MARA Blog: General
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.
Federal Agencies Managing Information as a Strategic Resource
Published: August 10, 2016 by Dr. Pat Franks
On July 28, 2016, the Office of Management and Budget released a revision of OMB Circular A-130, Managing Information as a Strategic Resource. If you’re a member of ARMA International, you’ll be pleased to know that the organization made a number of recommendations to the initial proposed revisions in a November 2015 comment letter, some of which were integrated into this document.
SJSU iSchool to exhibit at 2016 SAA Conference and Expo
Published: August 1, 2016 by Anna Maloney
August 04, 2016
Thursday, 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
A brief history on Freedom of Information legislation
Published: July 4, 2016 by Anna Maloney
Government archives and records programs at the local, state, and federal levels all contribute to open government initiatives and support Freedom of Information laws. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the federal Freedom of Information Act in 1966 to make publicly available by request those records related to statements of policy, interpretations, and staff manuals. But where did this political ideal originate?
DNA as digital storage
Published: June 29, 2016 by Anna Maloney
Thanks to technology, information professionals are able to preserve just about any record in a digital format. But as digital records and big data proliferate (digital data is estimated to reach 44 trillion gigabytes—an almost incomprehensible number—by 2020), there have been questions about which digital storage medium is most sustainable over the long-term. One exciting research trend, covered by Tech Times and other sources, is the use of synthetic DNA for digital storage. “In a study, [researchers] detailed a new technique they have developed which allowed them to successfully encode four image files worth of digital data…More importantly they were able to reverse the process and retrieve the right sequences…without compromising an information byte” (Tech Times, 10 April 2016).
ARMA LIVE! San Antonio 2016 Conference
Published: June 8, 2016 by Anna Maloney
World-Tree Project
Published: May 18, 2016 by Anna Maloney
A few weeks ago, the MARA blog highlighted history harvests, an emerging trend that aims to involve the public in historic preservation by accepting donations of letters, journals, and ephemera that may or may not be related to a general theme. In late April, University College Cork in Dublin, Ireland launched the World-Tree Project, attempting to crowdsource material on Viking and Norse history from across the globe.
Joining Professional Organizations
Published: April 18, 2016 by Anna Maloney
Joining professional organizations is a great way to network with other archivists and records managers. Networking benefits include being introduced to others in your research area; having awareness of workshops, webinars, and other training; connecting with potential employers; and participating in and advancing the professional dialogue.
Archeota Call for Submissions
Published: April 4, 2016 by Anna Maloney
In each MARA course, we are assigned various written assignments and research papers.
Call for papers — Records Management Journal
Published: April 2, 2016 by Anna Maloney
Message from Pat: You have written so much–especially those of you in 289 right now. The call is for anyone a student “at the time the call was issued” so those of you graduating in May do qualify. See if one of your papers fits into one of the categories listed in this letter. Edit it as necessary. Submit for publication. We would love to have a MARA student in this edition!!! Let me know if you decide to do this.
Save the Date–MARA Colloquia
Published: March 14, 2016 by Anna Maloney
On Wednesday, March 23, from 1-2PM PT MARA will host guest lecturer Sarah Romkey, the Archivematica Program Manager. Ms. Romkey will introduce Archivematica, discuss its use by large and small institutions, and expand on the importance of open-source solutions for digital preservation. This promises to be a very interesting presentation for those interested in emerging technologies and the future of archival management! We hope to see you there.
Save the Date–VCARA Guest Lecture
Published: February 19, 2016 by Anna Maloney
Wisconsin Open Records Law
Published: February 19, 2016 by Anna Maloney
A few weeks ago, the MARA blog covered the Netflix docuseries Making a Murderer, and the influx of records requests that Manitowoc County, Wisconsin has seen since the series premiered in December 2015. Wisconsin open records laws are now being publicly examined after a state board expanded the definition of “transitory records” to include correspondence (electronic and analog), interim files, and recordings used for training purposes.
Assessing Archives and Records Management Policy in Japan
Published: February 4, 2016 by Anna Maloney
In April of this year, Japan celebrates the fifth anniversary of the Public Records and Archives Management Act. Passed in the 2011, the act implemented a uniform management plan for administrative documents; introduced a records schedule; created requirements for reports on the management practice of government ministries; established a system of inspection and recommendation; and funds external professionals and the promotion of historical public records and archives.
Save the Date — Washington’s Digital Preservation Model
Published: January 27, 2016 by Anna Maloney
Welcome to the spring semester! Our first MARA guest lecturer this year is Debbie Bahn, who will be presenting Washington’s Digital Preservation Model on February 11th from 5:30-6:30 PST. Ms. Bahn is the Electronic Records Archivist for the Washington State Archives and will discuss the development of the institution’s digital repository, which was developed entirely in-house.
Internship Opportunity at South Dakota State Archives
Published: January 27, 2016 by Anna Maloney
The South Dakota State Archives is currently looking for a summer intern to to help complete processing a backlog of government records.
The Internet Archive Turns 20
Published: January 28, 2016 by Anna Maloney
In 2016, the Internet Archive celebrates its 20-year anniversary. Created in 1996 to capture and preserve websites and web pages, the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine is the front-end, user interface for these archived sites. This week, Forbes’ Kalev Leetaru looks into the history of this complex data capture and the organization’s Worldwide Web Crawls. The image below, from February 20, 1997, is the first SJSU homepage capture available through the Wayback Machine.
Records Management Self-Assessment
Published: December 21, 2015 by Anna Maloney
In November, the National Archives and Records Administration released the 2014 Records Management Self-Assessment.
Follow-up Thoughts from Robert Smallwood
Published: November 12, 2015 by Anna Maloney
Those of you who attended asked about job/internship leads and skills to prepare one for positions in Information Governance and related careers. Robert Smallwood, who spoke on 11/05, wanted me to share the following with those who attended. But I thought all MARA students might be interested: