How to Work with Archivists: Career Paths in Public Sector Ethnomusicology
Wed 3/6/2024 • 1PM PST
Lecture by Kevin C. Miller
Head of Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library
This talk explores possible career trajectories with an ethnomusicology degree, particularly in combination with additional education or training in library and archival science. Using his own educational and career pathways as a starting point, Miller will demonstrate how he used his PhD in Ethnomusicology and a Master of Library and Information Science–both from UCLA–to navigate a successful career that ultimately leveraged both degrees. The talk will also discuss the importance of working with archives and special collections–both as a researcher and a depositor of your fieldwork materials–and call attention to the similar tenets and even techniques of the professions. For example, both ethnomusicology and archival science place a high value on working with communities. In the case of the latter, “community archiving” centers local knowledge and values, encourages partnerships, and emphasizes consultation over custodianship. A significant portion of the talk will be reserved for Q&A.
Biography
Dr. Kevin C. Miller holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology (2008) and a Master of Library and Information Science (2010), both from UCLA. He has held positions at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Archives and Pepperdine University, and is currently the Head of Archives and Special Collections at the UC Davis Library, where he has worked since 2016.
Part of the Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy Colloquium Series, this event is sponsored by The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Department of Ethnomusicology, with support from the Dean of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.