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Libraries, Museums, and Archaeology
“The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go”. (Dr. Seuss, American author and illustrator 1904-1991)
 Thanks to TV programmes like Time Team and Extreme Archaeology, archaeology has never been as popular as it is now. These programmes bring the past to life for many of us.
Libraries are changing – they are no longer all about books. They have CDs, DVDs, and computers with internet access, which we all can use. They are still, as they always have been, a great source of information.
And museums have changed their image – did you know there was a museum of rock and roll? It is in Cleveland, Ohio. In England, there is a museum of film. There are sports museums too, including the museum of football at Hampden. There are large national museums and small local museums.
It is quite difficult to get work in these areas. There is a lot of competition – even though jobs are not particularly well paid.
- There are 6,209 archaeologists in the UK, almost 10% less than in 2007. Recent job losses have been mostly due to the current economic climate and slump in building development work.
- At least 58% of archaeological posts are funded by income from work related to land development or the planning process.
- There are limited opportunities in museums. Museum volunteering is a good way to get experience and make contacts.
- You really need to get voluntary work experience for both archaeology and museum work before applying for a job.
- There are 541 public libraries in Scotland and a further 82 mobile libraries, serving rural areas. There is a lot of competition for jobs in libraries.
- It is easier to get jobs if you can move around the country.
If you want to work in any of these areas, you should be methodical, patient, well organised and prepared to pay attention to detail. For work in archaeology and museums, it helps if you are interested in the past.
You need a degree for many jobs in this career area. If you want to be an archaeologist your degree should be in archaeology. To become a library or information professional, or a museum curator you could take a degree in a variety of subjects and follow that with a specialist postgraduate course.
There are some jobs, such as library or information assistant, or museum or visitor services attendant, which you can get into straight from school.
Sources
Prospects (UK’s official graduate careers) website, job category Information Services (http://www.prospects.ac.uk/)
Institute of Field Archaeologists website (http://www.archaeologists.net/)
SLAINTE - Information and Libraries Scotland (2009)
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