S12: Suddenly Digital: Acquiring Pragmatic Digital Archives Skills on the Job

Abstract

While some archivists set out for a digitally-focused career path, many of us accumulate digital collections responsibilities incidentally with no formal training. It can be difficult and overwhelming to learn skills on the job, especially with an ever-expanding catalog of technology skills and options for education and training (and/or with limited institutional support). This presentation introduces some of the most necessary skill sets for working with digital archival collections and how to prioritize skill development based on workplace contexts. Crucially, this presentation focuses on specific target needs (i.e. “I need to transfer files off of storage media and/or between storage locations”) and a menu of possible methods to pursue, rather than starting with broad digital skill recommendations (i.e. “coding” or “Python”). This approach provides clear entry points for acquiring seemingly unreachable technology skills. For each target, suggested pathways include specific resources tailored to archival contexts, with a strong emphasis on asynchronous self-education and open educational resources.