Week 1 | Gathering

preparation:
Read Jose Muñoz, Notes on Queer Evidence, pg 1-15

in class:

  • Establish Group Agreements
  • Establish Gossip Sessions Guidelines
  • Visions and Values Exercise
  • Reading Review
  • Kirby CMS introduction
  • Maintenance

week 1 playlist

Week 2 | What Are Archives

preparation:
Read: Archives Principles and Practices: What are archives? Laura A. Miller, pg 11-12
and Organizing Archival Records: Who created the collection, pg 13-14
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9RBUqkNwQ0&t=126s

focus:
Have a sense of what dominant archives are and how they reproduce social relations and enforce state practices. Be able to imagine projects and archival artwork that do not reinforce these systems.

in class:

  • Welcome
  • Gossip
  • Maintenance
  • Case Study: What are Archives?
  • Homework Review
  • Assignment

week 2 playlist

Week 3 | Selection

preparation:
Read: Organizing Archival Records Chapter 5: Beyond Arrangement and Description by David W. Carmicheal, pg 67-69 and
Archives Principles and Practices Chapter 6: Appraising and Acquiring Archives: Appraisal for Acquisition Laura A. Miller pg 117-127

Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHHkTiu4Pno
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXDU9um19HM

focus:
Apply concepts of appraisal and value creation that is happening around us, with art, how it operates in non profits, and how it functions at LACA. We should walk away with a basic understanding of the archival work of established appraisal and how this impacts value systems.

in class:

  • Maintenance
  • Gossip
  • Reading Review
  • Exercise: Selection: Art | Value Creation
  • Case Study: Selection: Cultural Assets
  • Exercise

week 3 playlist

Week 4 | Acquisition

preparation:
Read: Organizing Archival Records by David W. Carmicheal: Chapter 2, Accessions pg 14-19
Texas Special Collections: Accession forms (3)
LACA Deed of Gift Form (front and back)

focus:
Understand and be able to apply a practice of care for researchers and the collections. A lot of the collections we have are connected to pain, trauma, and we want to think through how we care for the artists that are working on these issues in art.

in-class:

  • Maintenance: cleaning
  • Case Study: Accessioning: artist erotica
  • Critical Recovery: Contracts and agreements
  • Homework
  • Clean-up

week 4 playlist

Week 5 | Going Digital

preparation:
Read: UMass Amherst Libraries guidelines for digitization, pgs 5-14
and The Architecture of Content Management by Mark Wigley

focus:
Understand scanning, batching, saving, and tagging materials while also understanding why and who the materials are for. Learn about scanned physical materials versus “Born Digital” files. Troubleshoot and learn more about content management sites (CMS) to better understand how to organize materials and find items.

in-class:

  • Discuss readings
  • Maintenance
  • Gossip
  • Case Study: Digitizing: Mary Kelly Annotations
  • Homework: Work on Kirby box
  • Clean-up

practical and technical skills

  • Scanning (DPI, File Size, File Types)
  • Standards
  • Established ways of doing things / Contextual ways of doing things
  • File Organization
  • Versions (original, display, etc.)
  • Marginalia
  • Troubleshooting Kirby Sites
  • How to archive computer-based art projects
  • Sitesucker
  • Flagging sites for Internet Archive

week 5 playlist

Week 6 | Processing

preparation:
Read: Texas Special Collections Library, Archives and Manuscripts Processing Manual Chapter 3: Arrangement pg 14-23

focus:
Gain the abilities to analyze a processing plan. Learn how to process archival materials without sustaining harm.

in-class:

  • maintenance
  • gossip
  • Case Study: Processing: Riot Grrrl Zine Collection
  • review reading
  • Critical recovery (Sketch Locator)

week 6 playlist

Week 7 | Access

preparation:
Read: Organizing Archival Records, Steps of Organization: pg 48-51

focus:
Learn and be able to identify what dominant archives are and how they are different/similar to libraries, university special collections, community archives, non profits, etc.

in-class:

  • maintenance
  • gossip
  • reading review
  • homework review
  • Case Study: Access: The Uncensored Library
  • critical recovery (sense of smell)

Week 8 | For Who?

preparation:
Read: Organizing Archival Records, Steps of Organization: pg 48-51
Watch: The Weeknd - Secrets

focus:
Demonstrate an articulation of your archival skillset and how it relates to their work at LACA and/or engaging with their artworks and other archival institutions.

in-class:

  • maintenance
  • gossip
  • review reading
  • Case Study: For Who? Returning Colonial Archives
  • share / present Kirby boxes and collections
  • review
  • course evaluation