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Archives Concentration

archival methodsThe demand for archivists is expanding as society becomes more aware of the value of preserving our heritage. Archivists collect, appraise, and preserve documents and materials found in manuscripts, moving images and photographs, oral-history recordings, multimedia, government records, and literary correspondence. They work in varied settings, such as public archives, colleges and universities, museums and cultural heritage sites, photographic and film collections, public libraries, foundations, government agencies, and corporations. For the Archives Management concentration, course requirements include: Introduction to Archival Methods and Services (LIS 438), Archival Access and Use (LIS 440), and Managing Records in Electronic Environments (LIS 456).

The Profession

The archival profession has been growing steadily since the 1970s as the number of records and the knowledge and social consciousness about saving them have increased. As a result, new and improved jobs have been created in public and private organizations, where archivists establish and maintain proper repositories for larger and more diverse collections of records. Some of these positions have grown out of field placements from archives programs like the one at Simmons College. In fact, due to its location in historic New England, Simmons offers students access to resources for study and research not found in other parts of the country.

Description of Program

The thirty-six credit hour (12 courses) Archives Management Concentration includes:

15 credits - GSLIS Core Courses: LIS 407, LIS 415, LIS 488, LIS 403, LIS 404 (PLEASE NOTE: In order for LIS 442 to be considered a substitute as an Archives alternative to LIS 404, you must also complete LIS 438 and LIS 440.)

18 credits - Four Core Archives Courses plus one elective from each Core Archives Area

3 credits - One Free Elective (may be additional Archives courses, recommended electives or any others in GSLIS curriculum).

Degree Requirements

In addition to the 15 semester hours of required courses for the master's degree (LIS 403, LIS 404, LIS 407, LIS 415, and LIS 488), students entering the program Fall 2010 and thereafter take the following core courses for the GSLIS Archives Management Concentration. (Students who were enrolled in GSLIS prior to Fall 2010 should see their advisor for graduation requirements.)

  • LIS 438 - Introduction to Archival Methods and Services (internship required)
  • LIS 440 - Archival Access and Use (prerequisites: LIS 415 and LIS 438)
  • LIS 456 - Managing Records in Electronic Environments (prerequisite: LIS 438)
  • LIS 532B - Archives Field Experience (prerequisite: LIS 438, LIS 440 (or taken simultaneously with LIS 440))
    • May substitute Cultural Heritage Internship LIS 531X

An internship is required in LIS 438. Beginning in the 2010-2011 academic year, students are also required to take LIS 532B, which is a 130 hour internship plus three in-class meetings. Current standards in the archival profession require knowledge of the practices and theories taught in the core curriculum.

Core Archives Area: Preservation

In addition to the core courses noted above, students must take one of the following Preservation electives:

  • LIS 439: Preservation Management for Libraries and Archives
  • LIS 444: Archiving and Preserving Digital Media
  • LIS 531W: Digital Stewardship

Core Archives Area: Archives

In addition to the courses noted above, students must take one of the following electives:

  • LIS 433 - Oral History
  • LIS 441 - Appraisal of Archives and Manuscripts (prerequisite: LIS 438)
  • LIS 442 *see note below - Establishing Archives and Manuscripts Programs (prerequisite: LIS 438)
  • LIS 443 ** see note below - Archives, History and Collective Memory (prerequisite: LIS 438)
  • LIS 469 - XML - extensible Markup Language
  • LIS 471 - Photographic Archives and Visual Information
  • LIS 531V - Concepts in Cultural Heritage Informatics

Recommended Electives for Archivists

For the additional semester hours required to complete the degree, archives management concentrators work with their adviser to design a program to meet individual backgrounds and goals. The following is a list of recommended electives for Archivists' one remaining elective course (3 credit hours):

*NOTE: If LIS 442 is taken as an alternative to LIS 404, it cannot also count as an elective.

**NOTE: This course is cross-listed with HIST. 557. Dual Degree Archives/History students may register for this course through either the History department or LIS.

Archives Concentration

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Last Updated: February 8, 2012 09:47 AM

Last Published: February 11, 2012 02:07 PM