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.
#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 halfway 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.
Around the Web: Myspace and the Internet Archive
Published: July 12, 2019 by Katie Kuryla
What happens when Myspace lost millions of audio files for users? Was it right for users to think that Myspace would keeper their files like a digital archive?
Fourth of July in the National Archives
Published: July 3, 2019 by Katie Kuryla
The National Archives celebrates the 242nd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence with special events in Washington, DC, and at Presidential Libraries nationwide.
Archives Awareness: Charlie Chaplin Archive
Published: June 28, 2019 by Katie Kuryla
If you are a fan of Charlie Chaplin and the silent film era, there is a fascinating online site for both serious researches or regular fans of the film master’s work.
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.
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.
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.