MARA 211–10
Records Access, Storage and Retrieval
Summer 2010 Greensheet

Lisa Daulby
E-mail
Phone: (416)216-0845

ANGEL Information: Students must self-enroll in the ANGEL site for this course.  The access code will be sent to enrolled students via MySJSU.

Course Description

Examination of records systems, storage, retrieval; filing systems; fundamentals of information retrieval; active file systems and operation; records center operations; special storage; archival reference and access concepts; legal and ethical considerations; privacy and copyright; user communities; Not repeatable.

Prerequisites: MARA 200, 202, 204

Course Objectives

Student Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the course, students will be able to:

• devise and apply basic filing systems for records
• apply the fundamentals of information retrieval concepts to archives and record repositories
• articulate the need for effective active file management, and demonstrate fundamental knowledge and application of active file systems, facilities and operations considerations
• analyze and conduct a records storage assessment
• compare, contrast and apply different methods of evaluating use and users of records and the varying factors that contribute to open or restricted access and retrieval of records by users
• understand how archival description, finding aids, EAD, description standards, controlled vocabulary, taxonomies assist in archival retrieval
• demonstrate fundamental understanding of the importance of legal compliance and ethical considerations as they apply to the use of records and their applicability to and impact on various user communities

This course satisfies the following MARA Core Competencies:

• D. Have expertise in the basic concepts and principles used to identify, evaluate, select, organize, maintain, and provide access to records of current and enduring value
• G. Know the legal requirements and ethical principles involved in records management and the role the recordkeeper plays in institutional compliance and risk management

Course Requirements

Assignments
Grading will be based on a total accumulation of possible 100 points, distributed as follows:

1. Class Participation, Discussions and Lecture Viewing - 25 points (25% of final grade) Participation in weekly discussion boards
   Due: Weekly
    
2. Electronic Records Items in the Media - 10 Points (10% of final grade)
   Lead an records items in the media discussion
   Due: Date will be assigned by instructor 
    
3. Assignment #1 – 10 points (10% of final grade)
   Records /Archival Management and Federal, State, and City access, privacy, copyright, and open records legislation review assignment (evidence for MARA competency G)
   Due: June 27th 2010 (midnight pacific time)
    
4. Assignment # 2 – 10 points (10% of final grade)
   Filing System / Classification Assignment Due: July 18th 2010 (midnight pacific time)
    
5. Research Paper – Total 40 points (total 40% of final grade) (evidence for MARA competency D)
   A critical extended essay of about 15 pages on a topic relevant to the course proposed the student and accepted by the instructor.
   Break down:
   • Due: Topic Instructor Approval July 11th 2010 (midnight pacific time)
   • Due: Preliminary Citations July 25th 2010 (midnight pacific time) 10pts
   • Due: Abstract, Outline and Annotated Bibliography August 1st 2010 (midnight pacific time) 10pts
   • Due: Final Paper August 12th 2010 (midnight pacific time) 20pts
      
6. Assorted games, quizzes, attendance at special lectures, and participation in selected blogs/discussions etc. – 5 points (5% of final grade)
   Due: Selected unit dates

Course Calendar

All subject to change with fair notice.

• Week 1 06/07 Course Overview & Introductions

I Records Access

• Week 2 06/14 Approaches to access; access ethics confidentiality and rights of access; freedom of information, open record, privacy and copyright; the legal requirements and ethical principles involved in records access management or archivists and records managers
   
• Week 3 06/21 Administering access; information security classification and access; access restrictions; access policies; record users (primary and secondary value); micrographics; new ways of providing access to records - the influences of technology on access; promoting access (archival outreach)

II Record Storage

• Week 4 06/28 Records active file classification systems and system maintenance
   
• Week 5 07/05 Records center facilities
   
• Week 6 07/12 Records centers operations; commercial records centers, outsourcing record operations, vendor management, cloud computing
   
• Week 7 07/19 Archival storage and protection fundamentals

III Record Retrieval

• Week 8 07/26 Record retrieval and archival description, descriptive tools, finding aids, EAD, standards, controlled vocabulary, taxonomies
   
• Week 9 08/02 Archival reference and access services
   
• Week 10 08/09 Course review

Textbooks and Readings

There are no required or recommended textbooks for this section.

No Textbooks For This Course

Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

• C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
• B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work;
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation.  You must repeat the class the following semester. If -on the second attempt- you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  
• A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

General Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities of the Student

As members of the academic community, students accept both the rights and responsibilities incumbent upon all members of the institution. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with SJSU's policies and practices pertaining to the procedures to follow if and when questions or concerns about a class arises. See University Policy S90-5 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S90-5.pdf. More detailed information on a variety of related topics is available in the SJSU catalog at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/LIS.html. In general, it is recommended that students begin by seeking clarification or discussing concerns with their instructor. If such conversation is not possible, or if it does not serve to address the issue, it is recommended that the student contact the Department Chair as a next step.

Dropping and Adding

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semester's Catalog Policies section at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current academic year calendars document on the Academic Calendars webpage at http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.

Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.

Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material

University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf, requires students to obtain instructor's permission to record the course and the following items to be included in the syllabus:

• "Common courtesy and professional behavior dictate that you notify someone when you are recording him/her. You must obtain the instructor's permission to make audio or video recordings in this class. Such permission allows the recordings to be used for your private, study purposes only. The recordings are the intellectual property of the instructor; you have not been given any rights to reproduce or distribute the material."
  • It is suggested that the syllabus include the instructor's process for granting permission, whether in writing or orally and whether for the whole semester or on a class by class basis.
  • In classes where active participation of students or guests may be on the recording, permission of those students or guests should be obtained as well.
• "Course material developed by the instructor is the intellectual property of the instructor and cannot be shared publicly without his/her approval. You may not publicly share or upload instructor generated material for this course such as exam questions, lecture notes, or homework solutions without instructor consent."

Academic integrity

Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University. The University Academic Integrity Policy F15-7 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/F15-7.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.

Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center (AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.

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