HUAS37001 - Managing the Past: Careers in Archives and Special Collections

Course Description

This Course will:

• Present students with a history and structure of archives and special collections in the United States (with examples from Europe/the Middle East/Asia).
• Understand the principle responsibilities and tasks of working in and running an archive or special collection within a museum, university, or stand-alone cultural institution.
• Provide a virtual experience within the collections of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago to give students an understanding of tasks, archival objects, and spaces.
• Develop key documents, at least in template form, that will assist in developing a CV and Cover letter for internships and volunteer opportunities in the GLAM (Gallery, Library, Archives, and Museum) sector.
• Create a plan of action for moving forward with a career in Archives and Libraries alongside a graduate program.

Course Outline

Week 1 : Introduction to Career Paths in Archives and Special Collections.
Week 2 : A Short History of Archives/Special Collections/Famous Collections/Archives at Risk: How do we work in Archives now? Where do we find archives today? Who uses them? How are they employed across disciplines and industries?
Week 3 : The Vocabulary and Management of Archives: How to create order from chaos and talk about it.
Week 4 : Virtual Site Visit: The OI at the University of Chicago.
Week 5 : Databases and Metadata: An Introduction and Examples.
Week 6 : Public History and Curation: Creating Brick and Mortar and Online Exhibits.
Week 7 : Outreach: Connecting to more than just your institutional community online and in-person.
Week 8 : Present on Information Interviews and One-on-One Virtual Advising.
Week 9 : Getting Started: Review courses themes, revisit questions, and create individual plans for next steps.