PDF Ebook New Skills For a Digital Era
To help answer the question “What are the skills that information professionals must have to work with e?books, electronic records, and other digital materials?,” the National Archives and Records Administration, the Arizona State Library and Archives, and the Society of American Archivists hosted “New Skills for a Digital Era.” This colloquium brought together individuals with different perspectives on the question, including information professionals, educators, managers, and technologists. All were expected to have practical experience working with digital publications and records.
Discussion sessions were at the heart of the colloquium. Each session began with a presentation of one or two case studies that related to specific functions and illustrated practical skills information professionals need to work with born?digital and digitized materials, rather than merely theoretical knowledge. The colloquium sought to identify specific skills that information professionals working with digital materials needed to do their jobs. These skills that go beyond those of the consumer of records, but it seems unreasonable to expect information professionals to have the skills of a professional programmer or systems administrator.
More than sixty people attended the colloquium. The program began Wednesday evening, 31 May 2006, with a welcome by Ken Thibodeau, Director of the Electronic Records Archives Program at the National Archives and Records Administration. Richard Pearce?Moses, President of the Society of American Archivists and Director of Digital Government Information at the Arizona State Library and Archives set the stage for discussions by framing the question. Margaret Hedstrom, professor at the University of Michigan and Stuart McKee, National Technology Officer for Microsoft, gave keynote presentations.
During the next day and a half, the participants listened to and, in small groups, discussed eleven case studies grounded in real world experience. They assessed the skills used in the case study and suggested other skills that might be useful. Some of these skills are essential for all archivists, and others are desirable for most. Some are necessary for individuals whose specialty is working with digital materials.
Participants engaged in formal and informal conversations throughout the meeting. The case studies and keynote presentations comprised both the focus of discussion and the stimulus for wide?ranging dialogue on the broader implications of these issues. The participants were clearly energized by the level of commentary. A brave band of recorders took notes at both the general and small group discussions.
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