This course will run for two days on May 24 and May 26, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (each day).
This course WILL count towards the in-person requirement for the A&D program.
This two-day course introduces the basic principles, concepts, and tools that archivists use to establish both physical and intellectual control over archival records. These include developing accession records and processing work plans; identifying common arrangement schemes for certain types of collections, as well as various formats; and how to physically organize materials during processing. You will also learn the essential elements of a finding aid and the major descriptive standards that support these elements. Particular emphasis will be placed on the day-to-day decisions made in arranging and describing archival materials. You'll also participate in a set of exercises designed to emphasize the principles and concepts of arrangement and description.
*This course is a requirement of the Arrangement & Description Certificate Program.
Upon completion of this course, you'll be able to:
- Grasp the principals and concepts of arrangement
- Apply the common arrangement of various types of collections and material formats
- Identify the essential elements of a finding aid
- Describe the major standards supporting these elements
- Identify basic tools that can be employed to facilitate management of arrangement and description
- Demonstrate an understanding of best practice
Who Should Attend? New archives professionals and graduate students in archival programs who have little or no experience in the arrangement and description of archival records; it can also be taken as a refresher course for those who have not kept abreast of changing standards and practices.
What You Should Already Know: Participants are expected to have basic archival training and education.
A&D Tier: Foundational
A&D Core Competency:
1. Arrangement: Understand the process of organizing materials with respect to their provenance and original order to protect their context and facilitate access.
2. Description: Analyze and describe details about the attributes of a record or collection of records to facilitate identification, management, and understanding of the work.
3. Descriptive Standards: Apply rules and practices that codify the content of information used to represent archival materials in discovery tools according to published structural guidelines.
4. Management: Demonstrate ability to manage physical and intellectual control over archival materials.
5. Discovery: Create tools to facilitate access and disseminate descriptive records of archival materials.
6. Ethics: Convey transparency of actions taken during arrangement and description and respect privacy, confidentiality, and cultural sensitivity of archival materials.
If you intend to pursue the A&D Certificate, you will need to pass the examination for this course.
Registration Fee: Early-Bird / Regular
SAA Member: $299 / $369
Employee of SAA Member Institution: $359 / $449
Nonmember: $419 / $529