Archive and Library Theory and Management

The course aims at developing the cognitive and methodological tools needed to deal with digital preservation. Knowledge and understanding The course provides the core knowledge on digital preservation. In particular, the course provides the knowledge on the principles, methods and tools needed for managing preservation in a digital environment coherently with standards and regulations. The course focuses on both the technical aspects (such as encoding, formats and media) and the theoretical/methodological profiles (including the digital objects' nature and the meaning of authenticity in the digital environment). The topics are investigated and illustrated not only in light of the principles and methods developed by the professional and scientific community, but also considering the relevant laws and standards, so as to develop the ability to understand the documentary phenomenon being aware of the relationships among the digital objects, the agents that operate on them during their lifecycle and the broad legislative and regulatory framework. Applying knowledge and understanding The course provides the ability to apply the knowledge needed to manage digital preservation of records and – more broadly – any digital resource. In particular, the detailed analysis of the relevant laws and standards is aimed at promoting the capacity for operational intervention in a real, practical context—the cultural heritage domain in the first place, and any other public or private domain in the second place, because digital preservation is needed in every sector of our societies. Based on the knowledge learned during the course, students will be able to: • analyze the functional profile of a digital preservation system • evaluate the consistency of a digital preservation system with the legislative and regulatory framework • participate actively in digital preservation activities • understand any future evolution of the regulatory framework and the digital preservation models developed by the Italian legislator • understand any future evolution of the digital preservation models developed in an international context. Making judgments The course allows students to develop their own independent judgment in relation to digital preservation thanks to the direct comparison with the instructor and possibly with experts in the digital preservation area. The critical reading, analysis and discussion of diverse sources – including scientific literature, legislation and international standards – is aimed at encouraging students to deal with complexity and promoting the formation of autonomous judgments even if – and especially when – the evaluation elements are varied and inconsistent. Based on the knowledge learned during the course, students will be able to: • identify the critical issues of a digital preservation system and/or strategy • formulate their own assessment on specific aspects of a digital preservation system and/or strategy • compare real cases with the national and international theoretical models. Communication skills The development of communication skills is stimulated through classroom discussion and possibly through participation in seminars, in order to stimulate students' ability to communicate effectively and deal with the dialectical confrontation with confidence. Learning skills The course promotes the development of self-learning skills by using various documentary sources (manuals, national legislation, technical standards, guidelines, formal models, etc.), both in Italian and in English, hence stimulating the students' capacity to adapt to diverse cultural contexts. The study of the fundamental concepts related to digital preservation and the attention to the methodological aspect allow the student to face with confidence a subsequent study of the subject in post-master courses.