Society of American Archivists’ Digital Archives Specialist Certificate Program

Geof HuthE-Records Forum

Austin, Texas | 25 April 2012slideshare.net/geofhuth

geofhuth@gmail.com

Digital Archives Specialist curriculum

Certificate of the same name

Anyone who has completed this successfully

Not a certification program

◦ Archival certification is by ACA

What is DAS?

SAA provides archival training

◦ To its members and others

Digital Archives is an SAA priority

◦ Set in 2005

DAS offers a coordinated training program

◦ Provides training & tools to manage digital records

The Reasons for DAS

May 2010◦ Council created Digital Archives Continuing Education TF

◦ Charged with creating detailed digital archives curriculum

Fall and Winter 2010-2012◦ Met in person In Chicago and via conference calls

February 2011◦ DACE provided Education Committee an initial report

March 2011◦ Draft distributed to SAA sections and roundtables

April-May 2011◦ DACE and Education Committee revised report 

24-26 May 2011◦ SAA Council accepted DAS Curriculum & Certificate Program

How DAS Came to Be

DACE Task Force

◦ Developed initial recommendations

◦ Set the general course for DAS

DAS Continuing Education Subcommittee

◦ Part of SAA’s Education Committee

◦ Developing the details of DAS

◦ Overseeing its development and expansion

DAS Development Groups

Geoffrey Huth (chair, from the New York State Archives) Jackie Esposito (Pennsylvania State University) Mahnaz Ghaznavi (Loyola Marymount University) David Kay (Little Airplane Productions) Helen Tibbo (ex officio, University of NC, Chapel Hill)

DACE Task Force Members

Liz Bishoff

Jackie Esposito

Mahnaz Ghaznavi

Lori Lindberg

Mark Matienzo

Glen McAnninch

DAS Continuing Education

Focus on born-digital records

◦ Not digitized records

◦ Focus students on the natively digital

Integrate e-records work into archives work

◦ Do not treated as a separate activity

◦ Demonstrate it as a vital element of archives

DAS Foundational Concepts

A single educational vision

Structured curriculum

◦ Tiers

◦ Data on each course

Develop online system to review curriculum

Integrate learning across course offerings

Measure success of the program

DAS Structural Concepts

1. Understand nature of electronic records2. Communicate requirements, roles, and

responsibilities3. Formulate strategies for managing digital

archives4. Integrate new technologies within existing

archival functions5. Continue archival work with new

technologies6. Manage originals and access copies7. Provide dependable services to customers

Built around Core Competencies

Archivist Practitioner◦ A hands-on, front-line archivist who manages or

will manage electronic records personally Archivist Manager

◦ An archivist who has oversight over the work of other professional archivists and who may or may not manage electronic records directly

The Archivist Administrator ◦ An archivist who oversees archivist managers and

ensures organization’s capacity to manage digital archives

Intended Audiences

1. Foundational Courses

◦ Essential skills

◦ Focus on practitioners

◦ Information to implement in the next year

2. Tactical and Strategic Courses

◦ Skills to make significant changes in organizations

◦ Focus on managers

◦ Information to implement in the next five years

Four Tiers of Study (1 & 2)

3. Tools and Services Courses

◦ Focus on tools and services for digital archives

◦ Focus on practitioners

◦ Information to implement immediately

4. Transformational Courses

◦ Skills to transform institutions into digital archives

◦ Focus on administrators

◦ Information to implement over the next ten years

Four Tiers of Study (3 & 4)

Basic Electronic Records

Basics of Managing Electronic Records

Thinking Digital

Standards for Digital Archives

Beginner’s Guide to Metadata

Appraisal of Electronic Records (New)

Digital Curation

Foundational Courses

Electronic Records: The Next Step Accessioning and Ingest (in development) Arrangement and Description of E-Records

(New) Digital Repositories  Preserving Digital Archives Legal Issues in Digital Archives (New) Specs & RFPs for Recordkeeping Systems (New) Providing Access to Digital Archives (2013) Inreach and Outreach for Digital Archives (New)

Tactical and Strategic Courses

Archival Content Management Systems

Email Account Preservation with XML

Preservation Options of PDF (being revised)

Records Digital Forensics (New)

Tools and Services Courses

Information Architecture

Managing E-Records in Archives and

Special Collections

Digital Curation Planning and Sustainable

Futures (available in 2013)

Transformational Courses

4 Foundational Courses

3 Tactical and Strategic Courses

1 Tools and Services Courses

1 Transformational Course

The Nine Required Courses

Take an assessment quiz before registering

◦ To determine if you need the training

◦ If not, don’t take that training

◦ Take only the test

These quizzes are not yet ready

◦ DAS Continuing Education is finalizing

◦ Will be ready in late spring

Assessment Quizzes

Option 1: Course + Exam◦ Take a ½-day, 1-day, or 2-day course

◦ Take and pass exam within a week

Option 2: Exam◦ Pay a small fee and test out

Option 3: Webinar + Exam◦ Take a 90-minute webinar

◦ Take and pass exam within a week

◦ Additional attendees need to purchase the exam

Three Ways towards Course Credit

Within 24 months…

◦ Attend the nine required courses

◦ Pass each course with score of 85% or better

Some may test out of Foundational courses

Pass a comprehensive examination

◦ Within the same 24-month period

Renew certificate every five years

Completing DAS Successfully

Exam will test all core competencies

Much longer that the post-course tests

Requires broad knowledge from candidates

Will be offered at various locations across US

First offered in early 2013

The Comprehensive Exam

Fees vary Fees for members are cheaper

◦ $95 for ½-day

◦ $185 for 1-day

◦ $299 for 2-day 

Package discount◦ 7 courses and exams at the regular rate

◦ And receive 2 free courses and exams 

◦ For $1,265 total, saving $341

Costs

Yes

296 have taken DAS exams as of last week

8 people have only two course exams to go

Take webinars & workshops to finish sooner

Workshops hosted nationwide

Is Completion Possible?

Conference of Inter-Mountain Archivists (CIMA)

Midwest Archives Conference (MAC)

New England Archivists (NEA)

Society of Southwest Archivists (SSA)

Society of California Archivists (SCA)

New York Archivists Roundtable (NYART)

Society of Georgia Archivists (SGA)

Regionals Hosting Full DAS

A consortium in Philadelphia

Penn State

Any group can do this

◦ Contact Solveig De Sutter at SAA

Others Hosting Some Workshops

Structure of Exams

◦ Multiple-choice questions

◦ Completed online

◦ Can navigate the exam and change answers

If you fail an exam…

◦ Take it again within two weeks

If you fail the same exam again…

◦ Take course and exam again at discounted rate

Course Exam Details

Webinars◦ 10 questions and 1 hour to complete

 Half-day Courses  ◦ 15 questions and 90 minutes to complete

 One-day Courses◦ 20 questions and 2 hours to complete

Two-day Courses◦ 30 questions and 4 hours to complete

Passing grade is 85%

Exam Rules

Still unknown

◦ But it will demonstrate you have knowledge

Every job opportunity requires

◦ You prove the many values of yourself

◦ You demonstrate your knowledge

A DAS certificate demonstrates learning

◦ Employers may prefer DAS certificate holders

◦ Nevertheless, DAS still provides valuable training

Does Certificate Help Find Work?

Visit SAA’s Website

http://www2.archivists.org/prof-education/das/

Talk to SAA’s Education Director

◦ Solveig De Sutter

Talk to DAS Course Instructors

For More Information

These slides available at

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