Library and Museum Work

Todd Burdick ’83 believes that “working in a museum is perfectly logical for a History major.” and has recently retired from his post as Director of Interpretation & Public Programs at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA but continues be an active educator and historian. Similarly, Jane Shadel Spillman ’64 earned a Masters Degree in Museum Studies and is the Curator of American Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass. Alison Lotto ’08, who received an MA in History from NYU and a Masters in Library Science from the Palmer School at Long Island University has also found satisfying work in this area: “I am currently working in New York City as an archivist, both at the Grolier Club, a private book rare book club and at the Whitney Museum of Art. While at Vassar I focused on British and Middle Eastern History, and had a correlate in Victorian Studies. While working on my thesis, I was lucky enough to receive an Evalyn Clark Fellowship from the History Department to travel to London for thesis research at the British Library and the archives of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. While I had already thought about a career in archives, this trip really cemented my interest in working directly with materials and making archives available to scholars and researchers.” Alison also warmly credits History’s “ethos of ‘going to the source’” in helping her learn how to read these documents critically.