Employing the Case Study Method in the Teaching of Automated Records and Techniques to Archivists

The purpose of this article is threefold. First, the author briefly introduces the concept of case study methods in teaching and the ways these methods might be applied in the professional development of archivists. Second, this article explores case study writing and reports on what the Society of American Archivists (SAA) in particular is doing to promote the creation of case study materials. Third, this essay identifies areas in which archival educators and practitioners might team up to produce case studies concerning the archival administration of electronic records and the use of information technologies in archives. Since the author has no intention of restating in the confines of this short paper the vast body of literature pertaining to case writing and teaching, he has also provided a selected bibliography of useful texts and articles.