This course WILL count towards the in-person requirement for the DAS certificate program.
This in-person course will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. U.S. eastern (local) time (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. U.S. central time).
The field of digital forensics often evokes imagery of prime-time television crime dramas. But what is it, and how can archivists put digital forensics tools and processes to use in their home institutions? Archivists are more likely than ever to be confronted with collections containing removable storage media (e.g., floppy disks, hard drives, thumb drives, memory sticks, and CDs). These media provide limited accessibility and may endanger the electronic records housed within, due to obsolescence and loss over time. Caring for these records requires archivists to extract whatever useful information resides on the medium while avoiding the accidental alteration of data or metadata.
You’ll explore the layers of hardware and software that allow bitstreams on digital media to be read as files, the roles and relationships of these layers, and tools and techniques for ensuring the completeness and evidential value of data.
This course is specifically designed as a precursor and prerequisite to the two-day Digital Forensics for Archivists: Advanced DAS course.
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Participants must be prepared to have a laptop available with the following software already installed. (All software programs are free). iPads and other tablet devices will NOT be able to perform the hands-on tasks, as these devices do not have adequate resources or allow the level of user control required to run the associated software.
For Windows 10 and Windows 11 users:
- Hex editing and hash generation software: HexEd.it (online, no install required)
- ISO mounting software: OSFMount
- Optional additional cryptographic hashing (MD5/SHA) software: FileVerifier++
For Macintosh users:
- Hex editing and hash generation software: HexEd.it (online, no install required)
- How to mount an ISO in macOS
- Optional additional cryptographic hashing (MD5/SHA) software: Quickhash-GUI (or use the Mac OSX command-line utility "md5")
- You can also run many Windows tools on your Mac by using WINE or Windows in a virtual machine; this is optional, and not required for successful completion of the course.
Upon completion of this course, you'll be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the principles, tools, and technologies behind the practical field of digital forensics
- Explore how digital forensics tools and techniques can apply to an archival setting
- Consider a range of digital forensics tools, and use some of them to create disk images and analyze their content for different types of information
Who Should Attend:
Archivists, manuscript curators, librarians, and others who are responsible for acquiring or transferring collections of digital materials—particularly those that are received on removable media
What You Should Already Know:
Basic computer literacy; participants should understand how to install and use software tools listed in the syllabus and be able to read and comprehend basic (though detailed) technical concepts
DAS Tier: Foundational
DAS Core Competency:
1. Explain the nature of digital records and their lifecycle.
3. Formulate strategies and tactics for appraising, acquiring, describing, managing, organizing, preserving, and delivering digital archives.
4. Incorporate technologies throughout the archival lifecycle.
6. Employ standards and best practices in the management of digital archives.
If you intend to pursue the DAS Certificate, you will need to pass the examination for this course.
Registration Fee: Early-Bird / Regular
SAA Member: $269 / $319
Employee of SAA Member Institution: $329 / $379
Nonmember: $379 / $439