Digital Curation for Librarians and Archivists

6-Week Course Starts SEP 14, 2026

Course Description

Digital curation is the selection, preservation, maintenance, collection, and archiving of digital assets. While there are a variety of resources out there, very few focus on the absolute, complete beginner. This course is aimed at the digital curation novice and is broken down into six sections for an easy grasp on the subject.

1. An introduction to the topic, focusing on defining digitization, digital preservation, digital curation, and their importance.
2. What to include in your digital collections, Creating a digital collection policy.
3. Learning about file formats and file-naming standards.
4. An introduction to metadata. Choosing the metadata standards that are best for your digital collection.
5. Digitization: equipment recommendations and workflows.
6. Creating a digital preservation policy, understanding long-term digital preservation needs.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course participants should be able to:

  • Understand the differences between digitization, digital preservation, and digital curation
  • Create policies related to digital preservation and collection of digital objects.
  • Recall the principles of creating good digital objects
  • Understand how to record appropriate metadata
  • Utilize workflows and checklists to guide throughout the digital life cycle


Total Course Hours: 15 Hours/ 1.5 CEU


"This course was great. I found out so many items about digital preservation and curation which I did not understand prior to this course; I learned about tools, techniques and equipment to use. This course was worth triple what I paid for it."

- Daniel A. Sabol, Librarian, Dobbs Ferry, NY

Your Instructor


Carmen Cowick
Carmen Cowick

Carmen Cowick provides training, support, and consulting services in the areas of preservation and collections care. She received a bachelor's degree in art history and a master's degree in library science with a certificate in archives and preservation of cultural materials from CUNY Queens College in New York City. Since 2019, she has been a lecturer at Emporia State University, teaching on a variety of archival and library-related topics.

Carmen has written numerous scholarly articles on preservation-related topics and is the author of the books Digital Curation Projects Made Easy and Crash Course in Disaster Preparedness.


"This course is well worth the time and money if you, like me, work in a small institution with a small budget and are just beginning (or still in the early stages) of digital preservation. It provides an overview of things you need to consider, as well as defining what those things are. I found the final session on promoting and marketing your digital collection extremely informative and relevant to wherever you are in the digital curation process.."

- Donna Rothrock, Salem College Archivist, Winston-Salem, NC

? Frequently Asked Questions

When does the course start and finish?

  • This course starts on SEP 14, 2026.
  • It is an asynchronous online course designed to be completed in 6 weeks.
  • Participants will spend approximately 2.5 hours each week on viewing lectures, answering quizzes and completing discussion, reading, and written assignments.
  • It is recommended that you complete each week's work within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

When is the last day for enrollment?
Enrollment ends on Friday SEP 11, 2026


Will the instructor be available for feedback and questions?

Absolutely! Your instructor will provide feedback for each assignment and will be available via email or phone for any questions you may have. A discussion forum is also available where participants can post questions.

How long do I have access to the course material?
You will have unlimited access for 3 months from the start date of this course.

Will I receive a Certificate of Completion?
In order to receive a Certificate of Completion you must complete the following each week:
  • 1. View all video lectures
  • 2. Answer all quizzes
  • 3. Complete all assignments
  • When you complete these three items you can expect to receive your certificate within two weeks.
I am having trouble enrolling. Help!
We're sorry to hear this. Here are some options:
  1. Try enrolling with a different browser or with a different device (laptop, tablet, smart phone, etc.)
  2. Email us at info@preservethis.org for an invoice. This will be emailed to you and you can pay through the link provided in the invoice.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We offer a 14-day refund (from the day the course starts) on all asynchronous courses. Send your refund request to info@preservethis.org.

"I'm glad I took this course. It gave me the right amount of updates and best practice reminders to my current knowledge in this field as well as provide me with knew knowledge for all parts of the digital lifecycle. The time spent doing coursework is not overwhelming. I highly recommend."

- Victoria Pilato, Digital Projects Librarian, Stony Brook, NY

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