Course - Archives and Museums: Collections, Care and Public Access - LBAS2001
Archives and Museums: Collections, Care and Public Access
About
About the course
Course content
The course provides insight into the tasks and work processes in archival institutions and museums. Their role as custodians of cultural and natural heritage is explored.
The term digitalization applies to a wide array of phenomena that affect our lives. Politically, digitalization has been hailed as the solution to many issues concerning cost and efficiency. Like in public management, digitalization has re-shaped the way museums and archival institutions work and prioritize, and museum and archive professionals are faced with new tasks, opportunities, and challenges.
Despite the digital turn, archival institutions and museums are still responsible for large quantities of physical documents and objects. The course deals with how to work with analog archives and collections, and explores how digitization affects this work. Another aspect is how the analog archives and collections are made accessible to the public.
The teaching and curriculum in this course cover tasks typically found in archival repositories and museum collection management. For archives, this includes activities such as appraisal for preservation, deposit, transfer, physical preservation, preventive conservation, accessibility, and archival description. For museums, it includes collection development, preservation, documentation, and accessibility. Topics relevant to both archives and museums include private archives, digitization of both cultural heritage and work processes, and issues related to sustainability.
Learning outcome
Knowledge
The student has knowledge about
- the central responsibilities of archival institutions and museums
- digital tools used in archival institutions and museum.
- the websites that museums and archival institutions have made available for users
- various dissemination and outreach practices
- different strategies for archive appraisal
- the principles of archive description
- classification and registration of objects in museums
- legislation, collection strategies and collection plans
- archives in museums
- digital cultural heritage
- sustainability in archives and museums
Skills
The student can
- assess the value of archives according to laws and regulations.
- identify the various roles, responsibilities and division of labour in archival institutions.
- identify the various roles, responsibilities and division of labour in museums.
- find and use cultural and natural heritage websites.
- plan and write a user report.
General competence
The student
- has an overview of, and can critically assess and discuss, the standing of museums and archives in society.
- can contribute to the preservation of archives and collections.
- can contribute to the shaping of strategies and plans for acquisition, appraisal, and dissemination of archives and collections.
- can express himself/herself professionally, both orally and in writing
Learning methods and activities
A combination of lectures, excursions, written assignments, and placement. If practice institutions wish to use BA students for e.g. preliminary projects, workshops or trials of various kinds, we will facilitate cooperation.
Compulsory assignments
- Practical report/option work requirements in accordance with course description
- User rapport
Further on evaluation
Examination
Oral exam. Printing of mandatory assignments and personal notes permitted. Duration is up to 30 minutes.
Compulsory activities/assignments
1. Practice report: 2 weeks placement in a records management office, a museum, an archive, or a library keeping collections, resulting in a written report.
NOTE: Students who are not admitted to the program but who take LBAS2001 as an open course will not be allocated an internship and thus have a different work requirement.
2. User report: Write a user report on public internet portals of archives, museums or other cultural- or nature heritage institutions.
Compulsory activities/assignments are assessed as approved/not approved, and must be approved in order for the student to take the exam.
Compulsory assignments must be approved in the term the course is taught. Compulsory assignments are valid for two years.
Compulsory activities and exams must be answered in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language.
The student must answer assignments and exams independently. Answers that do not demonstrate independence, regardless of whether there is a unclear understanding of academic sources, missing references to sources, or uncritical use of AI, will receive a mark deduction, depending on the extent. Students are allowed to use AI in preparation for assignments, but must familiarize themselves with how they can use this tool critically and independently, so that it contributes to learning in the subject.
- You can read more about academic source use and assignment writing here: https://i.ntnu.no/oppgaveskriving
- You can read more about the use of AI as a tool in assignment writing here: https://i.ntnu.no/wiki/-/wiki/English/Artificial+intelligence+in+student+papers
Recommended previous knowledge
LBAS1001, LBAS1002, LBAS1003, LBAS1004
Course materials
The course reading list and course plan will be published on NTNU's digital learning platform (Canvas) at the beginning of term. Minor changes to the list may occur during term. Students are obliged to keep informed and up-to-date on all information from teachers via the learning platform and NTNU e-mails.
Special needs accommodation
Students with disabilities and students with special needs can apply for individual adaptation of their studies and exams (Act relating to universities and university colleges § 10-5). Please contact the programme’s Student Adviser (e-mail:
Credit reductions
| Course code | Reduction | From |
|---|---|---|
| ILU6003 | 15 sp | Spring 2017 |
Subject areas
- Archival knowledge
- Digitalisation
- Social Sciences
- Technological subjects