Credits: 3 Credits

Prerequisite or corequisite: INF 7710 (or HIS 7840)

Rationale for inclusion in curriculum:

The description of archival materials and the systems used for accessing that historic content are unique and separate from traditional library description. This course investigates the description of archival materials with particular emphasis on the application of technologies and standard practices developed in the archival profession.

Learning outcomes:

Compare various types of descriptive archival records for access

Analyze relevancy of terms used for description

Acquire the basics of Encoded Archival Description (EAD) and XML

Interpret standards of description for use in the archival profession

Critique archival management systems

Content:

Comparisons of various cataloging standards used in archives

Assessment of finding aid standards for improved access

Application of Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) to archival materials

Evaluate archival professional literature and the gaps in research

Mark-up of finding aids in EAD and use of XML editors

Assessment of various forms of archival management systems.

Research of new trends in archival description

Text

Hamill, Lois. Archival Arrangement and Description: Analog to Digital. 2017

(2019.0.03_2022) Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS). Chicago: Society of American Archivists Describing Archives: A Content Standard - Describing Archives: A Content Standard (saa-ts-dacs.github.io)

Scholarly and Professional Materials

Course Methodology:

Lectures, discussions, hands-on projects, exams, research papers, presentations, and other assignments

Assessments include:  Short assignments for specific skills, midterm, finding aid assignment, metadata evaluation assignment, EAD to MARC conversion assignment, and research paper

Updated: 05/2024