MARA Blog

Overview

MARA Blog

Students in the MARA program and those interested in archives and preservation, electronic records management, information governance, and related fields are highly encouraged to visit this blog often. Managed by MARA Program Coordinator Darra Hofman and written by a current MARA student, this blog will keep you current with the MARA community and what’s happening in the profession.

MARA Blog RSS

MARA Blog

Ceramicist Develops New Way to Preserve History

Published: February 8, 2017 by Anna Maloney

The salt mines of Halstatt, Austria are home to a new hybrid record with archeological and archival implications. In a recent Atlantic article, ceramicist Martin Kunze, founder of Memory of Mankind, discusses his work creating engraved ceramic tablets that preserve significant cultural information.

MARA Blog

15 Scholarships with Approaching Deadlines

Published: January 22, 2017 by Anna Maloney

If January means the start of the spring semester, then February and March mean scholarship deadlines. As we approach the commencement of classes on Thursday, now is the perfect time for students to prepare their scholarship applications. The following list of scholarships offered by regional professional associations is a good start:

MARA Blog

SAA Publishes New Blog on Archival Security

Published: January 3, 2017 by Anna Maloney

The break between fall and spring semesters, and the sudden absence of weekly discussion board posts, may leave some students feeling disconnected from the conversation of archival management. Thankfully, there are great resources available online for those interested in keeping in touch.

MARA Blog

Profile on MARA Alumna Kristen Cook

Published: December 22, 2016 by Anna Maloney

Several graduate students officially completed the requirements of the Master of Archives and Records Administration program and earned their degrees in December 2016. One of these graduates is Kristen Cook.

Cook works at ESPN, managing projects for the internal creative agency that produces web banners, videos, advertisements, and brand standards. She started the MARA program in August 2012 in order to develop a foundation in best practices for managing the information generated in her department and to cultivate a better relationship with the technology owners she works with. Her goal is to “get away from making the donuts,” and transition her role into one that manages processes, workflows and operations.

MARA Blog

International Directory of National Archives Seeks Students, Alumni for Spring Semester

Published: November 29, 2016 by Anna Maloney

Books have been written about national archives in the past, usually focusing on the national archives of a particular nation. However, none have concentrated on the national archives of all 195 countries recognized through the United Nations (plus Taiwan, which is not so recognized). The International Directory of National Archives, to be co-edited by Dr. Anthony Bernier and Dr. Pat Franks, will serve as a single source of information about national archives around the globe.

MARA Blog

A Profile on MARA Student Morgan King

Published: October 20, 2016 by Anna Maloney

The Master of Archives and Records Administration program at San José State University educates students from a variety of professional backgrounds and experiences. For example, students in the program range from fresh out of their undergraduate studies to having worked in the records and information management field for most of their careers. Morgan King, who is in her last semester of the MARA program, is currently working in the RIM field and earning a MARA degree to advance her career.

MARA Blog

Archives and Sensory Experience

Published: September 28, 2016 by Anna Maloney

The spring/summer issue of The American Archivist, the biannual publication of the Society of American Archivists, was arranged around the theme reconsidering archives. In his introduction to the issue, Editor Gregory S. Hunter explains that the goal is to compel archivists to “look again at the ‘stars’ that guide the archival profession.”  One of the articles closely aligned with this theme is Anna Chen’s “Perfume and vinegar: Olfactory knowledge, remembrance, and recordkeeping,” which explores the role that the sense of smell plays in personal remembrance and society stereotypes.

MARA Blog

NARA Opens Comments for Revised Social Media Strategy

Published: September 21, 2016 by Anna Maloney

In 2010, the U.S. National Archives released its first social media strategy. The three-page document covers NARA’s core values for social media (collaboration, leadership, initiative, diversity, community, openness) and strategies for revolutionizing communication and collaboration within the staff community, engaging with the government community, and building and strengthening relationships with researchers and citizen archivists. It is, in a word, quaint.

MARA Blog

Profile of MARA Alumna Amanda Stowell

Published: September 14, 2016 by Anna Maloney

While finishing up a museum archives internship in the Portland area, Amanda Stowell, ‘16 MARA, was hired on as the first-ever records administrator of ESCO Corporation, a multinational manufacturer of mining equipment with a corporate history dating to 1903.

With her newly minted master’s degree in hand, Stowell found herself the custodian of over 100 years of records. She describes the state of the records at ESCO as a “worst case scenario.” But the daunting nature of this assignment has not quelled her unabashed enthusiasm for records management.

MARA Blog

Survey identifies skills needed of future RIM professionals

Published: September 8, 2016 by Anna Maloney

Each year, the agencies of the U.S. federal government complete the Records Management Self-Assessment, and the statistics generated by these results are pretty telling. The 2015 Self-Assessment revealed that “only 50 percent of federal records officers are dedicated full-time to their agencies’ records and information management (RIM) programs.”

MARA Blog

Students, Faculty to Begin Work on International Directory of National Archives

Published: September 7, 2016 by Anna Maloney

Earlier this year, SJSU iSchool professors Dr. Pat Franks and Dr. Anthony Bernier submitted a proposal to the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing group to compile and publish an International Directory of National Archives. This summer, their proposal was accepted and the two faculty members began working to recruit students and alumni who would be interested in participating in the project for course credit or as volunteers.

MARA Blog

Records in Context–Call for Comments

Published: September 285 2016 by Anna Maloney

The International Council on Archives (ICA) Experts Group on Archival Description (EGAD) has announced the release for public comment the initial draft of the first part of a two-part standard for archival description named Records in Context (RiC).