Dear list members,
I would be grateful for any advice anyone could give me.
I recently completed a CILIP-accredited postgraduate diploma in information management with a view to making a career change into working with records. I currently work in an admin job which is not strictly related to records management, although there is an element of that involved. My diploma included modules on information studies, database construction and use, managing information services, knowledge organisation (including taxonomies), records management and research methods.
I did not proceed straight to the final stage to complete the masters, as I felt I needed some more practical experience working with records before I could do a research project. I was interested in the cultural heritage sector, so with this in mind I started some voluntary work on an HLF project to list and describe items in a small cathedral archive, as a result of which I found myself more drawn to this area of work. Since then I have volunteered in an academic library/archive and am currently volunteering at a county archives and records service where I have been able to learn use of CALM and many other skills specific to archives.
My personal view was that many of the topics I studied for my information management qualification would be transferable and applicable to archives work as well. I have applied for some entry-level archives work but without much success, and many people I speak to suggest that I will need to gain another qualification in archives management before I can get any sort of paying job in the sector. In fact, I'm wondering whether I am in a catch-22 situation where my existing diploma precludes me from obtaining a trainee post but my lack of archives qualification excludes me from any other posts!
I would welcome any advice or feedback on this. Do I simply have the 'wrong' diploma and will I need to start from scratch with a more archives-focused qualification, or is there some way of 'upskilling' from information management to archives?
Thanks for reading!
Abbi
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