Queens College/CUNY

GSLIS 730

Archival Appraisal, Arrangement, and Access

January 28-May 22

Online only as of 3/24/2020

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION: Carey Stumm, email: carey.stumm@gmail.com

• Weekly discussion topics and projects will be posted every Tuesday.
• Students can contact me through email at any time. I will try to check email every day but please allow 24-hours for a response. I will make sure to alert the class if I will be unreachable for more than 24-hours.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course provides a practical introduction of the archival principals of Appraisal, Arrangement, Description and Access. The course will walk students through basic archival theory, how archivists evaluate incoming collections and process them, preservation, access and the use of innovative tools to promote archival collections for the public.

Course topics will be demonstrated through discussions, reading, evaluation of existing archival collections and various projects. Assignments include research projects and paper, developing an archive as a group project and determining strategies for preservation and access, generating a finding aid, introduction to data structure and content standards, the information management system Archives Space, and online access tools that use Dublin Core standards such as Omeka. Through these exercises students will gain a very practical understanding of the various elements that go into the preservation of cultural heritage.

COURSE STRUCTURE

This course is a hybrid course which means that we will meet in person and there will be assignments online through our class website and Google Classroom.

To access the Google Classroom go to https://classroom.google.com and select the plus sign and join class. Put in code pdwfy45.

SCHEDULE

• We will meet in class every Tuesday except where noted below.
• Reading for each week should be completed by the BEGINNING of the week, prior to the lecture or commenting on the weekly discussions.
• Projects and papers will be outlined in the syllabus, in the first week's lecture, and on the Announcement page. I will let you know each week when exactly assignments are due.

Tuesday February 4

Discussion Topics

Starting an Archive, Mission and Scope, Writing a Collection Management Policy

Required Reading

Coles, Laura. Archives, A Manual for Small Archives, Chapter 1, Getting Started: Your Archival Organization, Association of British Columbia. ONLY pages. 8-12

Kozak, Zenobia. A Pragmatist's Guide to Developing Corporate Archive Policy. February 16, 2018.

Garritt, Margot Brown. An Introduction to the Establishment of an Archives at Small Institutions.

Barnard, Megan and Gabriela Redwine. Collecting Digital Manuscripts and Archives. Module 15. pgs. 69-101. Appraisal and Acquisition Strategies SAA Series Trends in Archives Practice.

Project

As part of a group project you will be creating an Archive mission and scope of collection. You MUST have a Google Account to Participate in the group project. Post a link to your group website on the Google Classroom.

Tuesday February 18

ONLINE ONLY-Due by end of day Sunday February 23.

Select one of the below articles or case studies and discuss the cultural and ethical considerations of what you've read and what you believe an archive or archivist should have done in that situation on Google Classroom. Your topic should be at least 300 words long. Please cite what article or case study you're referring to and read through and comment on classmates posts. This should be seen as a discussion.

If there’s another ethical topic that you would like to explore that’s not listed let me know.

Ashlyn Velte (2018) Ethical Challenges and Current Practices in Activist Social Media Archives. The American Archivist: Spring/Summer 2018, Vol. 81, No. 1, pp. 112-134.

Pyatt, Timothy. The Harding Affair Letters. Case Studies in Archival Ethics.

Freeman, Nancy. FOIA Request. Case Studies in Archival Ethics.

Ryan, Ellen M., Identifying Culturally Sensitive American Indian Material in a Non-tribal Institution. Case Studies in Archival Ethics.

McCardwell, Katherine. Intellectual Property Concerns in Undocumented Corporate Collections. Case Studies in Archival Ethics.

Kim, E. Tammy. The Passamaquoddy Reclaim Their Culture Through Digital Repatriation. The New Yorker. January 30, 2019.

Blanco-Rivera, Joel A. The Forbidden Files: Creation and Use of Surveillance Files Against the Independence Movement in Puerto Rico.

Michelle Caswell (2011) "Thank You Very Much, Now Give Them Back": Cultural Property and the Fight over the Iraqi Baath Party Records. The American Archivist: Spring/Summer 2011, Vol. 74, No. 1, pp. 211-240.

Tuesday March 3

Online Quiz

We will NOT be meeting in class. The quiz will appear on our website and I will send everyone a link through email. Due by Sunday March 8.

Tuesday March 17- Instructional Recess- There is no class topics today

Tuesday March 31

Discussion Topics

Preservation assessment of paper, photographic film types and electronic records

Required Reading/Viewing

Housing Material Basics (August 2, 2019) Presenter: Gillian Marcus, Preservation Specialist, DHPSNY.

Preservation Lab at the National Archives-- Boxing our Treasures.

Cohen, Patricia (2010, March 16). Fending of Digital Decay: Bit by Bit. New York Times, pp. C1.

Wilkinson, Alec (2014, May 19). Voice from the Past. How a physicist resurrected the earliest recordings. New Yorker.

Google Classroom Assignment

Read the post on Google Classroom and then select a medium and do some research into preservation best practices. Due by Sunday April 5.

Tuesday April 14- Spring Recess

Tuesday April 28

Google Classroom Assignment

Create Omeka page for Archive donation and online exhibit. Instructions on Google Classroom and in the Reading and Resources tab. Please post a link to your page on Google Classroom by Sunday May 3.

Tuesday May 12

Discussion Topic

Exhibits, Wrap-Up and Professional Resources

Google Classroom Assignment

Read through the posted material on Google Classroom and answer one of the posted questions regarding copyright.

COURSE LEARNING GOALS & GSLIS PROGRAM OBJECTIVES: STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

The overarching goals of this course are to provide you with a basic understanding of how history has shaped archival theory; the foundations of creating an archives; creating a collection management policy; the ethical and legal responsibilities of various archives; appraisal & selection techniques; options for arrangement and description of different types of collections; content standards and options for creating access points such as finding aids and catalog records; basic preservation of various types of media; outreach.

Legend GSLIS Program Objectives: Student Learning Outcomes

Program and course requirements in the GSLIS are designed to ensure that graduates have met the following Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs). These SLOS (A-H) state that graduates will have the ability to:

A. Assist users in gaining access to information and knowledge, including its creation, acquisition, organization and management, storage and retrieval, by demonstrating that they can:

1. Identify, acquire, create, organize, process, store and provide access to information in all its forms for libraries, cultural institutions and other information organizations in a global environment.

2. Identify, retrieve, evaluate and use general and specialized resources to address current and future information needs and provide related services to diverse user communities.

B. Articulate the role and importance of ethics, values, and advocacy within the legal and historical frameworks underlying the practice of librarianship and the information professions

C. Apply the appropriate practices and policies of established Library and Information Science professional standards in various specializations

D. Find, analyze, assess, apply, and conduct research in Library and Information Science and other disciplines in response to gaps in knowledge and practice

E. Contribute to a diverse, global society—including the role of addressing the needs of underserved groups--through exemplary Library and Information Science practice and research

F. Identify, evaluate and implement current and emerging technologies and services to meet the evolving information needs of diverse user communities in an increasingly interconnected environment.

G. Demonstrate understanding of the importance of continuing professional development in LIS; articulate and apply principles, theories and measures underlying the role of the library in supporting lifelong learning within the community.

H. Explain and apply principles of effective management and leadership in the library and related information institutions

Overall Course Grades

Evaluation will be on a percentage system as detailed above. Grade assignment will follow the scholastic standards in the 2018-2019 Queens College Graduate Bulletin, p. 28

In-completes

An incomplete (I) grade for the course will not be granted unless extenuating circumstances exist and with explicit, prior approval of the instructor and in compliance with the rules of the College. See the 2018-2019 Queens College Graduate Bulletin, p. 29 for additional information

Please note that falling behind in course work or receiving unsatisfactory grades do not, in themselves, constitute sufficient cause to receive an Incomplete.

(In other words, do not assume that you may simply choose to take an incomplete; this must be requested of the instructor with ample justification in writing; it is not guaranteed!)

ONLINE ETIQUETTE AND ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY: The University strictly prohibits the use of University online resources or facilities for the purpose of harassment of any individual or for the posting of any material that is scandalous, libelous, offensive or otherwise against the University’s policies. Please see:

http://catalog.sps.cuny.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=205

CUNY POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

The Policy on Academic Integrity, as adopted by the Board is available to all candidates. Academic Dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. This policy and others related to candidates’ issues are available to you at: http://www2.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/legal-affairs/policies-procedures/academic-integrity-policy/

USE OF CANDIDATE WORK

All programs in New York State undergo periodic reviews by accreditation agencies. For these purposes, samples of candidates’ work are made available to those professionals conducting the review. Candidate anonymity is assured under these circumstances. If you do not wish to have your work made available for these purposes, please let the professor know before the start of the second class. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR CANDIDATES WITH DISABILITIES

Candidates with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: 1) register with and provide documentation to the Special Services Office, Kiely 171; 2) Contact me indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class. For more information about services available to Queens College candidates, contact: Special Service Office; 171 Kiely Hall; 718-997-5870 (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).