Thinking Archivally is an intensive course that will explore ‘how archivists think’. It introduces students to archiving from a content-based, or subject-oriented point of view, and focuses on examining the intellectual processes required to think about archiving issues, rather than the mechanistic practices of archiving. Starting by exploring the idea or model of a suit-case as an archive, the course highlights how a museum curator and an archivist would approach, analyse, interpret and communicate meaning about the objects within the suitcase to a range of audiences. Students progress from this starting point to  consider specific issues raised by particular forms of archive, including: 

• personal records and other biographical materials

• official records

• organisational records

• material culture

• sound and vision  

Highlighting processes of intellectual thinking and engagement more explicitly than the mechanistic practices of archiving, the course will be delivered by a range of academics and professionals working in a range of cultural and collecting institutions that might include the Noel Butlin archives, the National Library of Australia (NLA), the National Archives of Australia (NAA), and the National Film and Sound Archives (NFSA).

By the end of the course students should be able to:

1. articulate and analyse a broad understanding of the issues and the frameworks involved in contemporary archiving processes. [this will link to workshop exercises]
2. develop reflective skills that gives insight into experiencing the focus materials and the issues raised through presentations. [this will link to workshop exercises]
3. translate the issues raised for a range of audiences, including museum curators, librarians, academic researchers, biographers etc [this will link to workshop exercises]
4. demonstrate the ability to engage and communicate theoretical concepts and exemplify ‘thinking archivally’ at a high-level of intellectual standing through sustained argument based on a specialized archive. [this will link to long assignment]

Six short (500-word) workshop exercises (50%) [link to 1, 2 and 3.]

Longer (3000-word) assignment (50%) [link to 4]

Six half-day sessions. It is expected that students will have undertaken at least 20 hours of preliminary reading for the intensive.

No prerequisites are required

No assumed knowledge, required skills or recommended courses

No prescribed texts