Published: July 16, 2015

The iSchool likes to be on the edge of new technology, and since so many iSchool students are currently working in library, information technology and information governance fields, these technology courses are especially useful for taking skills right from the course and into the job setting.

The school’s MARA program (Masters of Archives Records Administration) is offering a new course in its fall curriculum that will focus on information lifecycle management and use Preservica software, which is used around the world by a variety of organizations. The new course, a special topic in MARA 284 Seminar in Archives and Record Management entitled Enterprise Content Management and Digital Preservation, is an exciting new offering that introduces iSchool students to the best of new technology used in the information governance field.

Instructor Dr. Pat Franks describes the course content and cloud-based software used: “The unique aspect of this course is that it focuses on information lifecycle management from creation through disposition (destruction or long-term preservation). For the active phases of the lifecycle we will use Microsoft SharePoint, and for the preservation phases we will use Preservica.”

San José State University’s School of Information has the privilege of being the recipient of Preservica’s first Cloud Edition Teaching License in the United States. Preservica’s Preservation system, is used by both the UK National Archives and the Swiss Federal Archives. It is vital, then, that students of information governance get to know the policies and procedures for using these kinds of new technologies being used in the field today.

The course will also cover several ISO standards—essential knowledge for document management—including the standards that refer to electronic document file format for long-term preservation, open archival information systems, space data and information transfer systems.

“The focus of the new MARA course,” says Franks, “will provide students with the skills and competencies they need to help their current and future employers manage information and records from creation through final disposition, whether destruction or preservation.”

MARA students will need to have completed MARA 200 and MARA 204 before signing up for Enterprise Content Management and Digital Preservation, and are able to repeat MARA 284 seminars with different topics for up to 12 units. The new MARA 284 Enterprise Content Management and Digital Preservation is a 3-unit course.

Related content:
All About the MARA Program: Courses and Careers in Information Governance

Great Class Options at the iSchool for Summer and Fall 2015

1-Unit Courses Offer Financial Solutions, Further Flexibility and Finding Career Opportunities

image courtesy of Stuart Miles