Archives and Preservation

Archives and Preservation Concentration

Marija DalbelloCoordinator: Marija Dalbello, Ph.D.

This concentration prepares you to assume roles where you identify and preserve analog and digital records as trustworthy evidence and memory of the activities of individuals, families and organizations. Additionally, you will:

  • Learn how to make records accessible to current users and future generations in heritage institutions and how to make them available to the public.
  • Explore the institutions preserving cultural and scientific knowledge amid the changing perspectives and in diverse social contexts.
  • Learn about the tensions around privacy, access and memorial contestation as well as about the role of records, documents and archival institutions in human rights and social justice.

Concentration Goals and Objectives

You will learn the skills you need to perform preservation roles in organizations and for stewardship across media forms, including digital objects and digitized materials. You will become proficient in appraising records for acquisition and selection, planning, executing and monitoring preservation actions and processes, and in creating a wide range of research tools aimed to make the holdings of archives known to the public.

Courses focus on:

  • Archival theory of arrangement and description
  • Appraisal theories and practices for diverse organizations
  • Preservation principles
  • Technology migration management

We emphasize the ethical dimension and policy grounding surrounding preservation and archives.

Requirements for Archives and Preservation

Program Requirements

36 credits, plus 3 zero-credit courses

Zero-credit Courses (required for all students):

Minimum Technology Course Requirement (3 credits):

Note: This course is required for Library & Information Science students. For the other concentrations, our program assumes that students have attained the competencies and objectives listed for 550. Please look at the course to determine if you meet the standards. If you do not, you must also take this course. If you have any questions, contact Associate Teaching Professor of Library and Information Science Anselm Spoerri.

Foundational Requirements (Select 2 courses / 6 credits):

Note: Refer to the specific course study plans to see if a particular foundation course is required for your concentration.

Concentration Requirements

Concentration-specific Requirements (Select 4 courses / 12 credits):

Concentration Electives & General Elective

Electives (Select 3 courses / 9 credits)

General Electives (Select 2-3 courses / 6-9 credits)

  • Field Experience
    • This must be arranged only with official sites and include organized learning experience.
  • Individual Study
    • One individual study is allowed with full-time faculty only.

  • Any course offered in the MI program and/or Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies (CHAPS) program in Rutgers Art History (recommended course: 16:082:530 Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies)

    General elective courses and field experience should match your career objectives and they are subject to the approval by the Archives and Preservation concentration faculty coordinator, Professor Marija Dalbello. Please see the Archives and Preservation Concentration Requirement worksheet for additional information.

“The MI program helped prepare me for this role because I was able to take a flexible schedule of classes and combine my coursework with internships in my chosen field. Taking specialized courses such as History of Books, Documents, and Records in Print and Electronic Environments, Metadata for the Information Professional, and Preservation of Library and Archival Materials were helpful in fine-tuning my archives and preservation knowledge while supplementing my previous knowledge of cultural heritage imaging and photography.” 

Lauren Bell, MI ’18, digital imaging technician, Princeton University Library