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.

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MARA Blog

It’s National Archives Month!

American Archives Month

Published: October 14, 2019 by Kenna Wulker

October is American Archives Month! This month is all about raising awareness for the archiving profession and remembering why archives are important to our society and history.

MARA Blog

High School Students Aiding in Centuries Old Archives

Published: September 16, 2019 by Kenna Wulker

Deep within the Vatican is a highly secretive archive containing centuries of documents, decrees and correspondence. The archival collection has remained largely untouched and public access shut off. However, in a massive attempt at increasing accessibility, high school students are aiding artificial intelligence in digitizing these collections.

MARA Blog

Smithsonian Acquires Art Dealer’s Archives

Andrea  Rosen

Published: August 26, 2019 by Kenna Wulker

Art dealer Andrea Rosen is donating her gallery papers to the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (AAA). With over 250 linear feet of documents, the archives contain quite a bit of history that will now be safeguarded by the AAA.

MARA Blog

An Upgrade for the Wilcox Archives

William Way LGBT Community Center Logo

Published: August 19, 2019 by Kenna Wulker

Thanks to a $300,000 grant, archives at the William Way Community Center in Philadelphia, PA are finally getting the treatment they deserve. In this collection are thousands of various items detailing the history of LGBTQ+ life.

MARA Blog

Back to School
Tips for Online Classes

back to school banner

Published: August 12, 2019 by Kenna Wulker

The fall semester is quickly approaching. If you’re anything like me, it’s challenging to get back into the swing of school. Read on for my top tips to a successful semester! Don’t forget—classes start August 21st!

MARA Blog

Get to Know Your MARA Student Assistant

Photo of Student Assistant: Kenna Wulker

Published: July 19, 2019 by Kenna Wulker

Hi everyone! My name is McKenna Wulker; I usually go by Kenna, and I’m MARA’s current student assistant. Right now, I’m half way through my MARA program and intend to graduate in December of 2020. It’s coming up quick!

MARA Blog

National Treasure at the National Archives?

Published: July 12, 2019 by Kenna Wulker

We’ve all seen it: Nicholas Cage slyly stealing the Declaration of Independence to find hidden treasure map clues while in a twisted Robin Hood-type act, protecting the Declaration from falling into the hands of the rebel treasure hunters. While National Treasure presents a dramatic and over-exaggerated representation of a theft of great proportions, thefts similar can and have occurred, even with some of America’s most precious and prized documents.

MARA Blog

Australia National Archives is at Risk

Published: July 19, 2019 by Katie Kuryla

Nearly 200,000 hours of recordings containing Australia’s memory are at risk under a looming six-year deadline to save the National Archives’ vulnerable files, its director-general says.

MARA Blog

Around the Web: Preservation Standards for the Digital Age

Published: June 21, 2019 by Katie Kuryla

The expansion of standards in a digital era — and the need for interoperability between them — was the topic of a NAB 2019 Birds of a Feather discussion including representatives from five different groups involved with creating and redefining relevant standards: ASC, ETC, MESA, MovieLabs and CineCert.

MARA Blog

Around the Web: Cybersecurity and Malware

Published: June 14, 2019 by Katie Kuryla

Researchers in Israel say they have developed a malware to draw attention to serious security weaknesses in critical medical imaging equipment used for diagnosing conditions and the networks that transmit those images — vulnerabilities that could have potentially life-altering consequences if unaddressed.

MARA Blog

Disc-Free Gaming is a nightmare

Published: June 7, 2019 by Katie Kuryla

On May 7th, Microsoft is launching the new Xbox One S, which boasts “Disc-free gaming,” a feature that has already raised issues about ownership and access for players.

MARA Blog

Archives Awareness: Learning Game Initiative Research Archive

Published: May 31, 2019 by Katie Kuryla

The Learning Games Initiative was designed around the concept of “preservation through use” and makes the constantly expanding collection of computer games, systems, peripherals, memorabilia, scholarship, and a plethora of other game-related materials accessible to researchers all over the world and of all ages.

MARA Blog

End of Spring Semester

Published: May 24, 2019 by Katie Kuryla

Now that spring semester is over and summer is right around the corner, I’m here to let you know what you need to do to prepare for the end of the semester.