Meets Thursdays 3:00-5:30, LIB 302

Dr. Stephen Sturgeon, Manuscripts Curator/Associate Librarian, USU Special Collections & Archives, 797-0891, Stephen.Sturgeon@usu.edu

Daniel Davis, Photograph Curator/Associate Librarian, USU Special Collections & Archives, 797-0890, Daniel.Davis@usu.edu

This course is designed to provide an introduction to archives and archival practices. Unlike most traditional archival courses this one will not focus exclusively on theory. While archival theory is important (and basic theory will be reviewed), it is not the only consideration for a working archivist. Instead this class will also look at archival practices in the real world and discuss how archival institutions interact with the public in general and with historians in particular. Archivists are on the front lines of the historical process, and even if a student does not plan to pursue a career in the archives field a knowledge of archival materials and practices can be of great value to a historian or serious researcher.

The instructors will draw upon their experience as professional archivists and will use materials held in the USU Special Collections & Archives department to teach the course. The class will be a mix of lecture, discussion, and hands-on activities.

For Graduate Students grading will be based on the following percentages:
1. 25% will be from class discussion, participation, and preparation.
2. 25% will be from a final presentation. You will pick a topic from a list I will give you. Your presentation paper will need to be turned in the last day of class and will contitute half of the grade for the assignment. This paper does not need to be in the style of a research paper with proper footnoting, etc. but quotations used in the paper need to be cited. During finals week graduate students will give their presentations.
3. 20% will be from a 5-10 page written evaluation of an archival institution. A class period will be set aside to visit two archival institutions in Salt Lake City, but the student can visit other regional arhives on his/her own if approved by the instructor. Evaluations will be discussed and handed one week later.
4. 20% will come from the completion of an archival finding aid.
5. 10% will come from a 3-5 page book review. At the beginning of the semester students will choose a book from a list provided by the instructor. Four weeks into the semester each student will discuss the book from an archival perspective and hand in a short book review.

For Undergraduate Students grading will be based on the following percentages:
1. 30% will be from class discussion, participation, and preparation.
3. 25% will be from a 5-10 page written evaluation of an archival institution. A class period will be set aside to visit two archival institutions in Salt Lake City, but the student can visit other regional arhives on his/her own if approved by the instructor. Evaluations will be discussed and handed one week later.
4. 35% will come from the completion of an archival finding aid.
5. 10% will come from a 3-5 page book review. At the beginning of the semester students will choose a book from a list provided by the instructor. Four weeks into the semester each student will discuss the book from an archival perspective and hand in a short book review.

8/28/08. Class Introduction and Tour of SCA

9/04/08. Introduction to Archives - The History and Purpose of Archival Institutions
(Pick out book to review)

9/11/08. Guest Lecture - History Professor James Sanders

9/18/08. Appraisal and Acquisitions
(Book Reviews Due)

9/25/08. Arrangement and Description
(Start Finding Aid Project)

10/02/08. Manuscript Collections

10/09/08. Field Trip to Salt Lake County Archives and LDS Church Archives (leave at 11:30 a.m.)

10/16/08. Fall Break - No Class
(Archival Evaluations Due)

10/23/08. Photographic Collections

10/30/08. Oral History and Archives. Guest Lecture - Fife Folklore Curator Randy Williams

11/06/08. Digitization, EAD, and the Web. Guest Lecture - Digital Librarian Cheryl Walters

11/13/08. Reference
(Finding Aid Project Due)

11/20/08. Copyright and Archival Ethics

11/27/08. Thanksgiving Break - No Class

12/04/08. Final Presentations