1. Archivist stream: the national juridical-administrative context, advanced
acquisition and selection methods, advanced arrangement and description,
public service;
2. Digital archivist stream: digital records systems, database and semi-structured
data systems design, digital preservation theory and methods, standards and
research;
3. Records manager stream: records making and recordkeeping systems design,
advanced records management theory and methods, records and the law (e.g.
evidence law, e-discovery, privacy), financial records;
4. Records forensics expert stream: evidence law, digital forensics theory and
method, technology foundations for forensic professionals,21 foundations of
organizational information assurance.22
In the second year, students of all streams should be able to take as many electives
as required for the attainment of the credits necessary to the completion of
the program by choosing among the core courses of other streams and other
offerings, such as physical preservation and restoration, advanced diplomatics,
archival research and scholarship, audio-visual and non-textual records, the
administration of freedom of information and privacy legislation, management
theory and methods, understanding organizational culture, archives and the
law (e.g. copyright, moral rights), history of archives, palaeography, exegesis of
medieval records, the administration of digitization programs, etc. Because of the
necessity of integrating in the learning experience both research and practical
experience, not only in the context of the classroom, but also as autonomous
courses, any such graduate program would offer, among the elective courses,
a directed research and a thesis opportunity, and professional experiences and
internships.
Theory and practice must go together: co-operative education
The research aspect of a graduate program has already been discussed. About
the practical aspect it is important to emphasize that experiential learning
in the context of the education of records professionals is not an exercise
to discover theory and methods empirically. Its main purpose is to provide
future professionals with a way of applying the theoretical and methodological
knowledge learned in class and testing it in the professional arena. This is the
best way of demonstrating to the students that theory and practice feed each
other and neither could have value without the other. Recently, some programs
have introduced co-operative work experience opportunities for their students.
Co-operative education is a learning method that, through pre-employment
workshops, coaching by career specialists, and workplace experiences, offers
students the opportunity to combine real world experience with their classroom
education and develop employment skills specific to the records professions.
Simply stated, universities and employers co-operate to provide students with an
LUCIANA DURANTI EDUCATING THE EXTREME RECORDS PROFESSIONAL: A PROPOSAL
22 This relatively new field examines concepts, elements, strategies, skills related to the life cycle of informa
tion assurance involving policies, practices, mechanisms, dissemination and validation that ensure
the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and information systems. The course would
include an analysis of the information assurance planning process, including determination and analysis
of information assurance organization goals, the threat spectrum, risk, and legal and ethical issues.
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