The San José State University School of Information’s Dr. Patricia C. Franks is starting the summer break on a high note. Franks received the very good news that she has achieved tenure and is now a full professor. Congratulations!

The San José State University (SJSU) School of Information’s Dr. Patricia C. Franks is starting the summer break on a high note. Franks received the very good news that she has achieved tenure and is now a full professor.

“Receiving tenure and being promoted to full professor is both rewarding and humbling,” stated Franks. “I am honored that the university has expressed confidence in my ability to contribute to the School of Information, the College of Applied Sciences and Arts, and San José State University.”

Franks is well-known to iSchool students as both the program coordinator for the Master of Archives and Records Administration (MARA) degree program and as the instructor of numerous courses on the topics of records management, archives, information systems, and more. In addition to her master’s and doctoral degrees, she is a certified archivist, a certified records manager, and information governance professional. Since coming to the iSchool in 2008, she has served as the program coordinator for the MARA program and she also founded the Virtual Center for Archives and Records Administration (VCARA) on the iSchool island in Second Life. She is passionate about the ever-changing field of archives and records and information management.

“In recent years, we have seen the emergence of a new type of information professional responsible for managing an organization’s most valuable assets—a professional that has a solid background in the theory and practice of archives and records and information management,” explained Franks. “The MARA degree offered by the School of Information at San José State University was designed to prepare students for careers in this critical and rewarding field. The program has continued to grow and evolve within the School of Information under the creative and inspiring leadership of Director Sandra Hirsh, and with the support and encouragement of Associate Director Linda Main.”

Franks has many plans for future work in the field of archives and records management at the School of Information. “I look forward to expanding my research and disseminating the findings to enrich the discipline of archives and records and information management,” remarked Franks, “and I look forward to continuing to work with students in the School of Information to prepare them for careers in this challenging and evolving field.”

In addition to numerous articles, book chapters, and conference presentations on the subject of archives and information and records management, Franks is the co-editor of the groundbreaking Encyclopedia of Archival Science, published in 2015, and the author of Records & Information Management, published in 2013. She has received numerous research grants and contracts, including a Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (RSCA) grant from SJSU to develop learning modules in the crucial field of cybersecurity. She is a member of the InterPARES Trust research team that has received a multi-year grant from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for the interdisciplinary “Trust and Digital Records in an Increasingly Networked Society” project. 

Franks is recognized by her peers as an expert and a leader in the field of archives and records and information management. Among her many professional and academic distinctions are her recent induction into the ARMA International Company of Fellows and her election to the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators (NAGARA) board of directors.