This course aims to provide students with an overview in the management of collections especially in documentation, archiving and digital preservation. The main aim is to familiarize students with the methods, strategies and tools of documentation and archiving of modern, contemporary and especially media art. The diverse prerequisites and specific demands of contemporary and media art involve a changed methodology of analytic access and documentation. The students will learn that with the traditional methods of documentation, which are still valid as the basis of scientific art research, modern works of art and media art are insufficiently recorded. Documentation of the transient nature of modern works of art (e.g. performance, kinetic objects, urban art, interactive media environments etc.) can only be archived by means of process-related media. The students will learn the steps of registration and documentation, the requirements of works of art in collection management systems and why museum management systems gain in importance for documentation, communication, education, preservation as well as for international knowledge transfer of cultural heritage. Furthermore the students will understand how to extract information into data and how they can create new knowledge by using collection management systems. They will learn which strategies of archiving and preservation are helpful for the specific needs of different works of art. 

By the end of the semester students should know the guidelines for archiving and preservation of the international museum and archiving organizations. And they should be able to identify the needs to archive and preserve different kind of works of art, plan a strategy, calculate and produce a schedule. Attention will be distributed across museum management, data catalogues, digital technologies and guidelines.