90408 - Records Management and Archives

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student must have the following knowledge and skills: - Knowledge and understanding: being able to distinguish the different phases of life of an archive and to highlight its constituent elements; knowing the operations and archival tools used in each phase. - Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: to be able to find and use archival tools autonomously; be able to carry out the archival description of a fund using one of the computer tools illustrated in class. - Autonomy of judgment: knowing how to establish the criteria to be followed in describing the archives, motivating their methodological choices. - Communication skills: knowing how to illustrate with logical rigor and terminological issues also techniques related to a specific topic. - Learning skills: knowing how to deepen independently the issues related to the discipline

Course contents

COURSE PROGRAM

Introductory elements: archival science and polymorphism of contemporary archives

Relevant regulatory aspects and preservation model
The archival life cycle
The current archive: purposes, activities and tools for management, organization and preservation
The deposit archive: purposes and tools. Organization and management with special reference to the processes of selection and discarding, including in the digital environment
The historical archive: purposes and activities, with special reference to the processes of preservation, description, sorting and mediation
Archival description
Description standards from ISAD to RiC
Methodology and purposes of archival description
Description with software: overview of resources and functionalities
Search tools
Main types of tools
The inventory and archival description databases: construction, use and restitution
Archival information systems and the cultural web
Dematerialization processes
The transition to digital
The digital archive: forms and main issues between production, management and good long-term preservation practices
Digitization: opportunities and critical issues
The course may be supplemented by seminar presentations aimed at deepening the application aspects of the topics covered and developing communication skills and methodological insight on the part of students.

Teaching methods

Lectures with possible seminar supplements.

Assessment methods

The examination is conducted in oral form, starting with a discussion topic identified by the candidates. The knowledge and mastery of the topics discussed during the lectures and of the indicated reference bibliography, the property of language also with respect to the specific domain of study, the ability to synthesize and analyze themes and concepts, and finally the critical and methodological skills matured by the student will be assessed.

The final evaluation will adhere to the following indications:

- insufficient grade: lack of basic knowledge and inability to produce correct interpretation of texts and/or problems

- sufficient grade: possession of basic knowledge; interpretation mostly correct, but conducted with imprecision and little autonomy

- good grade: possession of intermediate level knowledge; interpretation fully correct, but not always precise and autonomous

- excellent grade: possession of high level knowledge; interpretation of problems not only correct but conducted with autonomy and precision. Excellent oral expression skills

Teaching tools

Supplementary teaching materials, in particular slides summarising the topics covered, will be used.

Basic teaching material will be available in the 'Virtual teaching resources' section - accessed by means of a password that the lecturer will communicate at the beginning of the lessons.

It should be noted that initiatives (educational visits, seminars, conferences, book presentations, etc.) indicated and/or organised by the lecturer are to be considered supplementary to the teaching and may be recognised during the examination.

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Students who, for reasons dependent on disabilities or specific learning disorders (DSA), require compensatory tools may inform the teacher of their needs so that they can be referred to the contact persons and the most appropriate arrangements can be agreed upon.

https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti

Office hours

See the website of Anita De Sossi