Rate My Professor Pat Franks

Dr. Pat Franks is Professor Emerita in the School of Information at San Jose State University, where she served as Coordinator of the Master of Archives and Records Administration (MARA) program from 2008 until her retirement in May 2021. She joined the iSchool as an adjunct instructor in 2006, taught her first course in 2007, became full-time tenure-track faculty in 2009, and coordinated the MARA program while teaching in both MLIS and MARA curricula, including courses on enterprise content management, digital preservation, blockchain in archives and records management, and emerging technologies. Holding a Ph.D. in Organization and Management with an eBusiness emphasis earned online around 2005, following a background in business administration and consulting, Dr. Franks holds professional certifications as Certified Archivist (CA), Certified Records Manager (CRM), Information Governance Professional (IGP), Certified Information Governance Officer (CIGO), ARMA International Fellow (FAI), and Blockchain certified. She coordinated the iSchool Internship program, promoting virtual internships for students.

Dr. Franks' research centers on the convergence of archival studies, records management, and information governance amid the digital expansion, emphasizing emerging technologies including social media, cloud computing, blockchain distributed ledger technology, digital forensics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and paradata in AI processual documentation. She authored Records and Information Management (second edition), endorsed by the Institute of Certified Records Managers for CRA and CRM designations and by the Certified Information Governance Officers Association for CIGO. She co-edited The Encyclopedia of Archival Science and The Encyclopedia of Archival Writers, 1515-2015 with Luciana Duranti, and The Directory of National Archives with Anthony Bernier (2018), involving 46 iSchool students. Dr. Franks edited The Handbook of Archival Practice (2021) with 111 entries by 105 authors from multiple countries. Recent publication: "Positioning Paradata: A Conceptual Frame for AI Processual Documentation in Archives and Recordkeeping Contexts" (2023). She updated the MARA curriculum with information governance and technologies, presented at local to international conferences, served as president of the National Association of Government Archivists and Records Administrators (NAGARA), and holds board and committee roles in professional associations.