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.
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.
Around the Web: Where will the Iron Throne end up?
Published: May 17, 2019 by Katie Kuryla
The question for the past 8 season has been who will end up on the Iron Throne? Here’s a non-spoiler (PROMISE THIS IS NON-SPOILER) alert of who will end up on the throne for the series finale! ;-)
Archives Awareness: Digital Archive of the Shoshone Nation
Published: April 29, 2019 by Katie Kuryla
Digital archives are becoming popular in this instantaneous and constant communication world. Who wouldn’t want access to an archive digitally if you cannot make it to the physical location? The Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation has announced that Utah State University will help to convert and catalog the tribe’s historical documents into a public online archive.
In the News: Notre-Dame
Published: April 19, 2019 by Katie Kuryla
It is a tragedy that was seen all around the world, flames leaping from the top of Notre-Dame Cathedral on the evening of Monday April 15. The Paris fire brigade chaplain, Jean-Marc Fournier, had one thing in mind as he tried to fight the fire - rescue the two most sacred relics.
#Spotlight Series: Vida Barone and ARMA Live! Conference
Published: April 12, 2019 by Katie Kuryla
Are you interested in attending an ARMA conference? MARA student Vida Barone had the opportunity to attend and she is sharing her experience with us.
20th Century Fox Oral History
Published: April 5, 2019 by Katie Kuryla
I recently finished my oral history class and while I thought I was just taking this class for the credit, it ended up opening my eyes to the world of Oral History. And just in time too because as March 20, 2019, Walt Disney Co. acquired Twentieth Century Fox, FX, Fox Searchlight, and NatGeo. This marks the final drumbeat for the historic 20th Century Fox, which was one of Hollywood’s six major studios.
Archives Awareness: Fashion Archivist
Published: March 22, 2019 by Katie Kuryla
Did you ever imagine that there could be a position for an archivist in the fashion industry? Between hanging a knit dress and storing shoes in plastic bins, there are many ways to accidentally ruin fashion pieces but Julie Ann Clauss is a fashion archivist who works to help people properly store their clothing.
#BalanceforBetter: International Women’s Day
Published: March 8, 2019 by Katie Kuryla
It is International Women’s Day on March 8th and to celebrate, cities around the world are showing examples of #BalanceforBetter, this years theme. If you are in Chicago, check out the event where an art therapist talks about her proposal for an art therapy archives.
#Spotlight Series: Emily Mercer
Published: February 15, 2019 by Katie Kuryla
Emily Mercer is a MARA student who is passionate about history and loves working with databases. She is a first-generation college graduate and a first-generation graduate student pursuing a career she truly enjoys. Check out her spotlight! – Katie
Around the Web: A Christmas Story House
Published: November 30, 2018 by Katie Kuryla
Christmas time is personally one of my favorite times of year. The lights, the music, eggnog, and the smell of the trees! It’s the best time of year. One of my favorite activities is watching A Christmas Story.
A Call for Papers – Archives and Popular Culture
Published: November 19, 2018 by Katie Kuryla
One of the great things while we are working on our degrees, is the opportunities regarding writing papers for peer-reviewed journals, official publications, and even books. Recently, I saw a post for a #CallforPapers from View Journal looking for proposals for a special issue of Journal of Popular Culture. The Special Issue is Archives and Popular Culture.
Ten Things that Terrify Archivists
Published: November 5, 2018 by Katie Kuryla
With Halloween just barely behind us, I thought we could look at the ten things that terrify archivists!
#FacultyFriday Spotlight: Matt Veatch
Published: September 28, 2018 by Katie Kuryla
The MARA Program Advisory Committee (PAC) welcomes a new member this semester. Matt Veatch, the State Archivist of the Kansas Historical Society in Topeka, Kansas. He will be participating in the biannual meetings to advise on curricular issues.
#Spotlight Series: Anna Belle Rosen and SAASC
Published: August 31, 2018 by Katie Kuryla
Welcome back everyone! Our first blog post of the fall semester is one of our spotlight series on Anna Belle Rosen. Anna Belle is the secretary of our school’s chapter of the Society of American Archivists. It is great to see MARA students becoming more active in the school community and Anna Belle is here to tell you about the wonderful things that SAASC has to offer.
What Started Your Passion for Archives and Records?
Published: June 15, 2018 by Katie Kuryla
What started your passion for archives and records? I had just started my first semester and I went to see a movie one night and noticed a Doctor Who cartoon on one of the television screens in the lobby. I was a recent Doctor Who fan and I had figured that the cartoon was an episode from the newest season, somehow the Doctor went so far in the Tardis that he ended up in a cartoon world. Boy was I wrong!
#Spotlight Series: Anna Maloney: A Year in the Life of a MARA Graduate
Published: June 8, 2018 by Katie Kuryla
I was introduced to Anna Maloney when I was taking over her position as an assistant at school. When I moved to a new city, it coincidentally was the same city that Anna lived in and by chance we found out. We don’t always get the opportunity to meet the people we go to school with but I was lucky enough to meet Anna in person.
End of Spring Semester
Published: May 23, 2018 by Katie Kuryla
As we wait for our grades, 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. Congrats to the graduates but if you are here for another year, make sure you are saving documents to your ePortfolio. Take a few minutes to read over what you need to do now that it is the end of the semester:
#FacultyFriday Spotlight: Joshua Zimmerman
Published: May 18, 2018 by Katie Kuryla
Getting to know our faculty
What really makes Josh’s research methods class great, is the professor himself. He is an excellent lecturer and his class was by far one of my favorites. While he will tell you in his answers below that he never imagined that he would be helping improve writing of graduate students, he not only helped my writing but he improved my focus on my research topic that I’ve been trying to get across in all my papers in my classes. While his quote from his #FacultyFriday photo talks about him learning new topics and new takes on old topics from his students, it has been his enthusiasm that I felt I learned so much in his class. I’m sure there have been other students who have felt this way too.
Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes
Published: May 4, 2018 by Katie Kuryla
Back in October, I went to the Star Wars Costume exhibit and found some really interesting facts about Star Wars. I wasn’t ever a fan and in fact, I could say I’m still not a fan but I do respect the work a lot more. Knowing the information I did about the costumes and the things I already knew through a project I did on Pixar (yes, Pixar was once owned by George Lucas), I appreciated the work that went into Star Wars when I watched it. One thing I also found important about the Star Wars costumes exhibit was how important it is to save these items.
#FacultyFriday Spotlight: Norman Mooradian
Published: April 27, 2018 by Katie Kuryla
If you are planning on taking a one credit summer course for MARA, you would have seen Norman Mooradian’s name come up with the ethics class. I had the opportunity my first summer to take Ethics and it was a wonderful class. Norman is such a great teacher and he really knows his subject but as you will read, he has been in the business for almost 20 years. If you get the opportunity for the summer to take his class or are planning on taking his class, take it from me, it’s well worth learning about ethics in records management! Thank you Norman for taking the time to let us get to know you! – Katie