A presentation by Geof Huth explaining the Society of American Archivists' Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) Curriculum and Program at the E-Records Forum in Austin, Texas, on 25 April 2012. The presentation explains the genesis of DAS, how it operates, and the benefits to potential DAS candidates.

1. Geof Huth
E-Records Forum
Austin, Texas | 25 April 2012
slideshare.net/geofhuth
geofhuth@gmail.com

2.  Digital Archives Specialist curriculum
 Certificate of the same name
 Anyone who has completed this successfully
 Not a certification program
◦ Archival certification is by ACA

3.  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

4.  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

5.  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

6.  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)

7.  Liz Bishoff
 Jackie Esposito
 Mahnaz Ghaznavi
 Lori Lindberg
 Mark Matienzo
 Glen McAnninch

8.  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

9.  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

10. 1. Understand nature of electronic records
2. Communicate requirements, roles, and
responsibilities
3. Formulate strategies for managing digital
archives
4. Integrate new technologies within existing
archival functions
5. Continue archival work with new
technologies
6. Manage originals and access copies
7. Provide dependable services to customers

11.  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

12.  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

13.  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

14.  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

15.  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)

16.  Archival Content Management Systems
 Email Account Preservation with XML
 Preservation Options of PDF (being revised)
 Records Digital Forensics (New)

17.  Information Architecture
 Managing E-Records in Archives and
Special Collections
 Digital Curation Planning and Sustainable
Futures (available in 2013)

18.  4 Foundational Courses
 3 Tactical and Strategic Courses
 1 Tools and Services Courses
 1 Transformational Course

19.  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

20.  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

21.  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

22.  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

23.  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

24.  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

25.  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)

26.  A consortium in Philadelphia
 Penn State
 Any group can do this
◦ Contact Solveig De Sutter at SAA

27.  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

28.  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%

29.  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

30.  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

31. slideshare.net/geofhuth