MARA Blog

Overview

MARA Blog

Students in the MARA program and those interested in archives and preservation, electronic records management, information governance, and related fields are highly encouraged to visit this blog often. Managed by MARA Program Coordinator Darra Hofman and written by a current MARA student, this blog will keep you current with the MARA community and what’s happening in the profession.

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MARA Blog

Joining Professional Organizations

Published: April 18, 2016 by Anna Maloney

Joining professional organizations is a great way to network with other archivists and records managers. Networking benefits include being introduced to others in your research area; having awareness of workshops, webinars, and other training; connecting with potential employers; and participating in and advancing the professional dialogue.

MARA Blog

Call for papers — Records Management Journal

Published: April 2, 2016 by Anna Maloney

Message from Pat: You have written so much–especially those of you in 289 right now. The call is for anyone a student “at the time the call was issued” so those of you graduating in May do qualify. See if one of your papers fits into one of the categories listed in this letter. Edit it as necessary. Submit for publication. We would love to have a MARA student in this edition!!! Let me know if you decide to do this.

MARA Blog

Turnball Library of New Zealand and Web 2.0

Published: April 2, 2016 by Anna Maloney

Archives 2.0 has been described as “an approach to archival practice that promotes openness and flexibility” and requires archivists to “be user centered and embrace opportunities to use technology to share collections, interact with users, and improve internal efficiency” (Theimer, 2011).

MARA Blog

An Archivist by Any Other Name

Published: March 21, 2016 by Anna Maloney

David Casavant, a 25-year old stylist and fashion archivist, has a large collection of vintage items from high-profile designers. Using eBay and vintage clothing stores to grow his assemblage, Casavant transformed his collection into a business, renting pieces to celebrities, including Kanye West and Rihanna, for as much as $1,000 a week.

MARA Blog

Save the Date–MARA Colloquia

Published: March 14, 2016 by Anna Maloney

On Wednesday, March 23, from 1-2PM PT MARA will host guest lecturer Sarah Romkey, the Archivematica Program Manager. Ms. Romkey will introduce Archivematica, discuss its use by large and small institutions, and expand on the importance of open-source solutions for digital preservation. This promises to be a very interesting presentation for those interested in emerging technologies and the future of archival management! We hope to see you there.

MARA Blog

MARA Student INFO Elective Choices

Published: February 24, 2016 by Anna Maloney

Dr. Pat Franks and MARA Student Assistant Anna Maloney recently distributed a survey to MARA Students regarding their INFO elective choices. Every MARA student is required to take three INFO electives from a pre-approved list, ranging from text and data mining to oral history. The survey asked students to reveal which INFO electives they had already taken or were planning to take, with an option to share their experiences with INFO electives. For the two weeks the survey was completed by 46 current and former MARA students. 

MARA Blog

History Harvests

Published: February 24, 2016 by Anna Maloney

A few weeks ago, the University of Louisville and the Kentucky LGBT Heritage Initiative in Louisville, Kentucky hosted a history harvest. The goal of the event was to collect stories, photographs, newsletters, and other documents related to the LGBT community in Kentucky. The January 31st event was the third of its kind hosted for the KY LGBT Heritage Initiative, but it was not the first such event held nationally.

MARA Blog

Wisconsin Open Records Law

Published: February 19, 2016 by Anna Maloney

A few weeks ago, the MARA blog covered the Netflix docuseries Making a Murderer, and the influx of records requests that Manitowoc County, Wisconsin has seen since the series premiered in December 2015. Wisconsin open records laws are now being publicly examined after a state board expanded the definition of “transitory records” to include correspondence (electronic and analog), interim files, and recordings used for training purposes.