Marija Dalbello
Coordinator of the Archives and Preservation Concentration
Professor of Library and Information Science
dalbello@rutgers.edu
Archives and Preservation Concentration
This concentration prepares you to assume roles where you identify and preserve analog and digital records as trustworthy evidence and memory of the activities of individuals, families, and organizations.
Goals and Objectives
You will learn the skills you need to perform preservation roles in organizations and for stewardship across media forms, including digital objects and digitized materials. You will become proficient in appraising records for acquisition and selection, planning, executing and monitoring preservation actions and processes, and in creating a wide range of research tools aimed to make the holdings of archives known to the public.
Courses focus on:
- Archival theory of arrangement and description
- Appraisal theories and practices for diverse organizations
- Preservation principles
- Technology migration management
We emphasize the ethical dimension and policy grounding surrounding preservation and archives.
Learning Outcomes
- Learn how to make records accessible to current users and future generations in heritage institutions and how to make them available to the public.
- Explore the institutions preserving cultural and scientific knowledge amid the changing perspectives and in diverse social contexts.
- Learn about the tensions around privacy, access and memorial contestation as well as about the role of records, documents and archival institutions in human rights and social justice.
Requirements for Archives and Preservation
As part of the MI program, students must complete the program's core requirements (9 credits) in addition to the concentration's core requirements (12 credits) and select concentration and general electives (18 credits).
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36 credits, plus 3 zero-credit courses
Zero-credit Courses (required for all students)
- 17:610:501 Introduction to Library and Information Professions
- 17:610:502 Colloquium in Library and Information Studies
- 17:610:503 Professional Capstone
Minimum Technology Requirement (3 credits)
Note: This course is required for Library & Information Science students. For the other concentrations, our program assumes that students have attained the competencies and objectives listed for 550. Please look at the course to determine if you meet the standards. If you do not, you must also take this course. If you have any questions, contact Associate Teaching Professor of Library and Information Science Anselm Spoerri.
Foundational Coursework (Select 2 courses / 6 credits)
Note: Refer to the specific course study plans to see if a particular foundation course is required for your concentration.
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Concentration-specific Requirements (Select 4 courses / 12 credits):
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Concentration Electives (Select 3 courses / 9 credits)
- 17:610:522 Cataloging and Classification
- 17:610:524 Metadata for the Information Professional
- 17:610:554 Information Visualization and Presentation
- 17:610:557 Database Design and Management
- 17:610:586 The History of Books, Documents, and Records in Print and Electronic Environments
- 17:610:566 Digital Curation
- 17:610:569 Digital Preservation
General Electives (Select 2-3 courses / 6-9 credits)
The general elective courses and field experience you choose should match your career objectives. All are subject to the approval by the Archives and Preservation concentration faculty coordinator.
- Field Experience - Must be arranged only with official sites and include organized learning experience.
- Individual Study - One individual study is allowed with full-time faculty only.
- Any course offered in the MI program and/or Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies (CHAPS) program in Rutgers Art History (recommended course: 16:082:530 Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies)
General elective courses and field experience should match your career objectives and they are subject to the approval by the Archives and Preservation concentration faculty coordinator, Professor Marija Dalbello. Please see the Archives and Preservation Concentration Requirement worksheet for additional information.
A Conversation with Stephen Bacchetta MI’20, Records Manager and Digital Archivist
I still think back fondly on the two years I spent at SC&I working towards my Master’s degree. The program undoubtedly prepared me to enter this field with a head start, and I'm eternally grateful to Rutgers for the experiences I've had and the wonderful colleagues I've had the privilege of working with and learning from because of the M.I. program. And now that I've begun working here in Special Collections and University Archives at Rutgers-New Brunswick as the Metadata Archivist, it feels wonderful to contribute to the enhancement of the archives at the institution that helped me establish my career.
-Stephen Bacchetta MI'20, Metadata Archivist, Rutgers University Libraries
Have Questions?
We're here to help.
Lilia Pavlovsky
Director of the Master of Information Program
Teaching Professor of Library and Information Science
lilia.pavlovsky@rutgers.edu