Use archival principles and practices to make available documentary materials and historical evidence with long-term value to researchers and the public.
The Advanced Certificate in Archives prepares students to become archivists. Archivists collect, manage, preserve, and provide access to records with enduring value, including records creating by individuals, families, and organizations, in analog and digital formats. Archives serve as memory institutions for culture and support scholarly, historical, legal, genealogical, and personal research.
By the end of this program, student will be able to:
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Explain the social and organizational function of archives, and how it differs from and intersects with libraries and museums.
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Use knowledge of core archival principles and practices, such as collection development, appraisal, donor relations, arrangement and description, legal/ethical issue resolution, access/reference, preservation, instruction/outreach/advocacy and management/administration.
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Process an archival collection and use archival descriptive standards, specifically DACS and EAD.
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Implement digitization of analog collections and management of born-digital materials.
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Discuss trends in the field of archival practice and archival studies and place in historical context.
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Demonstrate critical thinking about the role of archives for sustaining personal, social and public memory.
To read more about archives projects completed by Pratt School of Information students and alumni, please visit the following resources:
- Pratt News: “Students Race Against Time to Digitize Archives of 1970s and ’80s LGBTQ+ Radio and TV Programs”
- Student projects tagged “Archives” on the #infoshow website (annual showcase of student work)
- Archival Outlook: Sounds from the Past: Archives Students Give Voice to World War II Ambulance Drivers
- New York Times: Leaving Cloister of Dusty Offices, Young Archivists Meet Like Minds
- Library of Congress, The Signal: Students Saving Sounds: An Interview With Anthony Cocciolo
- Evidence Based Library and Information Practice: Situating Student Learning in Rich Contexts: A Constructionist Approach to Digital Archives Education
You may also visit the following digital archives projects created by Pratt students in their courses:
Questions? For admissions inquiries, please contact Graduate Admissions at 718.636.3514 or admissions@pratt.edu. For all other inquiries, contact the School of Information at 212.647.7682 or si@pratt.edu. For more information, you may also request a catalog and sign-up to attend an information session.