Courses on Historical Archives
The Division of Library & Information Studies within the Centre for Communications Technology of the University is offering two short courses during January to be conducted by Dr Theresa Vann, curator of the Malta Study Centre, Hill Manuscript Library,...
The Division of Library & Information Studies within the Centre for Communications Technology of the University is offering two short courses during January to be conducted by Dr Theresa Vann, curator of the Malta Study Centre, Hill Manuscript Library, St John's University, Collegeville Minnesota, USA.
The first course, "Modern issues affecting historical archives" is an evening course which builds on the "Introduction to Archival Research in Malta" course held in December 2003. It will be conducted on the university campus between 5.30 and 7.30 p.m. on January 4, 6, 11 and 13.
Popular novels contain the premise that archives contain secrets that governments and the Church do not want us to know: the truth is out there; and archivists are the agents who conspire to keep these secrets.
This stereotype confers great, yet sinister powers upon archivists who unwittingly reinforce the stereotype when they tell new researchers that, for some mundane reason a document is unavailable. Technology has presented new challenges to archivists and archives. These same tools also help researchers, and this course will explore these issues and the expectations of modern researchers, in particular as they concern Maltese historical archives.
The second course, "Archival Practicum", to be run in conjunction with the National Archives of Malta, will interest anyone concerned about archival organisation, working in archives, records management or registries environment, involved in historical research, or whose work or interest necessitates working with old books and papers.
Classes will be held on the premises of the National Archives in Rabat, on each of the four Saturday mornings of January between 9 a.m. and noon. They will give students the opportunity to assist in accessioning a portion of the National Archives of Malta. The students will learn the current best practices for processing archives and for providing access by working with the original materials. They will experience the types of decisions archivists make regarding questions of conservation and privacy issues.
Finally, the students will discuss the creation and dissemination of microfilm and/or digital surrogates. The class format will be an informal combination of lectures and workshops.
The fee is Lm30 for each course. Closing date for both courses is December 15. More detailed information and application forms may be obtained by e-mailing lillian.sciberras@um.edu.mt.