MARA Blog
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.
ARMA InfoCon
The Virtual Experience
Published: November 6, 2020 by Kenna Wulker
Melissa Kemp is completing her first year in the MARA program. She is a former English professor of 28 years. She taught literature, composition, business and technical writing, and organizational communications. Melissa has been archiving for the past eight years for an international cultural organization. She has owned a professional writing and arts consulting business for 31 years, her current job, and she performs a variety of jobs for the archiving client. She aspires to help cultural organization archive and digitize their collections for long-term preservation and public dissemination.
What We Wish We Would Have Known
Tips from Current and Former MARA Students
Published: September 15, 2020 by Kenna Wulker
Fall semester is here and now that we’re about a month in, hopefully, you all are getting into your routine. Oftentimes, navigating online programs can be challenging. We’ve all heard the generic tips for success in school – study, get some sleep, be prepared, etc. However, as the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. When you’re at the end of your MARA journey, it’s natural to look back at your time in the program and all you’ve accomplished. Read on to hear what some current and past MARA students wish they would have known when they started out.
New Course Offering
Design for Teaching & Learning in a Social Virtual Reality (MARA 284)
Published: July 29, 2020 by McKenna Wulker
Are you still looking for fall courses? Check out this new 1-unit MARA offering!
Summer Semester: Staying Motivated
Published: June 18, 2020 by McKenna Wulker
Summer School…
Summer is here and we’re three weeks into the semester already. Can you believe it?! For some of us, summer classes feel like a much-needed break, but for others, it’s a daunting and exhausting experience. With so many more things happening during the summer months, it can be hard to stay focused and motivated. Read on for some tips and tricks to get you through these busy months.
April is RIM Month
An Interview with Nick Inglis, Executive Director of Content and Programming at ARMA International
Published: April 1, 2020 by Kenna Wulker
April is Records & Information Management Month! This month is designed to celebrate the RIM profession and bring awareness and recognition to our practice and practitioners. Nick Inglis is the newest member to the MARA Program Advisory Committee, graciously joining us from ARMA International. Read on to learn more!
#SpotlightSeries: First Year MARA Student, Rebecca Sharp
Published: February 20, 2020 by Kenna Wulker
Our MARA students come from a variety of career backgrounds. Some may already be in the Archives/Records Management profession, while others are continuing their education in hopes of landing that perfect position. First year MARA student Rebecca Sharp shares her experience working for NARA, the National Archives and Records Administration, while taking on the MARA program. Read on to learn more!
#SpotlightSeries: MARA Alumna, Junia Yasenov
Published: January 6, 2020 by McKenna Wulker
Are you thinking about what happens after graduation? What kind of job you should or could get? There are so many opportunities, where do you start?! Read on to learn about Junia Yasenov, a former MARA student, and her journey post graduation, finding work at the Capuchin Archives in Detroit, Michigan.
#SpotlightSeries: Getting Involved
MARA Student Nick Zmijewski is appointed to ArchivesSpace board
Published: December 3, 2019 by Kenna Wulker
Getting involved in the professional archives and records organizations can be a great way to network, learn, and gain valuable experience. Organizations such as ARMA, SAA, AIIM, and others are great places to get started. Current MARA student Nick Zmijewski did just that and was recently appointed to the board of ArchivesSpace as the vice chair of governance board! Read through this interview to learn about Nick’s experience.
ARMA InfoCon: The Download
My Experience as a First Time Attendee
Published: November 12, 2019 by Kenna Wulker
Have you ever felt like your brain is stuffed with so much information that it might explode? That’s how my first time at ARMA InfoCon felt. InfoCon 2019 was held in Nashville, Tennessee from October 21-23. Registrants were able to attend workshops, lectures, and vendor booths while discovering new & best practices, experimenting with technology and gaining valuable experience.
It’s National 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.
#SpotlightSeries: Internship Experience
From the perspective of MARA student, Samuel Henley
Published: October 1, 2019 by Kenna Wulker
Internships are an excellent way to enhance your resume and gain experience. Many programs, including SJSU’s Master of Archives and Records Administration (MARA), require an internship to graduate. Read through to learn more about one MARA student’s journey navigating multiple internships.
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.
Smithsonian Acquires Art Dealer’s Archives
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.
An Upgrade for the Wilcox Archives
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.
JSTOR Helps Expose History
How a New Database is Preserving History by Making Full Interviews Available for Viewing
Published: August 8, 2019 by Kenna Wulker
JSTOR, commonly used by the academic community, is a database storing academic papers and primary sources. They have recently introduced a new prototype database, Interview Archive, which posts full length, uncut interviews from some of the world’s most influential people.
Photo Archive Sold to the Highest Bidder
Where a 4 Million Item Archive Collection Will End Up
Published: July 29, 2019 by Kenna Wulker
Get to Know Your MARA Student Assistant
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!
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.
Google’s Coldest Storage Service
Published: July 26, 2019 by Katie Kuryla
Among a flurry of storage-related announcements at this year’s Google Cloud Next conference is what Google calls “ice cold storage.”
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.