ARCV41500 Deciding What to Keep

Academic Year 2023/2024

One of the most challenging and arguably most significant tasks of the archivist is managing the process of deciding what records are of continuing value and warrant preservation in archives. This module broadly discusses ideas of collective memory and archival inclusiveness, addressing the issues of whose records should be preserved and the relationship of professional archivists to other collectors of records, particularly to community archives. The module then focuses on the strategies the profession has devised to appraise records, covering use based and societal methods, documentation strategies, macroappraisal, functional analysis, community and participatory approaches. Taking a case study approach, the module examines the practical application of these strategies to both public and private records and explores their continued applicability to the appraisal of digital material. The module introduces the frameworks the profession uses to facilitate the acquisition of archives in terms of collecting and acquisition policies and deposit agreements. It covers the practical issues that can arise when acquiring archives, discusses the role of legislation and introduces the processes of accessioning and deaccessioning collections.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module students should be able:
To understand the key theoretical approaches to the appraisal of analogue and digital archives
Evaluate the relative merits of applying different appraisal strategies in practice
Demonstrate familiarity with and be able to formulate a collection development policy
Manage the acquisition and accessioning of analogue and digital archives from donors




Indicative Module Content:

Week 1: Introduction appraisal in theory and practice; Week 2; Jenkinson and Evidence; Week 3 Schellenberg and Use based approaches; Week 4 Documenting Society Hans Booms and Helen Samuels; Week 5 Thinking about functional analysis; Week 6: Macroappraisal; Week 7 Guest Lecture/ Site Visit; Week 8 Community and Participatory Approaches; Week 9 Steps in Acquisition; Week 10 Accessioning analogue and digital materail; Week 11 Deaccessioning ; Guest Lecture.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

22
Total

22
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This is a small group module which is taught through weekly 2 hour seminars. Each seminar provides an overview of the week's topic, supported by the use of lecture slides, case studies and in-class activities, such as the analysis of relevant case studies and policies. Students are encouraged in individual active learning through participation in class discussions and in-class exercises. Student learning is further supported by practitioner guest lectures or site visits. Autonomous learning includes the reading of literature linked to relevant theoretical approaches and case studies available on Brightspace. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: Exploring the acquisition and accessioning of material Varies over the Trimester n/a Graded No

50
Assignment: Appraisal in theory and practice Varies over the Trimester n/a Graded No

50

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on all assessments will be provided to each student via Brightspace and to the group for assignments handed back during the semester. Individual feedback on all assignments will be provided by one-to-one meetings on Zoom or via email if requested by students.

Name Role
Dr Julie Brooks Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Spring
      
Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 10:00 - 11:50