Management and documentation of archival information

Α. Course Description

This graduate-level course offers advanced study in archival science and archival information management. It aims to deepen students’ understanding of the concepts of archives, archival information, and documentation, and to critically analyze their evolution, theoretical underpinnings, and practical applications across historical scales (from myth and antiquity to modernity and postmodernity) and institutional contexts (local, national, and global). The course also investigates the relationship between archival theories and contemporary information-management demands, including the interplay between physical and digital archival substrates, and the role of new technologies in archival practice. By design, it introduces central concepts and disciplinary approaches within Archival Science, enabling students to recognize, interpret, and process archival materials across substrates and domains. The curriculum supports preparation for advanced research and scholarship in archival studies, public history, digital humanities, and related fields.

1. Learning Objectives & Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Demonstrate a deep understanding of core concepts including past/present, heritage, intangible and tangible archival evidence, culture/civilization, and the documentation and management of archival information, situating them within political, social, economic conditions, and historical-ideological processes.

Identify and critically assess major milestones in the emergence and evolution of the scientific field that studies and manages archival information, including conceptions of archival artifacts across past, present, and digital eras.

Articulate the inseparable connections between the individual, person, and collectivity, and their relation to temporal and spatial footprints.

Recognize and respect multilingual and multicultural dimensions in archival information management.

Analyze the enduring relationship between physical archival substrates and digital archives and engage with contemporary digitization and preservation discourse.

Apply and evaluate the use of New Technologies in the management and analysis of archival materials.

Engage with central concepts and domains of Archival Science at an advanced level, enabling students to identify, interpret, and professionally handle archival evidence across substrates.

Demonstrate proficiency in researching and writing about the history and evolution of Archival Science in both Greek and international contexts.

Understand and employ key terms of Archival Science (types of records, substrates, principles, management bodies, preservation strategies, etc.) and distinguish between different types of archives based on substrate, origin, content, and function.

Manage both historical and contemporary archives (physical, electronic, audiovisual, etc.) and evaluate the role of archives in the information society.

Utilize and evaluate international standards for archival description and interoperability, understanding their roles in cross-border and cross-institutional contexts.

Apply interdisciplinary approaches to archival teaching and research, integrating perspectives from history, archaeology, literature, information administration, and related fields. Prepare and present scholarly work that contributes to ongoing debates in archival science, with attention to ethics, bias, and methodological rigor.

1. Syllabus:

Content is organized to reflect the progression through weeks, with emphasis on theory, method, and practice suitable for a postgraduate audience.

Week 1: Introduction and conceptual framing

Key terms: “Archives and History,” “Historiography from archival sources,” “Archival information,” “Documentation of archival information,” “Management of archival information.”Theoretical foundations and research questions in archival studies.

Week 2: Organization, preservation, and historical trajectories. The organization and long-term preservation of archives Historical arcs from the ancient world to the French Revolution (1789) and from Napoleon to the digital era. Methodological approaches to archival history.

Week 3: The Archival Science. Concepts of archival documents and Αrchive. Principles and definitions. The professional ethos and function of the archivist. Intersections of history and archives.

Week 4: Archival documents as material and intangible objects. Information’s role in archival usage. Pathologies in processing and interpretation of archival information (ideologies, anti-scientific positions, forgery, subjectivity, etc.).

Week 5: Archival information and substrates; lifecycle of documents. Production, preservation, safekeeping, conservation, and retrieval of documents. Basic distinctions of archives. Public archives, private archives, private collections. Typology and bibliographic scaffolding.

Week 6: Archives in the digital era. Contemporary challenges, opportunities, and cautions. The document in digital substrate. Digital document. Archival information in the digital age: formats, metadata, preservation strategies, and access considerations.

Week 7: Application and usefulness of International Standards for Archival Description. Interoperability and cross-border exchange. Analysis of core rules and principles governing major International Standards (e.g., ISAAR(CRP), ISAD(G), ISAAR(CPF), etc.). Practical implications for description, indexing, and discovery.

Week 8: The National Archives Management Agency (G.A.K.): Establishment–Operations–Activities. Role and functions of national archival institutions. Legal framework governing national repositories. Policy development, governance, and public service obligations.

Week 9: Archives and Modern Administration. Archives in public and private administration. The role of archival information in the Information Society. Government transparency, accountability, and citizen access.

Week 10: Archives and Research; Significant Cultural Archival Institutions; Archives and Interdisciplinarity. Key cultural archival institutions and their objectives. Interdisciplinary approaches to archival research (history, archaeology, literature, theology, sociology, management). Collaboration across disciplines for research outcomes.

Week 11: Archives and Educational Process. Initiation of learners into the “wonderful world of knowledge through archives”. Pedagogical approaches for teaching with archival materials. Design of research-oriented learning activities and projects

Week 12: Presentation of Archival Documents; Reading and Analysis of Archival Information. Practice in critical reading of archival sources. Analytical methods for interpreting archival information. Ethical considerations in handling and presenting archival materials

Week 13: Discussion, Reflections, Review, and Proposals for Future Research and Coursework. Synthesis of course learnings. Identification of gaps and opportunities for future research. Guidance for writing theses or final papers within the postgraduate program (P.M.S.)

Recommended Bibliography

1. Βακαλοπούλου Μ. και Καραπιδάκης Ν. (2012), Αρχειονομία. Η πρακτική των Γενικών Αρχείων του Κράτους, Αθήνα 2012.
2. Γιαννακόπουλος, Γ., & Μπουντούρη, Β. (2016). Εισαγωγή στην Αρχειονομία [Προπτυχιακό εγχειρίδιο]. Κάλλιπος, Ανοικτές Ακαδημαϊκές Εκδόσεις. https://dx.doi.org/10.57713/kallipos-703
3. Γιαννακόπουλος, Γ. (επιμ.), 90 χρόνια Γενικά Αρχεία του Κράτους: Κατάλογος έκθεσης= General State Archives 90th anniversary: Exhibition Catalogue, Αθήνα 2004.
4. Γιαννακόπουλος, Γ. και Μπάγιας, Α., «Όψεις και προοπτικές του ελληνικού αρχειακού συστήματος. Προβληματισμοί και προτάσεις για τη διαμόρφωση εθνικής αρχειακής πολιτικής», Αρχειακός Δεσμός: Περιοδική έκδοση των Γενικών Αρχείων του Κράτους, τ.1, 2004.
5. Γιαννακόπουλος, Γ. και Μπάγιας, Α., «Όψεις και προοπτικές του ελληνικού αρχειακού συστήματος. Προβληματισμοί και προτάσεις για τη διαμόρφωση εθνικής αρχειακής πολιτικής», Αρχειακός Δεσμός: Περιοδική έκδοση των Γενικών Αρχείων του Κράτους, τ.1, 2004.
6. Καραπιδάκης, Ν., & Κουλικούρδη, Ά. (2012). Η Στιγμή Βλαχογιάννη. Στο Μ. Βακαλοπούλου, & Ν. Καραπιδάκης, Αρχειονομία. Η πρακτική των Γενικών Αρχείων του Κράτους (σσ. 39-56). Γενικά Αρχεία του Κράτους.
7. Κολυβά, Μ., Φορείς Παραγωγής Αρχείων. Ιστορική Αναδρομή. Αθήνα: Πατάκης (2008).
8. Μπάγιας, Α. (1998). Αρχειονομία. Βασικές Αρχές και Έννοιες. Αθήνα: Κριτική. Μπάγιας, Α. (1999). Εγχειρίδιο Αρχειονομίας. Κριτική.
9. Μπαμίδης, Ν. (2010). Ερμηνευτικό λεξικό αρχειακής ορολογίας . Ελληνική Αρχειακή Εταιρεία.
10. Μπάγιας, Α. (1998). Αρχειονομία Βασικές Έννοιες και Αρχές. Αθήνα: Κριτική
11. Νοταράς, Γ. και Χρυσουλάκη Σ. (επιμ.), Αρχεία. Πηγές Γνώσης, Πηγές Μνήμης (Φάκελος Εκπαιδευτικού Υλικού). Αθήνα: Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού και Τουρισμού, Ιστορικό Αρχείο Εθνικής Τράπεζας της Ελλάδος (2009).
12. Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών. Εργαστήριο Πληροφοριακών Συστημάτων Υψηλών Επιδόσεων (2005), Οδηγός Καλών Πρακτικών για την Ψηφιοποίηση και τη Μακροπρόθεσμη Διατήρηση Πολιτιστικού Περιεχομένου. Ανακτήθηκε από http://digitization.hpclab.ceid.upatras.gr/Odhgos_kalwn_ praktikwn1.0.pdf.
13. Ραμματά, Μ. (2011). Σύγχρονη ελληνική δημόσια διοίκηση. Ανάμεσα στη γραφειοκρατία και το μάνατζμεντ. Αθήνα: Κριτική.
14. Berger, (2013). The role of national archives in constructing national master narratives in Europe.
15. Archival Science, 13(1), pp. 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10502-012-9188-Z Braudel, (2001). Γραμματική των πολιτισμών. Μορφωτικό Ίδρυμα Εθνικής Τράπεζας.
16. Brothman, B. (2001). The Past That Archives Keep: Memory, History, and the Preservation of Archival Archivaria,             51,             pp.             48-80.Ανάκτηση                          από https://archivaria.ca/index.php/archivaria/article/view/12794
17. Brown, (1988). Documentary Evidence in Australia. Law Book Co.
18. Cunningham, A. (2005). Archival institutions. In S. McKemmish, F. Upward, M. Piggott, & B. Reed, Archives: Recordkeeping in Society. A volume in Topics in Australasian Library and Information Studies (pp. 21-50). Chandos Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-876938-84-0.50002-0
19. Duranti, (1996). Archives as a Place . Archives & Manuscripts, 24(2), pp. 242-255.
20. Duranti, L. (1998). Diplomatics: New Uses for an Old Science. Society of American Archivists and Association of Canadian Archivists in association with Scarecrow Press.
21. Farge, (2004). Η γεύση του αρχείου. Αθήνα: Νεφέλη.
22.  
23. Foucault Michel, Μικροφυσική της εξουσίας, Ύψιλον, Αθήνα 1991.
24. Foucault Michel, Εξουσία, Γνώση και Ηθική, Ύψιλον, Αθήνα 1987.
25. Giannakopoulos, G.A. and Koumantakis, I. (2014). Archival Studies in Greece and the Emerging Field of Integrated Information. Library Review, 63 (6/7), pp. 422-435
26. Giannakopoulos, G., Kyriaki-Manessi, D. and Zervos S. (2012). Teaching Information as an Integrated Field: Assessing the Curriculum of the LIS Dept. of the TEI of Athens. Education for Information, 29 (2), pp. 163-178
27. Giannakopoulos, G.A. (2008). In search of Integrated Information. Education for Information, 26 (2), pp. 113-119.
28. Jarrett, D. (2017, 06 26). I'm leaving the archival profession: it's better this way. Ανάκτηση από On Archivy: https://medium.com/on-archivy/im-leaving-the-archival-profession-it-s-better-this-way- ed631c6d72fe
29. McKemmish, S. (2000). Εισαγωγή στα αρχεία και τα αρχειακά προγράμματα. Στο J. E. (επιμ.), Η διαχείριση των αρχείων (Τόμ. 63, σσ. 21-51). Ελληνική Αρχειακή Εταιρεία-Τυπωθήτω.
30. Millar, L. (2010). Archives. Principles and Practices. facet Publishing.

Use of Information and Communication Technologies

The teaching/learning process is supported through the asynchronous learning platform Opencourses of the Ionian University (document repository, announcements, posting of notes and files, user groups, online coursework, file sharing, etc.).

Zoom is used for synchronous teaching and communication with students.

Assessment Methods

Language: Greek

 Written examinations take place at the end of the semester. Additionally, during the semester, each student gives an oral presentation on a topic related to the course bibliography, which has an effect on the final course mark.

 Guidelines are offered for the assignment, topic presentation, compilation of a list of alternative topics, methodological and research directions. Matters relating to the preparation of the assignment are discussed in depth and any questions and ideas are addressed prior to the presentation of the assignment. The evaluation criteria include: the appropriateness of the selection of individual topics for discussion, overall comprhension of the topic, presentation of conclusions, and formulation of proposals.

 Reading material is posted on the course page on the Ionian University’s Opencourses platform. Students are provided with detailed guidelines during the course. Discussion follows the presentations, while a special review of the main topics takes place before the written examinations.