Skip to Main Content

Library Technology Department

Information about Santa Ana College's Library Technology Program and resources for current Library Technology or Archives and Digital Collections students.
curation, community, and collaboration

Are you passionate about preserving history and empowering communities through information? In Santa Ana College’s Library Technology and Archives & Digital Collections Department, library support professionals are the vital bridge between users and collections—whether you’re greeting patrons at the front desk, processing archival treasures behind the scenes, or building searchable digital repositories. If you enjoy hands-on work with technology, love solving puzzles of organization and description, and take pride in making knowledge accessible, this is the program for you.

Mission Statement
The mission of Santa Ana College’s Library Technology and Archives & Digital Collections Department is to prepare skilled paraprofessionals and technicians who advance research, learning, and cultural heritage. Through an industry-informed curriculum and active collaboration with local libraries, archives, and digital repositories, we deliver practical training in customer service, technical services, archival arrangement, metadata creation, and digital asset management. Graduates will leave ready to lead daily operations, innovate with emerging technologies, and champion information access in libraries, museums, and beyond.

Program Overview
Santa Ana College offers both an A.A. and A.S. degree and a Certificate of Achievement in Library Technology and Archives & Digital Collections. 100 % approved for distance education, our programs combine:

  • Digital Media Integration:
    Choose between DM 195 or ART 195 to gain hands-on skills in digital media creation, essential for managing online collections.

  • Career-Focused Electives:
    Customize your pathway with courses such as Microsoft Access, Gallery Productions, visual communications, and work-experience placements in real library settings.

  • Industry Alignment:
    Our curriculum is continuously updated in consultation with Orange     County library, museum, and archive employers and aligned with the national Library Support Staff Certification standards.

Graduates are prepared for roles in public, academic, K–12, and special libraries —as archival assistants, digital collections technicians, circulation specialists, or library clerks or technicians. Flexible delivery and real-world practicum ensure you can launch or advance your career on your schedule.

Library Technology Outcomes

  • Apply knowledge and skills gained through all required courses to perform library technician level tasks in various types of libraries and settings.
  • Identify and differentiate library technician roles and be able to perform the job duties of technicians in a library or information management organization.
  • Prepare for employment above the beginning level as paraprofessionals in school, public, special, or academic libraries.

Archives and Digital Collections Outcomes

  • Employ best practices and skills for handling, organizing, preserving, and providing access to both physical and digital collections, to perform tasks in various entry-level jobs in archives, digital collections, and special library settings.
  • Apply basic image, text, and digital media processing skills, preparing students for digitization technician roles.
  • Prepare for employment in diverse settings that manage digital collections by applying knowledge of metadata standards and descriptive practices to improve the discoverability, usability, and accessibility of digital collections.
  • Apply learned skills and techniques for arrangement and description of archival collections, including the development of processing plans, creation of finding aids, and application of descriptive standards such as DACS, EAD and RDA, to prepare for employment in archival assistant positions.
  • Gain exposure to and practice with various technologies, tools, and systems utilized in professional archives, digital collections, and special library settings to manage and maintain unique physical and digital collections, such as ABBY Fine Reader, Adobe Bridge, ArchivesSpace, Omeka, Preservica, or Photoshop.

Library Technology 101: Introduction to Library Technology (3 units)

Introduction to libraries as a career field with particular emphasis on the role of the library technician in various types of library settings. This course provides an overview of library history, organization, staffing, services, collections, online information sources and terminology. Prerequisite: None

Library Technology 054: Children's Library Services (3 units)

Explores standard procedures and practices in libraries as they are adapted to a children's library situation.  Each student has practice evaluating materials and using various methods for sharing literature with children, e.g., reading aloud, story times, displays, and bibliographies. Prerequisite: None

Library Technology 102: Information Sources for Paraprofessionals (3 units)

An introduction to information sources in both printed and electronic formats. Includes a basic theoretical and practical exploration of the nature and types of information in selected subject fields. Builds skills in information searching and in evaluation of information and information sources. Prerequisite: None

Library Technology 104: Organization of Information (3 units)

Fundamentals of organizing information for archival and special library settings, including resource description standards (Dublin Core, MODs), metadata management tools (crosswalks, MAPs), thesauri building, subject analysis (LCSH), authority control, and different types of metadata. Basic processes and practices for describing resources and item level records, analyzing subject content, and identifying the relationship between information organization and information seeking behavior. Prerequisite: None

Library Technology 108: Introduction to Archives (3 units)

Fundamental principles of archives: provenance, original order, acquisition, housing, appraisal, arrangement, description, preservation, and access. Survey of the history of archives, ethics, stewardship of cultural heritage materials, and current challenges in the field. Prerequisite: None

Library Technology 110: Library Technical Services (3 units)

Evaluation and acquisition of books and other media for libraries. Basic theories, principles and concepts of bibliographic control, including descriptive cataloging, classification, subject analysis and bibliographic maintenance. Emphasis placed on current cataloging rules, MARC, LC and Dewey classification and LC Subject Headings. Original and copy cataloging using an online bibliographic cataloging system and online bibliographic utility. Prerequisite: None

Library Technology 112: Introduction to Digital Collections (3 units)

Basic skills for managing digital collections and digital assets including: systems, metadata, collection life cycle, file formats, copyright, usability, and preservation. Basic processes to organize, describe, maintain, and make digital collections discoverable and user-centric. Prerequisite: DM 195 or ART 195

Library Technology 120: Arrangement and Description (3 units)

Basic skills for arranging and describing archival collections and establishing physical and intellectual control, such as accession records, common arrangement systems, and determining processing priorities. Experience with archival management systems, such as ArchivesSpace, the key components of finding aids, and descriptive standards (DACS and EAD) utilized for effective organization and access to archival materials. Prerequisites: LIBR 104 and LIBR 108

Library Technology 122: Library Public Services (3 units)

Exploration of library public services with special emphasis placed on a variety of issues as they relate to the circulation of library materials, the use of the Internet and full-text databases for reference and the preparation and delivery of library programs. Prerequisite: None

Library Technology 124: Library Technology Work Experience (1-2 units)

Closely supervised field work experience in a library or archival setting that will allow the student to apply learned knowledge and skills. Weekly review seminars and discussions are conducted on-line. Not required for certificate or degree attainment. This course is repeatable up to 14 units. Prerequisite: LIBR 101, LIBR 110, and LIBR 122