Course Catalogue

View Specification Document | Reading List

Information Technology (IT) plays an increasingly central role in the work of organisations which act to conserve, preserve, and improve access to our cultural and natural heritage. The shortage of skilled staff is acute in areas such as libraries and archives and becomes especially apparent when these organisations begin to embark on creation of new information resources, retroconversion, digitisation, public outreach, and online catalogue projects. The course has a strong emphasis on professional objectives and opportunities.

One 2-3 hour lecture/seminar each week over a maximum of 11 consecutive working weeks as scheduled on MyCampus.

Standard entry to Masters at College Level

INFOSTUD4009

INFOST4008

INFOSTUD5016

None

Report (2000 words) - 40%

Essay (3000 words) - 60%

This course aims to

■ introduce students to the collections held by and remit of heritage institutions including museums, archives and libraries.

■ Enable students to identify and appreciate the different ways in which these institutions are managed by professionals in each field, and the impact this has on users and potential users.

■ Enable students to examine the special problems and opportunities posed by the application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

■ introduce the students to the current and future uses of ICT in libraries, archives, and museums

■ examine the issues of rights management and project management and the political, social and ethical issues of heritage and cultural informatics

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Understand general issues related to the implementation of Information and Communications Technology within arts and heritage-based institutions;

■ Show familiarity with some of the broader issues stemming from the use of Information, Communication and Technology in the heritage sector;

■ Appreciate appropriate standards and applications to meet needs in libraries, museums, and archives for resource management, public outreach, and collection development;

■ Understand the complexities of heritage information systems;

■ Evaluation of heritage information systems at front-end, formative, and summative stages;

■ Understand of the relationship between digital content, heritage holdings, and the needs of users.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.