Building Digital Collections And Archives Training Course

Introduction

Empower your library or institution to preserve and provide access to valuable resources in the digital age with our comprehensive Building Digital Collections and Archives Training Course. This program equips professionals with the essential knowledge and practical skills to plan, create, manage, and provide access to digital collections and archives, ensuring long-term preservation and discoverability. Mastering the creation of digital collections and archives is increasingly vital for institutions seeking to broaden access, enhance research, and safeguard their unique materials for future generations. Our digital archives training course offers in-depth guidance and actionable strategies for building robust and accessible digital repositories.

This Building Digital Collections and Archives training delves into key areas such as planning and digitization workflows, metadata standards and schema, preservation strategies for digital assets, access and discovery systems, copyright and intellectual property considerations, project management for digital initiatives, and user engagement with digital collections. You will gain expertise in selecting materials for digitization, applying appropriate metadata, implementing preservation best practices, and making your digital collections discoverable and usable. Whether you are an archivist, librarian, museum professional, or any individual responsible for managing digital assets, this Building Digital Collections and Archives course will provide you with the foundational and advanced skills needed for successful digital curation.

Target Audience:

• Archivists
• Librarians
• Museum Professionals
• Digital Asset Managers
• Records Managers
• Cultural Heritage Professionals
• Anyone responsible for digital collections

Course Objectives:

• Understand the fundamental principles and workflows for building digital collections and archives.
• Develop effective planning and digitization strategies for various materials.
• Master the application of metadata standards and schema for digital resources.
• Learn essential preservation strategies for ensuring long-term access to digital assets.
• Implement effective access and discovery systems for digital collections.
• Navigate copyright and intellectual property considerations in digital projects.
• Apply project management principles to digital collection building initiatives.

DURATION

5 Days

Course Content:

Module 1: Foundations of Digital Collections and Archives

• Understanding the fundamental principles and workflows for building digital collections and archives.
• Exploring the benefits and challenges of digitizing cultural heritage materials.
• Identifying key stages in the digital lifecycle: creation, management, preservation, access.
• Understanding the importance of standards and best practices in digital curation.
• Best practices for initiating and planning digital collection projects.

Module 2: Planning and Digitization Strategies

• Developing effective planning and digitization strategies for various materials.
• Selecting materials for digitization based on significance, condition, and access needs.
• Understanding different digitization technologies and workflows (scanning, photography, AV).
• Implementing quality control measures throughout the digitization process.
• Best practices for efficient and high-quality digitization.

Module 3: Metadata Standards and Schema

• Mastering the application of metadata standards and schema for digital resources.
• Understanding the purpose and principles of metadata.
• Applying relevant metadata standards (e.g., Dublin Core, MODS, EAD).
• Creating effective metadata schema for discoverability and interoperability.
• Best practices for creating consistent and high-quality metadata.

Module 4: Preservation Strategies for Digital Assets

• Learning essential preservation strategies for ensuring long-term access to digital assets.
• Understanding the challenges of digital preservation (bit rot, obsolescence).
• Implementing strategies for file format migration and emulation.
• Exploring digital preservation tools and repositories.
• Best practices for developing and implementing a digital preservation plan.

Module 5: Access and Discovery Systems

• Implementing effective access and discovery systems for digital collections.
• Understanding different types of access platforms (content management systems, repositories).
• Optimizing digital collections for search engine discovery.
• Implementing user-friendly interfaces and navigation.
• Best practices for making digital collections accessible and discoverable.

Module 6: Copyright and Intellectual Property Considerations

• Navigating copyright and intellectual property considerations in digital projects.
• Understanding copyright law and its implications for digitization.
• Managing rights information for digital objects.
• Exploring Creative Commons licenses and open access options.
• Best practices for addressing copyright and intellectual property issues ethically and legally.

Module 7: Project Management for Digital Initiatives

• Applying project management principles to digital collection building initiatives.
• Developing project plans, timelines, and resource allocation strategies.
• Managing project teams and workflows effectively.
• Implementing quality assurance and evaluation processes.
• Best practices for successful project management of digital collection and archive projects.

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org  Tel: +254 702 249 449

Training Venue

The training will be held at our Skills for Africa Training Institute Training Centre. We also offer training for a group at requested location all over the world. The course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, and buffet lunch.

Visa application, travel expenses, airport transfers, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Skills for Africa Training Institute certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org  Tel: +254 702 249 449

Terms of Payment: Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 7 working days before commencement of the training.