The Culture of Archives, Museums, and Libraries

Catalog description

This course studies the different kinds of institutions that collect and manage cultural materials such as archives, museums, libraries and historical societies. It compares and contrasts these types of institutions to reveal how they differ from one another, paying particular attention to how institutional missions affect their administrative structure and services. It examines theories of collecting, the history and ethics of cultural heritage institutions, the organizational structures of institutions that house collections (including trends in staffing and the roles of individual departments), and their respective missions and operational ethics while also tending to current discussions on decolonizing, repatriation, restitution and reparation practices. Students will work with a variety of local cultural organizations, and will have working professionals talk about their organizations, duties and current projects.