GREENSHEET
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to the theory and practice of managing
archives and manuscript collections. Both personal papers and institutional
records (public and private) will be covered, as will a variety of record
formats such as photographic materials and electronic records. Topics
addressed will include collection acquisition and appraisal, arrangement
and description, reference and public access, oral history, and preservation,
as well as ethical, social, and political issues impacting archival work.
The class includes both theoretical and practical components and will
consist of lectures, readings, discussions, and hands-on experience processing
a small manuscript collection.
Course Objectives
This course meets the School’s objective to prepare students to
function effectively as information professionals by training them in
the principles of archival management. Over the course of the semester,
the class will address the following key questions:
1. What are archives and manuscripts and why are they important?
2. How are archival records identified and acquired, arranged and
described, reserved, and made available for public use?
3. What are the significant professional, ethical, and legal issues
facing
archivists today?
4. How have new technologies impacted archives and archival collections?
Required Text
As assigned in Syllabus and distributed in class.
Recommended Texts
Frederic M. Miller. Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts.
(Society Of American Archivists, 1992)
F. Gerald Ham. Selecting and Appraising Archives and Manuscripts
(Society
Of American Archivists, 1992)
Mary Jo Pugh. Providing Reference Services for Archives and Manuscripts
(Society of American Archivists, 1992)
Course Requirements
Analytical Summaries: Students will write 2 two-page essays summarizing
and evaluating two articles on archival topics that are of intense debate
in the archival profession.
Mid-Term Paper: Review & Analysis (5 pages) of National Union Catalog
of Manuscript
Collections (NUCMC/RLIN), National Inventory of Documentary Sources (Chadwyck-Healy),
and NHPRC Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the United
States (1988), and the OAC.
Processing Practicum: Students will spend the final weekend processing
a collection of archival records. The purpose of this practicum is to
give students experience applying archival theory and method to the processing
of a real collection of documents. At the conclusion of the practicum,
students will be expected to submit a finding aid describing the materials
in their appointed collections and a MARC collection-level worksheet.
Detailed instructions for this assignment will be provided.
Grading
Class Participation: 5 Points
2 Two-Page Summary & Analysis: 15 Points
Five-Page Mid-Term Paper: 25 Points
Processing Plan: 15 Points
Processing Project: 40 Points
Final grades will be based on the following grading scale established
for graduate students by San Jose State University:
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University Recommended Grading Scale for
Graduate Students
97-100 = A
94-96 = A-
91-93 = B+
88-90 = B
85-87 = B-
82-84 = C+
79-81 = C
76-78 = C-
73-75 = D+
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