INFO 256-01
INFO 256-11
Archives and Manuscripts
Fall 2015 Greensheet

David de Lorenzo
E-mail
Phone: (510) 643-3203
Office Hours: Telephone or In-person by Appointment


Greensheet Links
Textbooks
CLOs 
Competencies 
Prerequisites
Resources
Canvas Login and Tutorials
iSchool eBookstore
 

Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning August 20th, 6 am PDT unless you are taking an intensive or a one unit or two unit class that starts on a different day. In that case the class will open on the first day that the class meets. Course sites will close on February 28, 2016.

You will be enrolled into the Canvas site automatically.

Course Description

An introduction to the theory and practice of managing archival documents, such as personal papers, institutional records, photographs, electronic records, and other unpublished material. Topics covered include manuscript and records acquisition and appraisal, arrangement and description, conservation and preservation, reference and access.

Course Requirements

Course Format & Canvas
This class is taught completely online. Canvas will be used to access pertinent assignments while recorded lectures will be delivered through Collaborate.

You will need a high-speed connection (DSL, cable, etc.) to successfully take this class. Please see: Technology Requirements and Instructions for Success. If you are not familiar with Canvas, there are helpful tutorials at http://ischool.sjsu.edu/canvas.

Assignments
Further details about specific assignments for this course are found in Canvas.

  • Theme One: Introduction to Archives; History of Archives; Archival Education; Code of Ethics -- assignment supports CLO #1
  • Theme Two: Archives and Social Memory, Acquisitions & Accessioning, Appraisal Theories -- assignment supports CLO #4
  • Theme Three: Public Services & Outreach, Archives Management -- assignments supports CLO #2
  • Theme Four: Copyright & Privacy, Gift/Sales Agreements -- assignment supports CLO #3
  • Theme Five: Arrangement & Description, Preservation of Paper and Digital Assets -- assignment supports CLO #3
  • Theme Six: MARC Cataloging -- assignment supports CLO #3
  • Theme Seven: Electronic Records, EAD, Online Access Methods & Strategies -- assignment supports CLO #5

You will be graded on the following deliverables:

  • Electronic Records Appraisal (10 points)
    I have placed in the Lessons section of Canvas a URL linking to electronic files created by an administrative unit at Berkeley. You will identify four (4) records series and determine their values using an appraisal form covered in class. Submit the completed appraisal forms via Canvas Dropbox.
  • Reference Resources Review (15 points)
    Review & Analysis (minimum 8 pages) of archival online reference resources cited in Canvas. You will review a variety of online reference resources made specifically for archival collections using a form available on Canvas. Submit the form via the Canvas Dropbox.
  • Cataloging Project (15 Points)
    I have placed in the Lessons section of Canvas a link to digital images of a small manuscript collection that you will catalog using an accompanying MARC record cataloging worksheet. Submit the assignment via Canvas Dropbox.
  • Finding Aid Front Matter (15 Points)
    In Canvas you will find information regarding an unprocessed collection. You will be asked to review this information to create the frontmatter for the Finding Aid, including the biographical statement, scope and content note and series arrangment. Submit the assignment via Canvas Dropbox.
  • Final Exam (30 points)
    The final exam will consist of 60 multiple choices questions available via Canvas.
  • Class Discussion (15 points)
    Because this course is an intensive, compressed introduction to the subject, it is imperative that students fully engage in the case study questions on Canvas.

Late Assignments
A full point will be assessed against the student for late assignments for each day the assignment is late, unless there are mitigating circumstances (such as illness or death) that are communicated to the professor ON or BEFORE the assignment is due.

Incomplete Grades
Incomplete grades cannot be granted unless iSchool administration has provided prior written authorization. Thus, it is in the student's best interest to pursue this matter with them as soon as possible, if/when the issue arises.

Readings
Other than the two required texts, additional assigned Readings are available in the class Canvas.

Course Workload Expectations

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Course Prerequisites

INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of basic archival principles and practices.
  2. Describe the variety of functions performed by archives and archivists, and the range of environments in which archival professionals work.
  3. Identify the issues involved in acquiring, processing, and making records available to researchers.
  4. Identify the similarities and differences between the roles of archivists and related information professionals.
  5. Define the challenges facing the archives profession today and in the future.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

INFO 256 supports the following core competencies:

  1. C Recognize the diversity (such as cultural and economic) in the clientele and employees of an information organization and be familiar with actions the organization should take to address this diversity.
  2. F Use the basic concepts and principles related to the selection, evaluation, organization, and preservation of physical and digital information items.
  3. G Demonstrate understanding of basic principles and standards involved in organizing information such as classification and controlled vocabulary systems, cataloging systems, metadata schemas or other systems for making information accessible to a particular clientele.

Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

  • Hunter, G. S. (2003). Developing and Maintaining Practical Archives: A How-To-Do-It Manual. Neal-Schuman. Available through Amazon: 1555704670. arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain
  • Roe, K. (2005). Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts (Archival Fundamentals Series II). Society of American Archivists. Available through Amazon: 193166613X. arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain

Recommended Textbooks:

  • Boles, F. (2005). Selecting and appraising archives and manuscripts. Society of American Archivists. Available through Amazon: 1931666113. arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain
  • Kurtz, M. J. (2004). Managing Archival and manuscript repositories. Society of American Archivists. Available through Amazon: 1931166609. arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain
  • O'Toole, J. M., & Cox, R. J. (2006). Understanding Archives and Manuscripts. Society of American Archivists. Available through Amazon: 1931666206. arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain
  • Pugh, M. J. (2005). Providing reference services for archives and manuscripts. Society of American Archivists. Available through Amazon: 1931666121. arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain

Grading Scale

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

97 to 100 A
94 to 96 A minus
91 to 93 B plus
88 to 90 B
85 to 87 B minus
82 to 84 C plus
79 to 81 C
76 to 78 C minus
73 to 75 D plus
70 to 72 D
67 to 69 D minus
Below 67 F

 

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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