Guidelines for Archives and Records Management

Fieldwork

There is no formal syllabus for the fieldwork requirement in this specialization, but there are particular goals, prerequisites, and requirements for fieldwork experiences. The following fieldwork statement has been developed for students desiring to work in archival and historical records repositories, and it supplements the general fieldwork guidelines for MLIS students (these guidelines can be found at http://www.sis.pitt.edu/%7Edlis/academics/field_placement.html ).

Goals.

1. To offer students an opportunity to extend their academic goals to a practical work experience. This implies that students have gained some expertise in an area they wish to explore in a work situation or are interested in pursuing a new career path. It is incumbent upon the student to demonstrate how the fieldwork fits into his or her academic and career goals for developing expertise in archival studies before being admitted to a fieldwork experience.

2. To show in concrete terms the work options available to students through an apprenticeship semester which can provide job-related training, enabling students to relate classroom instruction to real world experiences.

3. To illustrate the commitment to translating information management ideas into action. This implies that the field placement experience is not only goal-oriented, but also ideological; therefore, the students should have a broad understanding of the issues confronting libraries and information centers today, obtained by concentrating on a wide range of courses. The archives and records management student seeking a fieldwork experience must be placed in an environment typical of archival and historical records programs and the kinds of work opportunities available to archivists and records managers.

4. To broaden the scope of and to enrich the program by contact and exchange with community groups and agencies.

Prerequisites.

1. Students must have completed a minimum of twelve credit hours in good academic standing. Archives and records management students must have taken at least four courses in archives and preservation management, if they are part-time, and, if full-time, they must take the fieldwork during the final term of study.

2. The field placement must complement the students' education in Library and Information Science. Field placement assignments will be made on the basis of the students' past experience or to introduce the students to new areas of information management which complement the students' academic background or area of interest. The fieldwork site must be staffed by a professional archivist or records manager.

Requirements

1. A one or two page proposal, outlining the students' goals must be submitted to the faculty advisor with the Field Placement Application form (see http://www.sis.pitt.edu/%7Edlis/academics/field_placement.html) and a copy sent to the Assistant to the Chair, Library and Information Science for recordkeeping purposes.

2. The proposal must be approved by both the faculty advisor and the site supervisor in the semester prior to beginning the field placement.

3. Students should plan to work a minimum of 150 hours per term for three credits during the Fall and Winter terms and 120 hours during the Summer term (10 hours per week). Individual schedules will be arranged between the students and the site supervisor and it is the students' responsibility to notify the faculty advisor of the schedule. Archives and records management students must complete the project they have committed to completing in order to receive credit for their experience.

4. Students should meet with their faculty advisor as necessary to discuss their progress at the site. It is recommended that students keep a written log of the placement experience to be examined by and discussed with the faculty advisor.

5. At least a 5 to 10-page report, relating the field experience to the students' academic goals, is required for completion of the field experience. This report should also include the students' specific duties at the site and a critique of the strengths and weaknesses of the field placement in terms of their academic and personal development. Archives and records management students must also demonstrate a familiarity with relevant literature in their field that concerns the field experience. This report must be sent to the Assistant to the Chair, Library Science, to monitor the effectiveness of the agency in providing professional opportunities to the student.

6. Archives students are also required to hand in to their faculty advisor a written product, such as finding aid or report on a particular matter, prepared as part of the fieldwork experience.

7. Grading will be based on placement performance as rated by the site supervisor and the quality of the final report as rated by the faculty advisor. It is expected that the site supervisor will provide a written evaluation of the students' performance.

Opportunities for Fieldwork

There are a number of interesting archives and records management programs within the Pittsburgh vicinity where students may complete fieldwork assignments, including the following:

Andy Warhol Museum

http://www.warhol.org/collections/archives.html

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Allegheny River Branch

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/locations/allegheny/collections.html

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Oliver Special Collections Room

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/locations/oliver/

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Pennsylvania Room

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/locations/pennsylvania/

Carnegie Mellon University