The Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in Preservation Administration of Library and Archival Materials is designed for individuals who wish to specialize in the administrative issues of preservation, including policy, planning and organization, fundraising, and outreach. Students may use electives to further specialize, e.g. in preserving sound collections, digital reformatting, and digital archiving, among others.

Please refer to the list of required and elective courses for the CAS in preservation administration. Typically, a full-time student (taking 9 to 12 hours each semester) will complete the MSIS and the CAS in 2 years. A student studying for an MSIS and a CAS in Preservation Administration must complete 52 credit hours.

The Kilgarlin Center welcomes students who already possess an MSIS and wish to pursue a CAS. Please contact us at (512) 471-8290 (kilgarlin @ ischool.utexas.edu) to discuss this option.

Practicum

A 5-6-week field experience in a library or archives forms the culminating experience for each preservation administration student. A variety of activities can be approved for a practicum, but the goal is to provide practical experience in evaluating preservation needs, identifying solutions in the context of the site institution's collections and resources, and recommending actions to site staff in the form of a report. Recent practica have included a needs assessment of an audio-visual collection in the Duke University Libraries, a sound recordings preservation project at the Library of Congress, and a needs assessment and rehousing project for the Austin Independent School District Archives.