Diploma in Archival Standards and Digital Preservation
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in archival standards and digital preservation, structured in 8 modules covering technical archives, physical conservation, digitisation, metadata, digital preservation, platforms and legal aspects, with ISO 14721 (OAIS), ISO 16363 and Archivematica, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in Archival Standards and Digital Preservation — studying from Canada
Canada has an active classic and heritage vehicle community, supported by clubs, restoration specialists and museums across the country. Restoration work requires skills in engineering drawings, metalworking, electrical systems and historical research. Heritage vehicle collections and automotive museums, such as the Canadian Automotive Museum in Oshawa, sustain professional and volunteer expertise. Specialist businesses and independent workshops are the main employers in this niche.
Fees for Canada: C$1,400 (Canadian dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Canada
Typical roles
Questions from Canada
Is this programme recognised by professional bodies in Canada for vehicle restoration work?
SEIUM's qualifications are private, not official state degrees, and carry no national accreditation in Canada. Restoration is largely a trade and enthusiast field in Canada, with recognition typically driven by reputation, workshop experience and clubs or heritage organisations rather than a single licensing body. Confirm with any prospective client or employer how they regard private qualifications.
What career use could this have in Canada's classic vehicle sector?
Potential uses include working with specialist restoration workshops, dealerships, collectors or heritage vehicle organisations. Employers and clients decide how to value a private qualification, and hands-on experience is usually the strongest factor in this sector. The final project may serve as a portfolio example, but it does not guarantee work.
Can I study this online with my own schedule from Canada?
Yes, the programme is 100% online and taught in English, so it suits learners across Canada and no student visa is needed to study from home. Programme lengths are 300, 800 or 1,900 hours depending on the level. Fees are payable in instalments, employer sponsorship is possible, and an assigned technical tutor supports your progress.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Identify the types of technical archives.
Physically conserve documents and photographic media.
Plan and carry out digitisation projects.
Describe archival fonds with standardised metadata.
Apply digital preservation standards.
Select suitable systems and platforms.
Manage rights, access and dissemination.
Who it's for
- Technical archivists.
- Digitisation specialists.
- Digital preservation managers.
- Collection documentalists.
- Corporate archive managers.
- Industrial heritage technicians.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to enter museums and collections.
What you'll work with
- ISO 14721 (OAIS reference model for archival information systems)
- ISO 16363 (audit and certification of trustworthy digital repositories)
- ISO 15489-1 (records management)
- ISO 11799 (storage requirements for archive and library materials)
- ISO 15836 (Dublin Core metadata element set)
- ISO 18934 (multiple-media archives storage environment)
- ISO 19005 (PDF/A for long-term preservation)
- ISAD(G) (general international standard archival description)
- Archivematica
- AtoM
- Omeka S
- Adobe Lightroom
- ABBYY FineReader
8 modules
1.1Types of technical archive documents1.2Drawings, data sheets and workshop manuals1.3Historic photography and negatives1.4Factory and dealership archives1.5Collection and club archives1.6Historical, legal and commercial value1.7The document life cycle1.8Records management to ISO 154891.9Risks of loss1.10Workshop: inventory of a technical archive
2.1Paper, tracings and blueprints2.2Photographic media and film2.3Cellulose nitrate and acetate2.4Environmental conditions to ISO 117992.5Storage of imaging media to ISO 189342.6Conservation enclosures2.7Handling and consultation2.8Pests and mould2.9Emergency plans2.10Practical exercise: storage plan for drawings
3.1Planning digitisation projects3.2Large-format scanners3.3Reproduction photography3.4Resolution and colour depth3.5TIFF, JPEG 2000 and PDF/A formats3.6Image quality control3.7FADGI and Metamorfoze guidelines3.8Optical character recognition3.9Workflow management3.10Lab: digitisation of a large-format drawing
4.1ISAD(G) archival description standards4.2Dublin Core to ISO 158364.3Technical and PREMIS preservation metadata4.4METS schemas4.5Controlled vocabularies4.6Persistent identifiers4.7Description of parts and vehicles4.8Metadata quality4.9Interoperability4.10Practical exercise: descriptive record for a fonds
5.1The OAIS model to ISO 147215.2Trustworthy repositories to ISO 163635.3Preservation formats5.4Integrity and checksums5.5Multiple copies and the 3-2-1 rule5.6Migration and emulation5.7Technological obsolescence5.8Preservation plans5.9Repository audits5.10Case study: preservation plan for a digital collection
6.1Archive management systems6.2Archivematica6.3AtoM and Omeka6.4Digital asset management systems6.5Cloud and on-premises storage6.6Information security to ISO 270016.7Backups6.8Online access and dissemination6.9Costs and sustainability6.10Lab: ingesting objects into Archivematica
7.1Intellectual property in photographs and drawings7.2Copyright and the public domain7.3Data protection in archives7.4Creative Commons licences7.5Agreements with manufacturers and families7.6Access policies7.7Virtual exhibitions7.8Collaboration with researchers7.9Archival ethics7.10Workshop: access policy for an archive
8.1Selection of the fonds8.2Conservation assessment8.3Digitisation plan8.4Metadata schema8.5Digital preservation plan8.6Platform selection8.7Access policy8.8Conclusions8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
A 100% online programme on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so you can combine it with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Archivematica, AtoM, Omeka S, Adobe Lightroom and ABBYY FineReader, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Testing is studied through real procedures for the digitisation of historic drawings and photographs, the design of metadata schemas and long-term digital preservation plans. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final project.
Standards covered: ISO 14721 (OAIS), ISO 16363, ISO 15489-1, ISO 11799, ISO 15836 (Dublin Core), ISO 18934, ISO 19005 (PDF/A), ISAD(G).
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
- An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 800 hours over 6–8 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with Archivematica, AtoM, Omeka S, Adobe Lightroom and ABBYY FineReader, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector (no university degree required), a computer able to run the software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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