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MAY
15ñ17 2003
09.30ñ17.00
(15ñ16 May), 09.30ñ13.00 (17 May)
ARCHIVES
DEPARTMENT
UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE DUBLIN
Fee:
Ä100 SoA members; Ä300 non-members
This
is a workshop about electronic records as archives rather than
current electronic records, i.e. it is not a records management
workshop, although obviously there are some shared issues. There
is an absolute maximum of 25 places available.
WORKSHOP
AND PARTICIPANT INTRODUCTIONS
Introductions,
expectations, possible modification of agenda, and a chance to
share backgrounds and experiences in electronic records.
THE
EVOLUTION AND CHARACTER OF ELECTRONIC RECORDS
The
challenges and opportunities that the digital world poses to
archival work and archival records; a brief history of and changes
in computers and electronic records; basic computer technical
concepts and terms that archivists need to know to work with
electronic records; the difference in first and second and third
generation computer-generated archives; institutional (including
government) vs. personal electronic record keeping.
CRITICAL
IDEAS AND ISSUES FOR ARCHIVING ELECTRONIC RECORDS
Beginning
with an exploration of the ideas of David Bearman, this session
will look at the controversies in the literature and between
institutions over the last decade: custody vs. non-custody,
metadata vs. description, processing vs. arrangement, archival
authenticity vs. industry-based trusted systems, including
reviewing in some detail the results of major electronic records
research projects at the University of Pittsburgh, InterPARES,
Monash University, University of Michigan, etc., and at National
Archives in the USA, Canada, Australia, etc.
STRATEGIC
POSITIONING FOR THE ARCHIVAL PROFESSION
Developing
options for the role of archivists vis-ý-vis record creators,
records managers, records analysts, departmental officers, IT
professionals, and various legal and auditing personnel, freedom
of information and privacy protection, etc.
APPRAISAL
OF ELECTRONIC RECORDS
Most
electronic records having long-term value to societyóthat is
beyond the needs of the creatorómust be actively designated for
preservation, ideally at the start of the computer system design
process or they will vanish. Such ìdesignationî between what
will last and what will not is an archival function of appraisal,
but with several new dimensions for electronic records. This
session will explore the types of electronic records
(survey/census/statistical, transactional files, DBMS, OA, ARMS,
AI, GIS, CAD, etc.); generic advantages of electronic records
(manipulability, linkage, aggregation, etc.) over their paper
equivalents, and specific functional categories of electronic
records (economic, social, scientific, diplomatic, etc.).
Appraisal options and strategies, with group exercises, will be
included.
TECHNICAL
APPRAISAL
The
role of the archivist in technical appraisal, and the factors that
need to be assessed: assuming the information contained in the
computer system is appraised as valuable and worthy of long-term
archival preservation, how does the archivist decide which
snapshot, view, or state of the data to designate for archival
preservation? What are the options available for transactional
data and office systems? The role of allied computer specialists
will be explored.
AGREEMENTS
OR TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR ARCHIVAL TRANSFER
Working through examples
for electronic records, plus privacy and retention issues, costs,
media, monitoring arrangements, actual vs. virtual archives, PRO
precedents, etc.
PRIVATE-SECTOR
COMPUTING AND TECHNOLOGICAL OBSOLESCENCE
Addressing
strategies for the archiving of non-institutional and
non-governmental electronic records now being created by many
private individuals, families, and groups, and practical solutions
some archives have adopted.
ACCESSIONING,
PROCESSING, STORAGE AND CONSERVATION, REFERENCE SERVICE/PRIVACY
ISSUES
The
twenty-two steps for establishing a comprehensive electronic
records programme will be explored, and all the processes that
electronic records undergo once they have been designated as
having archival value: transfer, accessioning, processing,
description, creating public use data sets, physical and logical
preservation, reference use, etc.
ARCHIVAL
THEORY AND ELECTRONIC RECORDS
A
discussion of how our profession may be changing because of
digital records and their impact of core archival principles.
Future and desirable directions. Workshop summary and wrap-up.
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