIUC if you're interested in archives. I'm not an archives person, but the people I know who are doing archives at UIUC have expressed some frustration, particularly with the fact that there aren't really very many archives-specific classes offered. Again, I am not an archivist, so all of this is based on what I've heard or what friends have told me. However, I do know that UIUC is definitely more focused on libraries than archives in their LIS program. I'd encourage you to look at other options or at least reach out to current archives students (you can check out the Society of American Archivists chapter) to get their take on the program before making any sort of decision on that front.

Hello, all! 
     I have been considering pursuing an MLIS degree for some time now, and I wanted to come and possibly pick the brains of those who have already applied/begun their programs (or finished, if they're still floating around here!) As you probably gathered from my handle, I'm in the Classics-side of graduate school at the moment but because I have been considering going into Classics libraries (yes, I know there are not a lot of these jobs! It's the same issue I have with my current fields, anyway), for which I would need an MLIS from an ALA-accredited program. I work full-time in a museum at the moment and assist the Curator of Manuscripts/Librarian in the Research Library from time to time, which is why my interest has grown to archives, rare books, and special collections. I know there are some people who have multiple degrees before they get their MLIS, but I wanted to check and see where everyone else stood before they applied/that it wouldn't count against me for already having two advanced degrees when I apply (don't want them thinking I'm a "degree-collector," I suppose?). I already have my Museum Studies MA from the University of Oklahoma (which I would have done an MLIS with a Museum Studies or Cultural Heritage concentration instead of had I known they existed before I applied) and I'm going to graduate with my MA in Classical Studies from Villanova University this May. I pretty much have my heart set on UIUC for the MLIS, but if anyone has any other programs that have Archives/Special Collections/Rare Books pathways that they would recommend, I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts! Thank you in advance.

Got rejected from Wisconsin too. 
Is there a real drop off in education from tier 1 schools to tier 2?

My last recommendation was submitted on January 28 -- the deadline was February 1 and I received my acceptance on Feb 10. Good luck to you!

I just found out last night that I was accepted to Simmons with a scholarship, and I'm being considered for an assistantship! I hope everyone else who is still waiting to hear back from their schools has the same success  

I had an interview with one of the Professors. Guess mine application was on the bubble. I wont know until next week.

Looks like my Simmons letter came early. I did not get in. However,  I did get into San Jose State!

Thank you! I have not made a decision yet. And throughout this whole process I have gone back and forth between the two -- which means that hopefully either one is a good decision.

I have been accepted to both Alabama and Mizzou!

If I may ask, how long did it take you to hear back from Alabama from the time your final recommendation letters were sent in? 
(I've applied to Alabama and am on pins and needles waiting!)

Ugh, I'd love to do YPP, but I'll be 33 by the time I graduate my program, so I miss the age cutoff.

Hi if you're still looking for advice, here's some from a soon-to-be MLIS graduate:
Have you tried emailing the second professor at Alabama? January is super busy for professors, and it's not uncommon for emails to get lost in the shuffle. Just a quick ping of "hey just wanted to check in" kind of thing usually works.
As someone in this area of study (youth services is my jam), I will tell you that I've heard more about Alabama. The 2018-2019 president of ALSC is a faculty member there, for example. I don't know that I've ever heard anything about Missouri other than that it exists. My school also has a mandatory campus visit weekend for online students, and a number of the ones I've spoken to said that it was one of their favorite parts of the program.
My other two suggestions would be a) looking into student organizations at the school (particularly ALA chapters as they're usually fairly active) and seeing if they have any sort of contact information so you could reach out to a current student, and b) email an advisor (they're usually the ones who know what's up) and ask if there's a possibility you could be connected with a current student to learn more about the program. My school, for example, has a student ambassador program for reasons like this.
Hope this helps!

Try this link out: https://therapymaterialsvault.com/scholarship/ 
Hope this helps!

That sounds great! There's nothing better than a good law librarian when you have tough research questions.

Not yet! I am clerking. But that is my dream job.  I'm presently applying to MLIS programs.  

I'm also a lawyer in New Jersey. Are you working as a law librarian?

It says online that they send a decision out 3-4 weeks from when your completed application is received, but I don't know how that time frame works for people who apply well before Feb 1st since they notify you of scholarships with your application decision. I'm thinking they may start sending decisions out at the end of February. 
If it stays to the 3-4 weeks time frame I should hear back next week or the week after.