ARCV30760 Preserving & Acquiring Archives

Academic Year 2024/2025

This module addresses preservation best practice, the components of a preservation programme and key preservation activities, emphasising the importance of preventive preservation strategies. It addresses the preservation of archives both in traditional formats and in digital formats, beginning with the nature of traditional archive materials and the key threats they face. In addition to considering the importance of appropriate buildings, storage, environment and equipment, the module emphasises the centrality of effective preservation management, including preservation policy design, staff training and emergency planning and recovery. The module provides an introduction to digital preservation, considering the challenges posed by digital materials. It provides practical advice on the key steps necessary to secure digital materials in the short-term, alongside beginning to plan for longer-term preservation. In addition, the module also introduces some of the key considerations in the acquisition of archives, including the importance of developing a collecting policy relevant to an archive's jurisdiction and institutional memory and the framing of agreements with depositors.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

• Recognise the importance of a preventive approach to preservation and articulate the difference between preservation and conservation
• Learn about best practice approaches to traditional and digital preservation
• Gain insight into the nature of traditional analogue materials and their resultant preservation vulnerabilities and requirements
• Identify the wide range of activities that comprise a preservation programme and begin preservation planning
• Recognise the core aspects of digital preservation and the key skills and tools to commence digital preservation activities
• Learn to compile collecting policies and depositor agreements and recognise the key considerations when accessioning archives.

Indicative Module Content:

The module will cover the following broad areas: Week 1 introduction to preservation and preservation principles; Week 2 Understanding traditional archive & historic library materials and the threats they face; Week 3 Preservation in practice: archive and library buildings; storage and environments; Week 4 Preservation in practice: other aspects of collection care; Week 5, a class visit or guest practitioner speaker; Week 6 Emergency planning, prevention and recovery for traditional archive & library materials; Week 7 Preserving digital materials: introduction and issues; Week 10, Preserving digital materials: approaches and options; Week 11, Preserving digital materials, preservation software systems; Weeks 12-14, Acquiring archives in traditional and digital formats, working with depositors and developing acquisition policies and procedures.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Small Group

24
Autonomous Student Learning

100
Total

124
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This is a small group module which is taught through weekly 2 hour seminars. Each seminar provides an overview of the week's topic, supported by the use of lecture slides, case studies and in-class activities, such as the analysis of relevant policy documents. Students are encouraged in individual active learning through participation in class discussions and in-class exercises. Student learning is further supported by the opportunity to hear from a practitioner as well as the opportunity to experience an archival preservation software system. Autonomous learning includes the reading of relevant international preservation standards and guidelines available on Brightspace in advance of the relevant class. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Equivalents:
Archives acquisition (HIS30760)


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment(Including Essay): Students undertake a basic preservation needs assessment of their archive collections or selected collections. This takes the form of a survey based on best practice approaches. n/a Graded No

50
Assignment(Including Essay): Students write a preservation action plan for their archive identifying preservation strengths and weaknesses and setting out priorities for actions to be taken in the short, medium and longer term. n/a Graded No

50

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Individual written feedback for each assignment is given to students via Brightspace following submission and grading. Formative feedback (orally and/or in written form) will be given to students on a range of tasks linked to carrying out the preservation needs assessment and the compilation of the subsequent preservation action plan. Timings will depend on the nature of the work the student is carrying out in their institution. One to one feedback will be given to students post-assessment if this is requested.