Course Descriptions
Core courses (required for all students in DLIS): Note: Master's students are required to satisfy statistics and computer programming pre-requisites before entering the program. All master's students must complete six Information Studies core courses as well as one research methods course and a variety of research methods courses are offered each year. Master's students are also strongly encouraged to take cognate courses in American History, the American Legal System, Organizational Theory, and Management.
Archives and Preservation Internship
Students are strongly encouraged to take up to three internships (up to a maximum of 12 credit hours). A very wide variety of internships in archives and manuscripts administration, film curatorship, records management, and preservation, as well as less traditional aspects of archives and preservation, are available at over 120 sites in the Los Angeles area. The purposes of internships are to acquire specialized practical competence through supervised field experience at the professional level; and to test basic professional competencies as well as the capacity to meet professional level performance requirements. The DLIS Internship Coordinator meets with groups of interns at scheduled times during the quarter for lectures and discussions, and may also visit the internship sites. Pre-requisite: American Archives and Management.
Development of Multimedia Cultural Information Resources
Overview of the technologies, techniques, and principles underlying the development and packaging of cultural and information resources into digital multimedia such as digital libraries, digital archives, cultural heritage systems, World Wide Web home pages, and CD-ROMs; as well as user, policy, presentation, motivation, and evaluation considerations. No pre-requisite.
Digital Media Management
This course is designed for archives and preservation students as well as animators, graphic artists, designers, musicians, or those in archives, museum, or information settings who wish to create or manage large-scale multimedia systems or assets in an effective and entrepreneurial fashion. The course will address the management of multimedia content as well as the development of associated metadata; an introduction to commercial digital asset management software; data security; digital preservation; turnkey solutions for multimedia Web-based databases; and the design of systems that facilitate multi-versioning of content. No pre-requisite.
Doctoral Seminar in Information as Evidence
This course will examine the role, creation, interpretation and use, management, and preservation of information objects as social constructions and cultural artifacts. These information objects include published and primary sources such as rare books, children's books, research data, field notes, personal papers, organizational records, manuscript texts, oral testimonies, visual media, 3-dimensional objects, emerging information resources such as web pages, and potentially even memory. The focus of the course will be primarily on the evidential nature and context of information objects, rather than on their information content.
Folklore Archiving (LIS 202/Folklore M202)
Exploration and analysis of alternative data indexing, storage, and retrieval systems and procedures for folklore archival collections, supplemented by hands-on experience in creating and managing manual and automated databases.
Historical Methodology of Library and Information Science
Introduction to historical research as it relates to library, archival, and information science. Identification of key primary and secondary source material for writing history in the field. Critical analysis of selected histories of various areas in the professions.
Introduction to Records Creation
Primarily through discussions and case studies, this seminar-style course will introduce students to issues associated with the creation, management, and use of records generated and/or maintained in the course of business, professional, and personal activities, including records generated and/or maintained by electronic information and record-keeping systems such as e-mail and databases. The course will be taught from the perspective of students as potential subjects, creators and users of records. It will delineate the roles that records, as a specific type of information, play in our lives by ensuring the accountability and effectiveness of organizations as well as in securing individual rights; and it will examine the impact of digital technologies upon the nature of records and recordkeeping. The course will also introduce the skills necessary for students to create, preserve, and assess trustworthy records, to recommend a potential design for an electronic recordkeeping system, and to identify and locate records they require for their own business, research, or personal purposes.
Issues and Problems in Archives and Library Preservation
This is a core course for the Archives and Preservation specialization. The course uses lectures, guest presentations, and class exercises and discussion, as well as student projects and assignments to introduce the fundamentals of library and archival conservation and preservation, with an emphasis on preservation administration. Topics include composition of, and treatment options for library and archival materials (including paper, audiovisual, and digital media); establishing preservation programs; environmental standards; handling and use of library and archival materials; disaster preparedness; preservation self-studies and surveys; security; collection management; fund-raising; preservation microfilming and digitization; and regional and national programs. No pre-requisite
Management of Digital Records
An introduction to the long-term management of materials created by or maintained electronically as part of organizational, research, or personal activities. Topics include the nature of electronic records and evidence; reliability and authenticity in electronic records; electronic records management policy formulation; enterprise and risk management strategies; functional and business process analysis; systems analysis and design; the role and nature of recordkeeping metadata; strategies, techniques, and technologies for the long-term preservation of electronic records; industry, national, and international standards relating to electronic recordkeeping; and the development of digital access programs.
The Preservation of Multimedia Materials
A seminar on the preservation of a variety of newer text and visual media, including photographs, moving images, sound recordings, computer output and storage media. Print quality of computer and offset printers will also be considered. Each student will choose one medium and work with it all quarter. The course will be supplemented by field trips and guest lectures. Issues considered include: damage to originals; access to mediated versus non-mediated information; obsolescence; refreshment versus reformatting versus migration; replacement; cost and management issues; standards; and responsibility. Pre-requisite: Issues and Problems in Archives and Library Preservation.
Records and Information Resources Management
Introduction to records and information resources management in corporate, government, and other organizational settings, including the analysis of organizational information flow; classification and filing systems; records retention scheduling; records protection and security; reprographics and image management technology; and litigation support.
Seminar in Advanced Issues in Archival Science--Appraisal
A capstone seminar for students in the Archives and Preservation specialization providing an in-depth examination and evaluation of the contributions of key figures in the development of archival appraisal theory and practice; distinct and related movements in archival appraisal; cultural, political, sociological, and technological factors that can have an impact upon appraisal methodologies around the world; and the strengths and weaknesses of archival appraisal for the management of digital evidence and the emerging forms of digital documentation. Pre-requisite: American Archives and Management or permission of instructor.
Seminar in Advanced Issues in Archival Science--Theoretical, Philosophical, Political and Cultural Aspects of Visual Media in Archives
A capstone seminar for students in the Archives and Preservation specialization providing an in-depth examination and evaluation of theoretical, philosophical, political, and cultural issues posed by visual materials such as representation, appraisal, description, organization, use, repurposing, longevity, and intellectual property. Pre-requisite: American Archives and Management or permission of instructor.
Masters Thesis Preparation
Students who opt to prepare a masters thesis may take up to 12 credit hours, under the supervision of the chair of their thesis committee, for researching and writing their thesis.
Independent Study
Students may enroll with a ladder faculty member for 2-8 credit hours of independent study into aspects of archives and preservation management not otherwise covered by coursework or experiential components.
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Courses in archives and preservation are also available in the interdisciplinary Moving Image Archive Studies programs. MAIS courses are in the Film, Television and Digital Media department.
MIAS 200 – Moving Image Archiving: History, Philosophy, Practice (4 units). Seminar, four hours. Introduction to historical development of moving image archives. Critical analysis of archival policies regarding collection development, access, exhibition, cataloging, preservation, and restoration. Introduction to principle models and methodologies of moving image archive practices from 1938 establishment of International Federation of Film Archives to the present, addressing practices such as collection development of classical, national, regional, and non-mainstream materials (small gauge formats, independent and amateur productions, new media); changing role of technology in preservation and restoration; ethics of moving image restoration; cataloging standards and documentation systems; classical and alternative models of archive administration and funding; cultural impact of public programming; research and publication supported by moving image archives; access, education, and archival productions. S/U or letter grading. Syllabus (PDF)
MIAS 210 – Moving Image Preservation and Restoration (6 units). Seminar, four hours. Critical analysis of distinct models for archival preservation and restoration of moving image media. Examination and evaluation of current preservation standards for storage and duplication. Discussion of critical preservation problems such as nitrate deterioration, color fading, vinegar syndrome, and irreplaceable formats. Exploration of case studies of specific restoration projects through critical before and after studies, with focus on crucial ethical issues embedded within each technical and aesthetic decision facing restorers. Of special interest is question of whether it is possible and appropriate to speak of particular schools and/or philosophies of restoration. Range of key issues addressed, such as identification of original versus subsequent and multiple versions and theoretical and practical distinctions between different types of restoration. S/U or letter grading. Syllabus (PDF)
MIAS 220 – Archaeology of Media (4 units). Seminar, four hours. History of moving image technologies. Examination of relationship between technological evolution and forms of moving image expression. Lectures combined with extensive presentations of full range of analog, video, and digital image types to train students to develop discerning eye required for professionals working in 21st-century moving image archive. In addition to study of specific technical developments such as new gauges, formats, color processes, aspect ratios, films stocks, and projection systems, exploration of larger economic and industrial forces behind them. Study of aesthetic consequences of specific production and exhibition innovations by examining different types of images, genres, and narratives that accompany and influence passage of new technologies. S/U or letter grading. Syllabus (PDF)
MIAS 230 – Moving Image Cataloging (4 units). Seminar, four hours. Introduction to methodologies and standards specific to moving image cataloging. Discussion and debate of continued application of Library of Congress subject headings and genres to cataloged moving image materials. Exposure to variety of indexing languages used today within online environments and practical training in application of cataloging principles to motion pictures and television programs. Survey of general theories and alternate documentation practices at work within field as well as specific cataloging rules established by FIAF for local and national moving image archives. Discussion of important issues of public access, exploring various methods and protocols for making collection-related information available through secondary and nonsystematic channels such as study guides, collection profiles, Websites, stand-alone databases, and exhibition catalogs. S/U or letter grading. Syllabus (PDF)
MIAS 240 – Collection Development (4 units). Seminar, four hours. Analysis of collection development policies for moving image archives and their relationship to archival practices from cataloging to preservation and access. Day-to-day operation of archives involves complex set of interrelated activities, including collection identification and selection; conservation and storage; budget planning and grant writing, staff training, and supervision; and donations, deposit agreements, and application of copyright law. Exploration of these essential tasks and their implications for archives through case studies of moving image archives with distinct collection types, ranging from 35mm narrative to small-format video and digital media. S/U or letter grading. Syllabus (PDF)
MIAS 250 – Access to Moving Image Collections (4 units). Seminar, four hours. Survey and analysis of policies and procedures used to provide access to moving image collections. Identification and exploration, through lecture and discussion, of three distinct modes of public access: traditional access, public exhibition, and proactive access. S/U or letter grading. Syllabus (PDF)
MIAS 498 – Individual Directed Studies: Practicum in Moving Image Archiving (2-8 units). This course will provide students with a wide range of opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills in a structured professional environment. Practica provide hands-on experience at the entry professional level in an archive, library, information center or media laboratory that is supervised by an archivist or other appropriately qualified professional and a faculty member in the MIAS program.
MIAS 596 – Directed Individual Study or Research (2-6 units). Tutorial, four hours. Study or research in areas or subjects not offered as regular courses. S/U or letter grading.