HIST 633 Acquisitions and Advocacy

This course will allow a student to understand the processes behind acquiring collections and the role of advocacy in promoting and preserving history.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

This course focuses on the strategic and ethical considerations involved in expanding collections and advocating for historical preservation. It prepares the student to navigate the complexities of acquisitions and to advocate effectively, fostering the growth and protection of historical collections for educational and cultural enrichment.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in Course Overview.

Discussion: Privacy Ethics

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 1 Discussion within this course. For this assignment, the student will pretend he/she is applying for a job as a Senior Archivist at an institution and answer an ethical question and critique the answer of two other interviewees as if he/she has advanced to the final interview. Under the Resources section of the Discussion thread, the student will find a Four Ethical Scenarios document that details four potential scenarios to discuss. The student will answer the required question from a chosen scenario in at least 500 words and reply to two of his/her fellow students as if they were critiques of fellow “job applicants” in 150-200 words per reply. There is no special formatting or style requirement, but style must be professional and legible.

Video Discussion: Pitch to Supporters

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 1 Video Discussion within the course. For this discussion, the student has been tasked to get behind an acquisition project and pitch it to his/her institution’s donors and social media followers with a 2–3-minute video. For the thread, the student will choose the primary audience, answer the provided questions, and determine the format for the video presentation. The thread will include the student’s “persona” established within the Archival Job Simulation Assignment, a one to two sentence description of the target audience, a brief description of strategy (100-150 words), and the video presentation embedded via Kaltura. The student must also post written replies to two student videos, 200–300 words for each reply, with constructive feedback based on their target audience and persuasion strategy.

Archival Job Simulation Assignment

Using the prompts in the instructions of the assignment and provided template, the student will create a detailed job description for a fictional archival position. The student must provide all requested information within the template to detail his/her chosen fictional archival position. The assignment must be completed in 3-5 pages and be submitted as a PDF file. The student will consult the provided rubric for insight into grading considerations.

Potential Acquisition Report Assignment

Based on the persona established in the previous assignment, the student will write a brief report for his/her superiors about a potential acquisition opportunity—a site, collection, or rare item. The student will write it as if he/she has physically visited, seen, and assessed the site, collection, or item. The site/collection/item the student chooses may be fictitious, but it is best if he/she incorporates real materials in the paper. The student will use the provided template and replace the prompts inside the brackets with the prescribed content. The student should review the grading rubric before completing the assignment. The length of the assignment must be 800-1,200 words and be submitted as a PDF file. 

Letter to a Professor Assignment

The student will write a 1–2-page professional business letter in response to a mock donation letter received from a fictional professor who wishes to donate some thirty years of materials from his distinguished career to the divinity school library the student is a curator of. The student should review the grading rubric before completing the assignment. The student must submit the assignment as a PDF.

Acquisitions Case Study Assignment

The student is required to choose and read one chapter of an assigned module reading that presents case studies about unique acquisition challenges that required creative solutions. The student will then a 700-1,200-word paper that assesses the content of one case study. The student will use one established formatting style such as APA, MLA, Turabian or Chicago and submit the assignment in Word or as a PDF. The student will cite any source(s) used (including the case study) academically. The student should review the grading rubric before completing the assignment.

AI Implementation Memo Assignment

For this assignment, the student will assume the role of his/her persona established within the Archival Job Simulation Assignment. The student will write a brief, formal proposal memo (500-700 words) recommending the implementation of AI technology in the core areas addressed in video Learn items that appear within the same module as the assignment—focusing on those core areas that would most benefit his/her specific institutional context. The student will use the provided template and fill out all requested information within it. The student will use one established formatting style such as APA, MLA, Turabian or Chicago and submit the assignment in Word or as a PDF. The student should review the grading rubric before completing the assignment.

Essay Assignment

For this assignment, the student is to write a 750-1,100-word essay discussing what the student has learned within the class. The paper should consist of a proper introduction, body, and conclusion. If applicable, the student will use his/her persona institution’s standard formatting style (many archives use Chicago or APA). Otherwise, he/she will use Turabian or the style required most frequently for his/her master’s program. The student will comment on the required areas. The student will cite at least three of the course texts and/or lectures using footnotes. The student should review the grading rubric before completing the assignment.

Quizzes (2)

Each quiz will cover Learn material from the assigned Module: Week. The Quiz: Establishing a Digital Archives at a Small Institution will contain 5 essay questions, be limited to 2 hours and 30 minutes, and allow for 1 attempt. The Quiz: Establishing a Digital Archives at a Small Institution will contain 9 multiple-choice, true/false, and essay questions, be limited to 2 hours, allows 1 attempt.