Teaching Preservation to Students Archivists at University College London

Abstract

This paper will outline the development of the teaching of preservation to Masters students on the University of College London, Masters in Archives & Records Management qualification. It explores the evolving structure of this element of the teaching that focuses on a combination of student expectation and professional need. The paper further considers the approaches that have been taken to ensure that the students connect with this theoretical aspect of their learning. The author makes the case for a specialist in the subject of collection care, and shows how this enhances learning amongst the students. Additionally, this paper will investigate the increased challenges of promoting preservation in a changing professional environment, when the pressures on resources and modes of traditional access to archival records is causing ever-greater reliance on digitisation as a means of preservation. The author hopes that by outlining the current approach to teaching preservation in the UK, other countries will consider and explore similar models.