DigIn: A Hands-On Approach to a Digital Curation Curriculum for Professional Development

Abstract

The University of Arizona School of Information Resources and Library Science (SIRLS) created its graduate certificate program in Digital Information Management (DigIn) in 2006 with initial funding from Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The curriculum, now also offered to master's students, balances applied technology with a firm grounding in interdisciplinary and policy issues designed to support a wide range of careers. Additional funding was secured in 2008 to develop a digital laboratory environment capable of providing hands-on learning to face-to-face and virtual students and to evaluate empirically impact of hands-on and case-based learning on attitudes and career intentions. The first half of a three-year data collection and analysis effort provides initial support for hands-on approach and a positive impact on attitudes about technology and career aspirations. We discuss results to date, our approaches to hands-on curriculum development, and technical infrastructure supporting it. Keywords: professional development, curriculum, certificates, continuing education, digital curation, case study In 2005, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) solicited proposals for Laura Bush 2 1st Century Librarian Program with a priority on development of programs and curricula that address emerging field of digital curation. IMLS subsequently awarded three complementary proposals, each with a different focus and scope yet all reflective of a growing consensus on meaning and scope of digital curation. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Information and Library Science (UNC-SILS) proposed development of a publicly accessible graduate-level curriculum to prepare students to work in digital preservation; UNC-SILS proposal included conferences to build dialog and disseminate findings on educational programs for digital curation. Originally undefined by IMLS, digital curation is now described by Yakel (2007) as the umbrella term for digital preservation, data curation, and digital asset and electronic records management (p. 338), with ongoing work of UNC-SILS project cited as one source. The University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign proposed development of a new concentration in Graduate School of Library and Information Science (UIUC-GSLIS) that would focus on research data curation, including largescale bioinformatics datasets and other types of research data. The final award was granted to University of Arizona School of Information Resources and Library Science (SIRLS) to develop and deliver a graduate certificate program in Digital Information Management (Digln). This paper discusses development of Digln, its progress to date, and to extent possible, its future direction. SIRLS's Digln proposal coincided with an effort already underway by 2005 to develop a curriculum that would begin to address shortage of professionals who possess both knowledge of library, archives, and records disciplines and technical skills to move seamlessly into an increasingly digital environment. SIRLS's initial partner was Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records (ASLAPR), which was experiencing predictable difficulties in recruiting information professionals with requisite technical skills needed to manage digital collections. ASLAPR's experience suggested that while libraries, archives, and records repositories differ considerably in purpose, scope, and objectives, they often employ similar technological approaches. SIRLS and ASLAPR agreed that set of technical skills needed by digital curators represented a potential model for range of skills needed by library and archives professionals today. In general terms, we treat digital curation as a distinctly interdisciplinary undertaking focused on of large and heterogeneous types of data in digital form, consistent with Yakel's (2007) typology. …