Taken from his article:

"Aspiring job hunters take note: Dave only hires someone with a master of library and information science (MLIS) degree, and as a rule they don't hire anyone who is a Disney fan - too much temptation to steal something valuable."

I just finished my MLIS in the hopes of becoming an archivist associated with Disney. It makes sense that they wouldn't want to hire someone who may want to steal the collection, but what if I really really promised not to. UGGG I'm so sad.

First of all, congrats on the MLIS! I hope to get an MLS someday.

It is sad that they would have to turn away fans. But it's understandable. It's definitely not the end of the world for you, though. All you have to do is give an interview that tells them, "I'm a person with an MLIS that would benefit your company. I'm not that big of a Disney fan and am just interested in working an archive-type position." Don't tell me that people don't lie in their interviews!

You'll be fine.

That's so unfair. There are people that get to see, touch, feel these amazing artifacts every single day....and they don't really care :eek: :mad: Sure it makes sense, but it's so painful to think that they only hire people that are kind of apathetic to it all.

I agree. I wouldn't condone out-and-out lying, but a downplaying of your fandom won't hurt anyone. I confess I looked up MLIS requirements after reading the article. I'd love that gig.
If it were me, I think the pride of being a caretaker of these cherished items would outweigh the very real temptation to steal. "If I steal it, I'll be the only one who gets to enjoy it, and even then not really because I'll feel guilty every time I look at it."
WDCo could just administer one of those standard "psych" tests to gauge applicants' honesty: "Have you ever STOLEN anything from an employer? Have you ever BORROWED anything and not given it back? Have you ever TAKEN anything from an employer?" Basically the same question 150 times, phrased slightly differently. I guess they figure they'll wear you down and get you to admit a previous theft. . . . oh, blah blah blah. On and on I go!
Anyway, I say go for it anyway, PinkFloyd!

Thank you all for your words of encourgagement. I agree with you kennyhues that some sort of "honesty" test may apease them. As far as playing down my love of Disney, that would be very dfficult. I have seen pictures of Dave Smith's office and he has facinating articles everywhere. My guess is that he too is a fan of Disney or else why would he aproach them to organize thier collections? I'm thinking too far ahead of myself, but feel better now. Thank you for letting me rant...

Still on the topic of Kevin Yee's article, does anyone else have pictures of the Space Mountain model? Kevin had a great photo in his article, but it was cut off on the left side. I had NO idea there was a ship docked on the bottom portion.

Originally posted by JoeCanadian
I had NO idea there was a ship docked on the bottom portion.
I think that's just the ship you see in the queue...above your head when loading/unloading.

That ship is the loading platform area. It's not painted white in the actual building, and in fact I'm not sure it's even themed that way.

PinkFloyd, first off, congratulations on your MLIS. Both Alex and I have MLIS degrees, although neither of us work in traditional library settings [and I worked at a SLIS for a number of years].

If Disney is like a lot of corporations, part of the hiring process probably includes a background check (especially since this would be a salaried professional position). Whatever you do, do not lie on your application! If you like Disney, say so. If the background check reveals that you are a big Disney fan (for example, if they contact your former professors and discover that you wrote term papers about Disney material) and they determine that you were purposefully hiding or downplaying it, HR may consider that a red flag and immediately send your application down the circular chute.

That said, the extensive background checks usually don't happen until after you've had at least one initial interview, most likely with HR. You can explain that you have great respect for what Walt Disney, and the Walt Disney Company have achieved, and you have a strong professional interest in participating in helping maintain a collection with that kind of a history.

Also, most libraries prefer that you have real work experience... you don't mention if you worked as a tech or assistance (or interned at the college library) while you were working on your MLIS, but if that area is thin, I would do whatever you can to beef that area up.

...out of curiosity, which program did you get your degree from?