Programme Specifications

N/A

Librarianship, Information, Knowledge, Records and Archive Management

September 2023

Digital material is ubiquitous in the modern world. However, it is inherently fragile and needs careful management if it is to survive. Digital curation is a new discipline which addresses “the management and preservation of digital material to ensure accessibility over the long-term” (Higgins, 2011). The need for Higher Education in digital curation to ensure a supply of professionals with a firm grounding in the specific skillset required to care for digital material has been identified by industry (Hank & Davidson, 2009; Pryor & Donnelly, 2009). The Information Studies Department has been involved in collaborative activities to develop an appropriate curriculum through membership of the International Curation Education (ICE) Forum1, a group sponsored by the Digital Curation Centre2 and Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). This skillset has been articulated by 2 major projects: DigCCurr at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (funded by the US Institute of Museum and Library Services) (Lee, 2009); and DigCurV (Digital Curation Vocational Education Europe) funded by the European Commission (Karvelyte et al., 2012).

This programme aims to:

Address a gap in the provision within the UK for post-graduate Higher Education that will prepare students for managerial and strategic roles in the curation of digital materials;

Provide a fundamental education, that meets the needs of employers, to equip students for professional posts in digital curation and cognate fields;

Train students in the values, principles and mandates which underpin the digital curation lifecycle;

Develop appropriate technical and practical skills in the methodologies and technologies required for the lifecycle management of digital materials;

Prepare students for professional practice by providing a contextualised programme that meets the accreditation requirements of relevant professional bodies;

Enhance academic abilities developed

The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, skills, qualities and other attributes in the following areas:

A1 An understanding of the core mandates, values, principles and elements of the discipline and how it interacts with its professional, cultural, social, political, economic and technological environments

A2 An understanding of the professions embraced by the discipline and the communities in which they operate

A3 Knowledge of the workflow, policies, procedures and governance required to ensure that digital material is understandable, reliable, usable and has integrity

A4 A clear understanding of the principles of a range of Information and Communications Technologies and their appropriate application within a professional context

A5 A detailed understanding of the technical and organisational standards which underpin digital curation practice and processes

A6 An understanding of the role of metadata in enabling the intellectual management and retrieval of digital materials and knowledge and understanding of the techniques and standards for its creation

A7 Knowledge and practical implementation of a range of specialist tools and technologies for ensuring the long-term preservation of digital material

A8 Knowledge of the historical context and development of the discipline

A9 A grounding in research methods to provide the ability both to undertake independent projects and to evaluate the work carried out by others

A10 The application of generic research methods to a significant piece of independent research and the application of specific methods to empirical data collection and analysis for completion of an academic dissertation

Learning and Teaching

1 Relevant documentation provided to each student for each module, including module requirements, assessments, bibliographies

2 Formal and time-tabled contact with lecturers and personal tutors as necessary

3 Lectures, seminars and tutorials. Presentations by practitioners and study visits and tours

4 Independent time for searching, reading, thinking and writing, as well as for group project work

5 Wide range of types of assignments

6 Practical experiments with documents of all kinds in a variety of media to exercise their skills particularly the on the use and interpretation of archival material

7 Consistent and constructive feedback throughout the course

8 Use of relevant technologies such as archive management software, digital preservation software, digitised archives, Aspire, VLE

9 Use of computers for, for example, digital curation workflow management, database and catalogue creation, digital curation experiments, records management software, Web searching, Web page design, access to online hosts, CD ROMs, OPACs, electronic journals or for other curation-related projects

10 Access to and laboratory use of typical examples of curation environments, systems and management tools

Assessment Strategies and Methods

1 Presentations

2 Planning, carrying out and reporting of project work, (including cataloguing exercise)

3 Essays

4 Collaborative project work coordinated through the use of appropriate computer technology

5 Reports and strategy documents

6 Practical exercises in the application of computer software as research tools

7 Completion of a dissertation (c.15,000 words) – utilising electronic resources to research the subject area and present the findings (this might include database / spreadsheet and graphical components, in addition to word processed content)

10.2.1 Intellectual Skills

By the end of their programme, all students are expected to be able to demonstrate:

B1 Identify and classify principles and ideas and analyse facts and theories systematically, critically and effectively

B2 Discuss ideas and theories in support of a well-structured argument and advance solutions or concepts

B3 Apply knowledge to case studies and scenarios and make a critical judgment of the merits of particular arguments

B4 Present a reasoned choice between alternative solutions to problems, and cite correctly supporting evidence for all decisions

B5 Manage and evaluate data and present appropriate results in a suitable manner

B6 Produce a research report in a coherent and well-argued way

Learning and Teaching

1 Relevant documentation provided to each student for each module, including module requirements, assessments, bibliographies

2 Formal and time-tabled contact with lecturers and personal tutors as necessary

3 Lectures, seminars and tutorials. Presentations by practitioners and study visits and tours

4 Independent time for searching, reading, thinking and writing, as well as for group project work

5 Wide range of types of assignments

6 Practical experiments with documents of all kinds in a variety of media to exercise their skills particularly the on the use and interpretation of archival material

7 Consistent and constructive feedback throughout the course

8 Use of relevant technologies such as archive management software, digital preservation software, digitised archives, Aspire, VLE

9 Use of computers for, for example, digital curation workflow management, database and catalogue creation, digital curation experiments, records management software, Web searching, Web page design, access to online hosts, CD ROMs, OPACs, electronic journals or for other curation-related projects

10 Access to and laboratory use of typical examples of curation environments, systems and management tools

Assessment Srtategies and Methods

1 Presentations

2 Planning, carrying out and reporting of project work, (including cataloguing exercise)

3 Essays

4 Collaborative project work coordinated through the use of appropriate computer technology

5 Reports and strategy documents

6 Practical exercises in the application of computer software as research tools

7 Completion of a dissertation (c.15,000 words) – utilising electronic resources to research the subject area and present the findings (this might include database / spreadsheet and graphical components, in addition to wordprocessed content)

10.2.2 Professional practical skills / Discipline Specific Skills

By the end of their programme, all students are expected to be able to demonstrate:

C1 Information skills including information retrieval skills in primary and secondary sources and have the ability to educate users as appropriate

C2 Familiarity with the information sources, in an appropriate range of media and formats, and the ability to identify and use relevant ones effectively. This will include a knowledge of the of the techniques necessary to access them

C3 Effective use of the ICT applicable to a wide range of professional tasks, and the ability to evaluate systems, and to explain to technical experts requirements in relation records and archives

C4 The ability to evaluate digital information, to identify that which most closely meets the needs of the user, the technical processes required to integrate it into existing systems, and the preservation activities required to ensure its longevity

C5 Knowledge of the collaborative nature of both administrative and technical digital curation activities and the need for advocacy, negotiation, cooperation and co-ordination across professional and organisational remits

C6 A grounding in research methods and the role of research in the workplace both to undertake independent projects and to evaluate the work carried out by others

C7 An understanding of administrative, managerial and operational requirements; including the policies and archival principles which underpin these, sufficient to take control, plan, co-ordinate or oversee day-to-day digital curation operations throughout the digital curation lifecycle

C8 Acquisition of the informational, organisational and technical capabilities to enable the co-ordination and delivery of discovery mechanisms to enable access to information over the long-term. This will include the creation and maintenance of metadata, and an understanding of effective information storage and retrieval tools

Learning and Teaching

1 Relevant documentation provided to each student for each module, including module requirements, assessments, bibliographies

2 Formal and time-tabled contact with lecturers and personal tutors as necessary

3 Lectures, seminars and tutorials. Presentations by practitioners and study visits and tours

4 Independent time for searching, reading, thinking and writing, as well as for group project work

5 Wide range of types of assignments

6 Practical experiments with documents of all kinds in a variety of media to exercise their skills particularly the on the use and interpretation of archival material

7 Consistent and constructive feedback throughout the course

8 Use of relevant technologies such as archive management software, digital preservation software, digitised archives, Aspire, VLE

9 Use of computers for, for example, digital curation workflow management, database and catalogue creation, digital curation experiments, records management software, Web searching, Web page design, access to online hosts, CD ROMs, OPACs, electronic journals or for other curation-related projects

10 Access to and laboratory use of typical examples of curation environments, systems and management tools

Assessment Strategies and Methods

1 Presentations

2 Planning, carrying out and reporting of project work, (including cataloguing exercise)

3 Essays

4 Collaborative project work coordinated through the use of appropriate computer technology

5 Reports and strategy documents

6 Practical exercises in the application of computer software as research tools

7 Completion of a dissertation (c.15,000 words) – utilising electronic resources to research the subject area and present the findings (this might include database / spreadsheet and graphical components, in addition to word processed content)

D1 Study in a systematic, effective and purposeful way and undertake independent research

D2 Link and integrate theory, practice and work experience

D3 Reflect critically on his or her own learning and make effective use of all manner of feedback

D4 Develop appropriate communications skills required for the workplace

D5 Recognise and define problems, and identify suitable resources that can assist in their management or solution

D6 Act independently in time management and planning a programme of work or study

D7 Work in groups or teams as a leader or participant in a way that contributes effectively to the group's tasks

D8 Create, manipulate and format documents and databases using appropriate software

Learning and Teaching

1 Relevant documentation provided to each student for each module, including module requirements, assessments, bibliographies

2 Formal and time-tabled contact with lecturers and personal tutors as necessary

3 Lectures, seminars and tutorials. Presentations by practitioners and study visits and tours

4 Independent time for searching, reading, thinking and writing, as well as for group project work

5 Wide range of types of assignments

6 Practical experiments with documents of all kinds in a variety of media to exercise their skills particularly the on the use and interpretation of archival material

7 Consistent and constructive feedback throughout the course

8 Use of relevant technologies such as archive management software, digital preservation software, digitised archives, Aspire, VLE

9 Use of computers for, for example, digital curation workflow management, database and catalogue creation, digital curation experiments, records management software, Web searching, Web page design, access to online hosts, CD ROMs, OPACs, electronic journals or for other curation-related projects

10 Access to and laboratory use of typical examples of curation environments, systems and management tools

Assessment Strategies and Methods

1 Presentations

2 Planning, carrying out and reporting of project work, (including cataloguing exercise)

3 Essays

4 Collaborative project work coordinated through the use of appropriate computer technology

5 Reports and strategy documents

6 Practical exercises in the application of computer software as research tools

7 Completion of a dissertation (c.15,000 words) – utilising electronic resources to research the subject area and present the findings (this might include database / spreadsheet and graphical components, in addition to word processed content)