PREREQUISITES:
MLIS students: Completion of the MLIS Core courses, plus permission of the instructor
MAS and Dual students: Completion of the “Term 1” MAS Core courses
GOAL: This course will introduce students to the theoretical and methodological knowledge necessary for understanding and caring for archives created by individuals, families and communities (i.e. archives created outside of formal governance structures). After completing the course, students will understand the particular challenges posed by such archives and will have gained knowledge, awareness, and strategies necessary to approach these challenges.
OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
- Identify, analyze and discuss the nature, characteristics and archival value of archives that are created by individuals, families and communities [1.1, 1.3]
- Analyze and assess how foundational archival theories and methodologies are applied to personal and community archives [1.1, 1.2]
- Evaluate how personal and community archives challenge archivists’ interpretation and application of foundational archival theories and methodologies [1.2, 1.3, 1.5]
- Analyze and assess the application of emerging archival theories and methodologies to personal and community archives [1.2, 1.3, 1.5]
- Analyze the provenance, structure, contents, formal characteristics and other features of personal and community archives in order to make decisions about how best to provide care for them [1.1, 1.2]
- Identify and discuss moral and ethical issues associated with the representation of and access to personal and community archives [1.4; 4.2]
- Formulate and defend new ideas about how archivists should understand and care for materials created by individuals, families and communities [1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 4.1]
* Student learning outcomes reference the MAS Program Learning Outcomes
CONTENT:
- The nature and characteristics of individual, family and community archives.
- Issues related to the appraisal and acquisition of personal and community archives.
- Issues related to the arrangement and description of personal and community archives.
- Issues related to digital personal archives.
- Ethical issues related to personal and community archives.
- Community archives projects and goals.
- The relationship between community archives and established archival institutions.
- Affect, emotion and intimacy
- Working with difficult records
- Relationships with donors and communities
- Person-centred archival theory and praxis