Course Objectives

In this course we will address primarily government records, although we will look at how the same principles apply (or not) to business and personal records and other digital objects. We will be concerned with the issues that cluster around the acquisition, preservation, and use of electronic records. To be more specific:

Understand how electronic records exist and function as records: why people create them and use them as they do in their original functional environment

Understand the implications of statutory requirements and the technological environment for electronic recordkeeping

Review the major trends in electronic records archivy

Appreciate and evaluate approaches to problems of media obsolescence

Learn how to monitor and anticipate the recordkeeping implications of technological change

Participate in the identification, acquisition, and management of electronic records

Most readings will be available online; if you should encounter difficulty accessing them, please contact me immediately, preferably NOT the day before class. The syllabus will be posted and should be checked regularly for any changes. Any students requiring accommodation for disability or religious holy days should contact me at the beginning of class.