The San Jose Solution MARA: The Master of
Archives and Records
Administration
Lori Lindberg, Lecturer
San Jose State University
School of Library and information Science
http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/
Some SJSU SLIS stats:
 SJSU SLIS is the largest ALA-accredited
(through 2014) graduate program in the
world with over 2000 students
 We presently offer one degree, the MLIS, but
soon MARA
 The Archives and Records Management
specialization within the MLIS has
approximately 150 students
 Our school began offering DE courses in 1996
 We are named the #1 e-learning provider in
our discipline by U.S. News & World Report
 SJSU SLIS is a member of WISE
Why the MARA degree?
 We live in a much more
complex and interrelated
world
 Our jobs as recordkeepers
are changing and becoming
much more critical than ever
before, yet, we have a
problem letting the right
people know that
Why MARA? #2
 New laws
 We know we must know
more, keep more, and in
different ways
 Technology is driving much
of it
Why MARA #3?
 Read the news!
 Buzzwords: compliance, evidence
A new twist:
 Graduate education doesn’t get
you there
 Graduate education needs to
expand
 It is a need in both the public
and private sectors
 Legal warrant, standardization
efforts, research, professional
competency initiatives - all are
pushing this development
MARA
 Just accredited by WASC - an
independent Master’s degree,
MARA
 MARA will be delivered entirely
via DE
 MARA:
- first cohort Fall 2008
- 42 units (14 courses)
- Master of Archives and
Records Administration
Our solution:
 To offer a totally online Master's
degree run in the cohort model.
Cohorts will take 2 courses a
semester and graduate in just
under three years. As part of the
program, students will be
prepared to take the certifying
examinations of the Institute of
Certified Records Managers
(ICRM) and the Academy of
Certified Archivists.
The Program

Before commencing the program all incoming students are required to take an online
new student technology workshop.








*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*






*
*
*
*
*
*
MARA 200 – The Record and the Recordkeeping Professions
MARA 202 – Information Technology, Records, and the Information Age
MARA 204 – Management of Records and Archival Institutions
MARA 210 – Records Creation, Appraisal and Retention
MARA 211 – Records Access, Storage and Retrieval
MARA 243 – Recordkeeping Program Analysis, Design and Evaluation
MARA 248 – Standards and Structures for Records and Recordkeeping
MARA 249 – Electronic Recordkeeping Systems and Issues in Electronic
Recordkeeping
MARA 256 – 21st Century Archival Methods
MARA 259 – Records and Information Preservation and Security
MARA 285 – Research Methods in Records Management and Archival Science
MARA 289 – Advanced Topics in Archives and Records Administration (ePortfolio)
MARA 292 – Professional Certification
MARA 294 – Professional Experience: Internships
The Benchmarks
 Institute of Certified Records
Managers (ICRM)
 Academy of Certified
Archivists
 SAA Guidelines for a
Graduate Program in
Archival Education
 Emerging ARMA Core
Competencies
Philosophical Underpinnings
 The Australian
Recordkeeping Continuum
 The Continuum incorporates
the traditional lifecycle
approach to recordkeeping,
but with some dramatic
additions
Course Rotation
F08
200
202
S09
204
210
Su09 F09
211 248
259
200
202
S10
243
249
204
210
cohort 1 – enters Fall 2008
cohort 2 – enters Fall 2009
cohort 3 – enters Fall 2010
Su10 F10
256 285
211 292
248
259
200
202
S11
294
289
243
249
204
210
Tuition and Admissions
MARA students will be classified as Special Session.
Fees for MARA courses through Special Session are
$439 per unit, or $18,877 for the degree.
 At least a B.A. or B.S. degree from a regionally
accredited institution in any discipline with 3.0
minimum GPA on the most recent 60 semester
units (or 90 quarter units) of coursework.
 The School requires that all students have
computer access from home or work.
 The School also requires that all students have a
general understanding of computers and
technology.
Who are the Faculty?
 Primarily me, but!
 11 archives faculty, 2 fulltime equivalent
 Instructors are CRMs, CAs,
PhDs, CDIMs and other certs
 We will recruit others
Can we deliver this online?
 We are old-timers at this DE
stuff
 Some technology we have
abandoned for more effective
delivery methods
 Started with our University IRC,
using synchronous audio and
short-circuit television to
broadcast to Fullerton campus
and vice-versa
Now we do DE by:
 SLISweb
 Blackboard Learning Management
System
 Elluminate Live! Web-Conferencing
software for synchronous and
asynchronous content delivery
 In-house audiovisual production:
webcasting, streaming audio/video,
podcasting
 Plone Content Management System e-portfolio web tool
 Second Life
Our Culture of Innovation
 SLIS’ funding model allows
us to invest in cutting-edge
technology independent of
the University computing
infrastructure
 All technological
infrastructure and
administration is borne and
managed by SLIS
SJSU SLIS - Conveniently
located everywhere
Our online home:
 http://slisweb.sjsu.edu
More on our tech infrastructure:
 http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/coa2007/
Check out Standard VI: Physical and
Virtual Resources and Facilities
More on MARA:
 http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/mara
/index.htm
 My page:
http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/peop
le/faculty/lindbergl/lindbergl.
php