About LIS440

Simmons West LIS 440

Archival Access and Use
Spring 2009

Time: Saturdays 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Location: 618 Library, Mount Holyoke College
Instructor: Rob Cox

Office hours: Appt.

Course purpose:

LIS440 is intended to be an advanced introduction to some of the fundamental principles of the access and use of manuscript and archival collections and to the related professional standards and practices.

In recent years, archival professionals have worked hard to improve the management of archival description and arrangement and to maximize access to the collections under their care, and they have had to learn to cope with an increasing variety of electronic media and digital surrogates.

During the term, we will explore how archivists expose their collections to the research public, how they use exhibits, online galleries, outreach programs, finding aids, and digital fonds as a face to the world. In the process, we will gain familiarity with the sets of standards that have entered our common acronymic language, including MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging), EAD (Encoded Archival Description), DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard).

Course outcomes:

Students will become familiar with:

  • The fundamental principles governing arrangement and description of manuscript and archival collections
  • Arrangement and description in a real-world setting
  • The relationship between archival description, access, and use
  • The role of descriptive and structural standards in facilitating access to manuscript and archival collections
  • The complexities of digital project creation and management
Accommodations:

We will provide reasonable accommodations for students with documented physical, sensory, systemic, cognitive, learning, or psychiatric disabilities. If you have a disability and anticipate the need for accommodation in this class, you must contact the Director of the Academic Support Center (617.521.2471) early in the semester. Students with disabilities are also encouraged to contact their instructors to discuss their individual needs for accommodation.

Honor code:

Students enrolled in LIS 440 must follow the Simmons College honor code (available at http://my.simmons.edu/gslis/resources/student-info/honor-code.shtml

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