Digital Archivist requires skills from several knowledge domains

Tweet It's no secret that there is a convergence of knowledge and responsibilities for professionals employed in various environments due to the transition to a predominantly digital world. This is clearly illustrated in an announcement for a Digital Archivist at Rollins College. The October 5, 2012 post cited the main role of the digital archivist as collecting, organizing, and making accessible digital resources relating to the history of the institution, which is the oldest institution of higher education in Florida. The successful candidate will help with the design, development and implementation of a digital archive and records management program at the College. This is a tenure track position in the School of Arts and Sciences. The position is in the Office of the Olin Library Director, and the applicant is expected to have either an MLS from an ALA-accredited library school or an equivalent degree and work experience or significant coursework in archival science, records management, digital curation, or digital preservation. In addition, a second master's in an academic discipline and two or more years of experience in electronic records management or digital archives are strongly preferred. It appears it's no longer enough to be a specialist who is an expert in one area but a generalist who has mastery of the skills and knowledge required for more than one profession (e.g., archivist, records manager, librarian). You can see the complete job post at https://www.rollinsjobs.com/postings/540.****

Digital Amnesia - is there a cure?

Tweet No, I'm not suffering from amnesia. In fact, I've been so busy that I've neglected this blog.  But today, as I reflected on a very  important conference I attended at the University of British Columbia in September on the topic of digital amnesia (among other things), I knew I had to share some of what went on.

Talk about convergence! Over 500 individuals from over 110 countries converged at a UNESCO Conference, The Memory of the World in the Digital age: Digitization and Preservation, September 26-28, 2012.  Read a summary of the conference and find a webcast of the plenary sessions here.

It was a stimulating and informative three days that concluded with a plenary session at which participants discussed the main product to emerge from the conference, the UNESCO/UBC Vancouver Declaration.

You can still participate in refining the Declaration by going to the communication and information webpage, downloading and reading the declaration, and then sending your comments and/or observations directly to UNESCO.

Rather than repeat here the contents of a blog just posted to the Center for Information Research and Innovation, you can read more about the conference by following this link.