SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

SPRING SEMESTER, 2006

COURSE OUTLINE FOR ARCHIVES AND MANUSCRIPTS MANAGEMENT LIS 643

I.  COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to cover the management, care, arrangement and description and servicing of manuscript and archival material.  Attention will also be given to criteria for building an archival/manuscript collection in a repository and to the description and interpretation of its holdings in guides and on-line systems for use by researchers.

II.  COURSE OBJECTIVES

                By the end of the course students will be able to:

a. Explain the environment, role, and work of archivists and manuscript curators;

b. Explain the technological, ethical, and legal issues they routinely face;

c. Recognize and define the basic concepts fundamental to the full range of activities included in the management of archives and manuscripts collections;

d. Possess the ability to demonstrate and apply the theories of arrangement and description which have received international acceptance;

e. Achieve an awareness of the use of oral history and audio-visual archives programs in an archival setting.

III.  REQUIRED TEXTS

Hunter, Gregory S.  Developing and Maintaining Practical Archives, 2^d edition, New York:  Neal-Schuman Publishers Incorporated, 2003.

Ritchie, Donald A. Doing Oral History:  A Practical Guide.  2d ed, N.Y.:  Oxford University Press,  2003.

IV.  CLASS SCHEDULE

Tues.  Jan. 17 -     Introduction (archives paper assigned).

Thurs.  Jan. 19 -  Archival development in Kentucky;

                              Manuscripts (terms and background I)

Tues.  Jan. 24  -   Manuscripts (terms and background II)

Thurs.  Jan. 26 -  Manuscripts (acquisitions I)

Tues.  Jan. 30  -   Manuscripts (acquisitions II)

Thurs.  Feb.  2-       Manuscripts (Jim Birchfield - the Peal Collection and 19th Century Manuscript                                                collecting) 

Tues.    Feb.  7  -     Archives (terms and history I) (Archives paper due)

Thurs.  Feb.  9 -      Archives (history II)

Fri.  Feb.  10   -       Keeneland Association Library trip (arr. 9:30)

Tues.  Feb. 14  -    Archives (appraisal and transmittal, records management)

                               (Manuscripts Project Assigned)

Thurs. Feb. 16 -    Archives and Manuscripts (arrangement and description I)

Fri.  Feb. 17     -     Kentucky Underground Storage (High Bridge) trip (arr. 9:30)

Tues.  Feb. 21  -      Archives and Manuscripts (arangement and description II)

Thurs.  Feb.  23 -  Archives and Manuscripts (arangement and description III)

Fri.  Feb. 24       -  KDLA/Ky. Historical Society Frankfort trip (arr. 9:00)

Tues.  Feb.  28  -   Archives and Manuscripts (Kentucky Guide Project, etc. -  w/Mary Margaret Bell                                                and Valerie Edgeworth 

Thurs. Mar. 2  –   Special Collections and Archives (management)

Fri.  Mar. 3       -    EKU/Berea trip  (arr. 9:00)

Tues.  Mar. 7    –    Archives and Manuscripts (the digital information age)

Thurs. Mar. 9   -     Archives and Manuscripts ( Encoded Archival  Description --  EAD and the

                                 Kentucky Digital Library)  w/Eric Weig (Manuscripts Project due)

Mon-Fri., March 13-18  –  Spring Break

Tues. Mar.  21   -    Archives and Manuscripts (reference service)

Thurs. Mar. 23  -    Archives and Manuscripts (reference service and web sites)  - w/Rob Aken

                                     (Evaluation of web site project assigned)

Tues.   Mar. 28 -     Modern Political Archives 

                                    (Evaluation of web site project due)

Thurs. Mar. 30 -     Current Public Records issues and the Ky. Dept. for Libraries and Archives -                                       Richard Belding.

Tues. Apr. 4       -    Archives and Manuscripts (preservation)

Thurs.  Apr. 6    -    Audio Visual Archives

Fri.   Apr. 7        -    U of L/Filson Historical Society Louisville trip (arrive at 9:00)

Tues.  Apr. 11    -    Photographic Archives I (Photographic Archives Project Assigned

Thurs.  Apr. 13  -    Photographic Archives  II

Tues.  Apr. 18    -    Photographic Archives  III

Thurs.  Apr. 20  -    Oral History I  (Oral History Project assigned) (Photo Archives Project due)

Tues.  Apr.  25 -    Oral History II

Thurs.  Apr.  27 -   Oral History  III  (oral history project due)

May 1-May 5  Final Exams (no exam)

V.  REQUIRED READINGS

Jan. 19        Marshall, William.  “Preservationist,” 103-125 in Kleber, John, ed.  Thomas D. Clark of

Kentucky:  An Uncommon Life in the Commonwealth.  Lexington:  University Press of

                   Kentucky, 2003.

Jan. 24      Nickell, Pen, Ink, and Evidence - Chapters 11-16, 115-194   (reserve item).

                    Hunter, Developing and Maintaining Practical Archives (hereinafter cited as Hunter),

                    1-17.

Jan. 26      Hunter, 87-109. 

Jan. 30        Hirtle, Peter B.  “Archives or Assets? American Archivist (hereinafter cited as

AA.), vol. 66 (Fall/Winter, 2003), 235-247.

Feb. 7        Ambrosini, Luisa.  The Secret Archives of the Vatican.  Boston:  Little, Brown & Co.,

     3-21, 297-316 (reserve item);  Hunter, 21-49.

Feb. 9          Stout, Leon J.  “Reimagining Archives:  Two Tales for the Information Age,” AA. vol 65

                      Spring/Summer, 2002), 9-23.

Feb. 14       Hunter, 51-82

Feb.  16      Hunter, 87-154;  SAA.  Describing Archives:  A Content Standard. Chicago:  SAA,  2004,

                    v-xxi; Light, Michelle and Hry, Tom.  “Colophons and Annotations:  New Directions for

                    the Finding Aid, AA vol. 65 (Fall/Winter, 2002), 216-230.

Feb. 23        Greene, Mark A. and Meissner, Dennis.  “More Product, Less Process:  Revamping

                   Traditional Archival Processing,” AA vol. 68 (Fall/Winter, 2005), 208-263.

Mar.  2       Hunter, 325-355

Mar.  8       Hunter, 237-278; David Bearman and Margaret Hedstrom.  “Reinventing Archives for

                    Electronic Records:  Alternative Service Delivery Options,” in Jimerson, Randall C.

American Archival Studies:  Readings in Theory and Practice.  Chicago:  SAA, Oct.,

                    2003., 549-567.

Mar.  21     Hunter, 207-232; Finch, Elsie Freeman.  “In the Eye of the Beholder:  Archives

                    Administration from the User’s Point of View,” AA. vol. 47 (Spring, 1984), 111-123;

                      Yakel, Elizabeth and Torres, Deborah A.  “AI:  Archival Intelligence and User

                     Expertise,” AA. vol. 66 (Spring/Summer, 2003), 51-78.

Mar.  29     Faye Phillips, "Congressional Papers:  Collection Development Policies,"  AA.  vol. 58

                    (Summer, 1995), 258-269.

April 4         Hunter, 157-204.

Apr. 7         In preparation (will be discussed on Jan. 17)

Apr. 21       Ritchie, Doing Oral History.    All!

VI.  REQUIRED COURSE EXERCISES

                A.  Paper on topics related to Archives and Manuscripts Management:  12-15 double-spaced

                typewritten pages of text.  Bibliography and footnotes required (at the end of the paper if   you wish).  Please use Turabian form. 

                SUGGESTED TOPICS (You may alter the title or take the topics in any direction you wish).

                1.   Genealogy, local and family history and the archives.

                2.   A look at appraisal trends in the 21^st century.

                3.   Cooperative Conservation--what role does it play in the archival world?

                4.   Audio-Visual Archives--are they worth the hassle?

                5.   Archival strategies documenting women.

                6.   Access and Privacy:  archival incompatibility?

                7.   Archival Training and the Accreditation Process.

                8.   Archives and Ethics

                9.   The problems of authentication:  The Hitler Diaries and the great Morman Hoax.

                10. The Nixon Library:  the unwanted orphan.

                11. Saving electronic records—a preservation disaster?

                12. Career Opportunities for Archivists:  A survey.

                13. How much processing is enough?  A matter of description!

                14. All or nothing:  Collection Policies in the archives.

                15. Controversy at the Smithsonian:  Archivists and the Enola Gay Exhibit.

                16. The Web site:  an entree into the world or an archival nightmare?

                17. Selling the archives.  Do we need to market our wares?

                18. Get it in writing!  The legal aspects of archives.

                19. Business archives:  a necessity or a luxury?

                20. War and Remembrance:  how should archives document WWII?

                21. Disaster preparedness in the archives.  "Luck is the residue of design."

                22. Archival reference service:  what should researchers expect?

                23. Opening Pandora's box:  the Library of Congress and the Thurgood Marshall Papers.

                24. Archives, scanning, and digitization--where are we headed?

                25. State Archives;  Have They Come of Age?

                26. The NHPRC—an oasis in a funding desert.

27. George W. Bush and presidential privilege—national security or archival mockery?

28. Tsunamis and hurricanes—How would you handle such archival confligrations?

29. Google and digitization—archival dream or disaster?

                B.  Manuscript Project:

                      You will be assigned an unprocessed manuscript collection to arrange and describe.  You

      will be expected to prepare a calendar, inventory sheet, and a MARC record for the

      collection suitable for entry into electronic data bases.

                C.  Web Site Project:

                       Students will be asked to critique specific web sites relating to archives and manuscripts

                       holdings.

                D.   Photographic Archives Project:

                      Students will be assigned several photographic images and will be expected to identify

                      their photographic processes.  In addition, students will be given one photograph to

                      describe in detail (both content and process).

E.  Oral History Project

                      Students will be given two oral history interviews to critique (details later).

VII.  STUDENT ASSESSMENT:

                (1)  Class discussion, based on the readings and on any other sources introduced by the instructor during the course of the semester, will be worth 5 points. 

                (2) VALUE OF EXERCISES AND DUE DATES:           ASSIGNED           DUE

Paper                                                        30 pts                                  Jan. 17                   Feb.  7

Mss./MARC project                             30 pts                                    Feb. 16                   Mar. 9

Web Site Evaluations                               5 pts                                  Mar. 23                  Mar. 30

Photo Archives Project                         15 pts                                  Apr. 11                  Apr. 20

Oral History Critique                           15 pts                                  Apr. 20                  Apr. 27

plus class discussion                               5 pts

                TOTAL                  100 pts

GRADE SCALE:

92-100 points       = A

83-91   points       = B

74-82   points       = C

BILL MARSHALL'S OFFICE HOURS:

Students may drop by my office anytime during the week (401B) or make an appointment by leaving a message at 257-8371 if I cannot be located.   I can also be contacted by e-mail at wjmars01@uky.edu or by telephone at 257-8371 or 272-8880 (home).