Society of American Archivists’ Digital Archives Specialist Certificat e Program

1. Society of American Archivists’Digital Archives Specialist Certificate Program Geof Huth E-Records Forum Austin, Texas | 25 April 2012 slideshare.net/geofhuth geofhuth@gmail.com

2. What is DAS? • 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. The Reasons for DAS • SAA provides archival training • To its members and others • Digital Archives is an SAA priority • Set in 2005 • DAAoffersa coordinated training program • Provides training & tools to manage digital records

4. How DAS Came to Be • 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 • DACEprovided 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. DAS Development Groups • 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. DACE Task Force Members • Geoffrey Huth (chair,fromthe 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. DAS Continuing Education • Liz Bishoff • Jackie Esposito • Mahnaz Ghaznavi • Lori Lindberg • Mark Matienzo • Glen McAnninch

8. DAS Foundational Concepts • 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. DAS Structural Concepts • 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. Built around Core Competencies • Understand nature of electronic records • Communicate requirements, roles, andresponsibilities • Formulate strategies for managing digitalarchives • Integrate new technologies within existing archival functions • Continue archival work with new technologies • Manage originals and access copies • Provide dependable services to customers

11. Intended Audiences • 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. Four Tiers of Study (1 & 2) • 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. Four Tiers of Study (3 & 4) • 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. Foundational Courses • 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. Tactical and Strategic Courses • 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 forRecordkeeping Systems (New) • Providing Access to Digital Archives (2013) • Inreach and Outreach for Digital Archives (New)

16. Tools and Services Courses • Archival Content Management Systems • Email Account Preservation with XML • Preservation Options of PDF (being revised) • Records Digital Forensics (New)

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

18. The Nine Required Courses • 4 Foundational Courses • 3 Tactical and Strategic Courses • 1 Tools and Services Courses • 1 Transformational Course

19. Assessment Quizzes • 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. Three Ways towards Course Credit • 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. Completing DAS Successfully • 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 certification every five years

22. The Comprehensive Exam • Exam will test all core competencies • Much longer that the post-course tests • Requires broad knowledgefromcandidates • Will be offered at various locations across US • Starting in August 2012

23. Costs • 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. Is Completion Possible? • 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. Regionals Hosting Full DAS • 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. Others Hosting Some Workshops • A consortium in Philadelphia • Penn State • Any group can do this • Contact Solveig De Sutter at SAA

27. Course Exam Details • 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. Exam Rules • 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. Does Certificate Help Find Work? • Still unknow • 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. For More Information • 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. These slides available at slideshare.net/geofhuth