Archiving Training

Lesson 1 • Overview of Archival Workflows

Maps the end-to-end workflow from acquisition through reference service. Provides a roadmap for the skills developed in subsequent chapters.

Lesson 2 • What Archives Are and Do

Defines archives, their purpose, and distinction from libraries and records management. Grounds all subsequent learning in shared professional vocabulary.

Lesson 3 • The Records Lifecycle Model

Explains creation, active use, semi-active retention, and permanent preservation stages. Connects lifecycle thinking to archival acquisition decisions.

Lesson 4 • Core Archival Principles

Introduces provenance, original order, and chain of custody as foundational rules. These principles govern every arrangement and description decision in the course.

Lesson 1 • Macro-Appraisal and Documentation Strategy

Introduces top-down appraisal methods that prioritise societal functions over individual records. Prepares students to design collection scope policies.

Lesson 2 • Acquisition Policies and Scope Statements

Guides drafting of written acquisition policies that define collecting boundaries. Ensures consistent, defensible acquisition decisions across staff.

Lesson 3 • Accessioning Incoming Materials

Establishes procedures for receiving, logging, and stabilising new acquisitions. Links appraisal decisions to the physical intake workflow.

Lesson 4 • Appraisal Theory and Criteria

Examines evidential, informational, and intrinsic value as appraisal criteria. Builds the analytical framework used in all acquisition decisions.

Lesson 1 • Surveying and Analysing a Collection

Teaches systematic survey techniques to understand scope, volume, and existing order. Survey data directly informs the arrangement plan.

Lesson 2 • Arrangement of Special Format Materials

Addresses photographs, audiovisual items, and born-digital files within a collection. Integrates special formats into the overall arrangement structure.

Lesson 3 • Creating an Arrangement Plan

Guides drafting a written plan that maps proposed series and file structures. The plan serves as the processing blueprint and quality-control document.

Lesson 4 • Levels of Archival Arrangement

Defines repository, fonds, series, file, and item levels of arrangement. Establishes the hierarchical framework used in all description work.

Lesson 1 • Access Points and Authority Control

Explains how controlled vocabulary and authority files improve retrieval consistency. Students create and apply name, subject, and geographic access points.

Lesson 2 • Writing Scope and Content Notes

Develops skills for writing clear, informative scope and content notes at each level. Well-written notes are the primary user discovery tool in finding aids.

Lesson 3 • Descriptive Standards Overview

Surveys major international and national descriptive standards and their structural elements. Provides the normative framework for all description exercises.

Lesson 4 • Publishing and Maintaining Finding Aids

Covers encoding finding aids in XML and publishing through online portals. Addresses ongoing maintenance as collections grow or change.

Lesson 1 • Handling and Storage Best Practises

Establishes safe handling protocols for paper, photographs, audiovisual, and digital media. Reduces mechanical damage during routine archival operations.

Lesson 2 • Integrated Pest Management

Introduces a preventive, monitoring-based approach to controlling biological threats. Students develop a basic IPM plan for a repository setting.

Lesson 3 • Environmental Monitoring and Control

Teaches measurement, target ranges, and control systems for temperature and relative humidity. Stable environments are the most cost-effective preservation investment.

Lesson 4 • Causes of Deterioration

Identifies intrinsic and extrinsic deterioration agents including light, humidity, and biological threats. Understanding causes is prerequisite to selecting preservation strategies.

Lesson 1 • Trusted Digital Repository Standards

Introduces the OAIS reference model and audit criteria for trusted digital repositories. Provides the conceptual architecture for building compliant digital archives.

Lesson 2 • Managing Electronic Records at Ingest

Covers virus scanning, checksum verification, format identification, and packaging at ingest. Establishes quality-controlled intake procedures for digital acquisitions.

Lesson 3 • Metadata for Digital Preservation

Explains technical, administrative, and rights metadata schemas essential for digital longevity. Students create preservation metadata records for sample digital objects.

Lesson 4 • Digital Preservation Strategies

Covers migration, emulation, normalisation, and replication as core preservation strategies. Students evaluate trade-offs and select strategies for given scenarios.

Lesson 1 • Principles of Archival Reference

Defines the reference function, user categories, and the reference interview process. Establishes the service orientation that guides all access decisions.

Lesson 2 • Reproduction and Digitisation on Demand

Addresses policies and workflows for researcher-requested copies and on-demand digitisation. Balances service responsiveness with preservation and rights obligations.

Lesson 3 • Remote and Online Reference Services

Extends reference service to remote users through digital portals and correspondence. Prepares students to manage virtual reference queues effectively.

Lesson 4 • Reading Room Operations

Establishes physical and procedural controls for supervised researcher access. Protects collection integrity while enabling productive research visits.

Lesson 1 • Disaster Plan Components

Outlines the essential sections of a written disaster plan including roles, contacts, and procedures. A complete plan enables rapid, coordinated response.

Lesson 2 • Salvage and Recovery Operations

Teaches air-drying, freeze-drying, and specialist recovery techniques for wet and damaged materials. Students practise triage and salvage prioritisation decisions.

Lesson 3 • Emergency Response Procedures

Provides step-by-step response actions for fire, flood, and mould outbreaks. Rapid, correct response minimises irreversible collection loss.

Lesson 4 • Risk Assessment for Repositories

Identifies natural, technological, and human-caused hazards relevant to archival facilities. Risk assessment outputs directly inform the disaster plan priorities.