HS3DAC: Discovering Archives and Collections

Module code: HS3DAC

Module provider: History; School of Humanities

Credits: 20

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Richard Blakemore , email: r.blakemore@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 11 April 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module will enable students to test and develop their interest in careers in the archives sector through an 11 day placement based internally, at the university’s Special Collections, or externally, at the Berkshire Record Office or another participating repository.  The 11 day placement will give students the opportunity to gain and reflect on the type of practical work experience required for successful applications for postgraduate training in archives and records management. The placements will also develop skills in research, oral and written communication, professionalism and adaptability in the workplace, and attention to detail, readily transferable to, and highly valued in, other areas of postgraduate employment. Offered as an alternative to a Topic module, Discovering Archives and Collections will increase choice and enhance personal career-development opportunities within the Part 3 History degree programme.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Have gained and reflected on work experience in some particular aspect or aspects of archives and records management, making an individual contribution to the management and/or publicising of records held by the placement provider, and enhancing their capabilities in digital technologies and fostering skills in teamwork, adaptability, and working with service users .
2. Be able to describe and critique the importance and purpose of archives and records management and/or collections
3. Be able to describe and critique the processes and techniques of archives management and record- keeping and/or collections, and an overview of the range of services offered by the placement provider.
4. Be able to articulate an understanding of the future challenges for archives and collections which should include the management of digital born records and demand for digital provision.

Module content

This module will enable students to test and develop their interest in careers in the archives sector through 11-day placements based internally, at the university’s Special Collections, or externally, at the Berkshire Record Office (BRO) or another participating repository. An 11 day placement will give students the opportunity to gain and reflect on the type of practical work experience required for successful applications for postgraduate training in archives and records management. The placements will also develop skills in research, oral and written communication, professionalism and adaptability in the workplace, and attention to detail, readily transferable to, and highly valued in, other areas of postgraduate employment. Offered as an alternative to a Topic module, Discovering Archives and Collections will increase choice and enhance personal career-development opportunities within the Part 3 History degree programme.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching and learning will be by a variety of methods, which may include:

• Preplacement seminars which prepare students and provide a foundation for the placement element of the module. Seminars include structured group discussion and discussion of evidence, team-based exercises, and debates around archives and collections
• 11 days on placement at a participating repository supervised by an archivist at an accredited repository.
• The group will spend two afternoons at a specialist hands-on ‘conservation’ session at BRO and a specialist ‘public engagement with archives and collections’ session at University of Reading Special Collections
• Placement visits to students on site by module convenor.

Module hours will consist of:

11 full working days on placement at participating repository.

4 – 6 hours of preplacement learning activities delivered in person. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered during the module.

Two 2-hour placement visits to students onsite by the module convenor

Remaining hours for self-scheduled activities which largely make up the social media elements of assessed coursework.

Study hours

At least 12 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Level 3 (i.e. foundation modules for Part 0) and Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs