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Introduction to INFO 534

INFO 534 Archival Systems is designed to be an introduction to the collection, management, care and use of archives.

You may be involved with the management of archives during your career in information work. Managing archives will pose you different challenges than will those materials more commonly looked after by librarians. This is because, as you will discover, the reasons for creating records which may then become archives are quite unlike the reasons for creating published items. Records are the information byproducts of social and organisational activity.

In this course, you will be introduced to the many aspects of the study and operations of archives management. You will be acquainted with two main areas:

• the history, theories, and concepts guiding the management of archives;
• the methodologies, principles, and techniques underlying the acquisition, selection, arrangement and description, and preservation and use of archives.

For some of you much of the material will be unfamiliar. This is to be expected. The work of the archivist is not well known by the general public, and stereotypes exist about what the archivist does, just as they do for librarians. In the electronic information age, however, the skills and knowledge of the archivist will be just as important as they have been for the thousands of years that this profession has existed. It is predicted that the archivist will be also much more involved in the management of records that may or may not become archives. This will involve more dialogue with the records manager, the recordkeeping professional who presently manages records before they become the responsibility of the archivist.

This course gives you the foundation for the development of further skills and knowledge. You may pursue a career in archives management. It is, in fact, common in New Zealand for archival collections to be looked after by librarians, often in addition to their usual duties. In the public service, furthermore, it is increasingly common that the librarian is made responsible for the records of his or her organisation. The trend in special libraries also seems to be towards a combination of the management of externally produced information, and internally produced information in the form of records.

You will discover that there are some differences of philosophy, outlook, and methodology between archivists, records managers, and librarians -- for example, archivists must balance the use of the information in the archives with the need to preserve them for future generations. Nevertheless, technology is having a big effect on all three professions. The problems, as well as the many benefits, that this new technology creates in the organisation and use of information means that these professions have concerns in common; e.g. the improvement of access to information in archives and records through automation. We hope that those of you who do not pursue a career in archives work will still find this course valuable. Knowledge of archives and records will increase your awareness of the total communications and information environment in which information centres and libraries operate.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the INFO 534 course, students should:

1. Gain an overview of the basic concepts and theories of recordkeeping and its historical development, with an emphasis on archives administration.
2. Be aware of the relationships between the archivist's work and the work of records managers and other information professionals.
3. Be able to define the distinctive characteristics of records/archives in relation to other forms of recorded information.
4. Develop an introductory knowledge of the major archives management functions, principles, and techniques.
5. Gain an understanding of the major considerations, tools, and processes involved in organising and managing an archives programme.
6. Develop an appreciation of ethical and bicultural considerations in the management of archives.

Schedule (TBC)

INFO 534 will be held in the second trimester (July-October) of the 2012 academic year. There will be no sessions for two weeks during the mid-trimester break (27 August-9 September).

• Internal students
  There will be seminars on Wednesday (from 2.40-4.30 p.m.) in Rutherford House, RH GO3.

• Distance students
  The weekly Internet conference sessions will be held on Wednesday from 6.45-8.15 pm.

Week	Topic
1	Theory and concepts - 1
2	Theory and concepts - 2
3	Societal context
4	Physical repository management
5	Digital repository management
6	Appraisal - 1
7	Appraisal - 2
8	Acquisitions
9	Arrangement & description - 1
10	Arrangement & description - 2
11	Access - 1
12	Access - 2

Assessment (taken from 2011)

This course is internally assessed, with the following assignments to be completed in order to satisfy the mandatory course requirements. Full details, including explanatory notes and criteria, are available under "Assessment" on Blackboard.

Assignments	Value	Due	Length
1. Series of Discussion Board Postings	20%	various, see Blackboard	200-500 (max.) words each
2. Case Study Report	40%	see Blackboard	1500 words
3. Review of Online Finding Aids	40%	see Blackboard	1500 (max.) words

Required Text

The set text for this course is:

McKemmish, S., Piggott, M., Reed, B. & Upward, F. (Eds.). (2005). Archives: Recordkeeping in society. Wagga Wagga: Centre for Information Studies.

The text is available from Vic Books, PO Box 12-337 (or c/- Students' Union Building), Wellington, ph. (04) 463 5515 or freephone 0800 370 370, fax (04) 471 2124, email vuwtexts@vicbooks.co.nz. It is also possible to order texts through the Vic Books' online book ordering service. You can use any of these methods to place an order.

Recommended text

Australian Society of Archivists. (2008). Keeping archives (3rd ed.). Virginia, QLD: ASA.