#critlib 12/2/2014 Archives!
#critlib chat on December 2, 2014 about Archives. Moderated by @barnlib. Learn more about #critlib here: http://tinyurl.com/critlibx
A propos tonight, plugging the Litwin Books Series on Archives, Archivists and Society http://litwinbooks.com/series-archives.php … #critlib
When will we combine #critlib and @LibWardrobe, where people tweet photos of their chatwear? #critclothes
Can't join #critlib but want to note that several chapters in Informed Agitation deal w/ critical/radical archiving: http://informedagitation.info/authors
Call for Papers - Radical Archives (Archive Journal) http://libraryjuicepress.com/blog/?p=4832 #critlib- Hellooooo, #CRITLIB! Let's have intros. I'm moderating tonight (Jenna Freedman, Barnard Coll) & grateful to critical @BarnardArchives-ists.
- I also want to acknowledge @BarnardArchives-ists Martha Tenney & Shannon O'Neill for helping me craft tonight's questions. #critlib
- Question 1 [Intros removed]
#critlib A1 Listening for the silence in the archives, as is said. And examining where your own discomforts & biases are & pushing on that.- .@lisaflepore Yeah! Different ways of knowing, working with info, etc are used by different people. #critlib
A1: Sometimes, this means recognizing that your institution ain't the right place for records, that they belong in the community. #critlib- @rowmyboat or don't accession it in the first place! #critlib
Yeah, and I really like post-custodial archival practice... http://qub.me/cg3vqN #critlib
@eiratansey #critlib Q1 this is my problem; I try for descriptive work that can expose those positions instead of collecting them outright.
A2. Agreed, @topshelver. Or at least be allowed to collect their own things without "help" from outsiders. #critlib- .@topshelver There was a discussion about this pertaining to activists maybe a year ago. Not much came of it. #critlib
@eiratansey And it seems that many other archives that do collect outside of the instit. are simply opportunistic about it. #critlib- Really good point @eiratansey! But even deciding what to collect within your institution can be loaded. #critlib
- Could afford the critical archivist a great platform for discussing institutional/operational needs & policies. @eiratansey #critlib
@stephestellar A1 Yes & no. I believe Northeastern in Boston was one of the first academic archives to do so. #critlib- Question 2
- Question 3
.@eiratansey For many reasons (i.e. showing labor; subjective aspects of interests/knowledge), seems revealing authorship is great #critlib- @DinahHandel AHAHAHAHAHAHA, good one. #critlib I mean it comes down in some cases to the diff between libs and archives.
@eiratansey was thinking about Derrida, Schwartz, Trouillot #critlib- @eiratansey I was thinking that if you're not mandated to collect records that you think you shd be, you can take it up w yr corp. #critlib
A3: also, lots of stuff is unintentionally "hiding" in the backlog #critlib
@RachelMFleming I think this is where collecting stories/papers of archivists w deep community ties is impt part of transparency #critlib- @eiratansey Yes! I would have loved knowing just whom to contact (besides excellent @Lisa_Deee ) when traveling to NYC for research #critlib
- @rowmyboat EXACTLY. Bushels of them. #critlib
- @topshelver This is frequently a problem in Germany, where any collection or exhibit of Nazi materials attracts bald guys in brown #critlib
@stephestellar yup, I agree with this completely #critlib
@topshelver Yes. The archive's reasoning was it wouldn't let archivists' distaste for the material prohibit public access to it. #critlib- @MisterBooth @eiratansey A shame—and also a reason to track authorship? “I’m doing best I can as non-subject specialist?” #critlib
@foureyedsoul @MisterBooth Well and the advent of MPLP in archives means a super detailed finding aid is a luxury of the past #critlib- @DinahHandel that's such a strong point to make. #critlib
- @stephestellar And direct users to related collections at other institutions #critlib
@MisterBooth Yep, esp if it fills gaps! And if someone comes looking for info I know we didn't collect, I show them ArchiveGrid #critlib- @eiratansey @foureyedsoul @MisterBooth Yes! MPLP has been strongly encouraged in my recent volunteer work in archives. #critlib
- @eiratansey @foureyedsoul @MisterBooth But sometimes there are ways users can contribute the detail we don't have time to. #critlib
- @foureyedsoul Or if not finding aids specifically, somewhere appropriate in collection’s descriptive material? #critlib
- @foureyedsoul Also, doing a better job to make archival collections discoverable along with the rest of a lib's collections... #critlib
- @foureyedsoul yes, linked open data WOULD solve a lot of our problems .... #critlib
- @foureyedsoul this is a lot of the idea/impetus behind EAC-CPF http://socialarchive.iath.virginia.edu/ #critlib
- This is so real. MT @deantiquate Q3...Had some [potentially tokenized] donors say "I trust u but if u leave, who will carry thru?" #critlib
- Question 4
- Q4 What ethical considerations does a critical archivist apply to licensing & #copyright and charging fees for reproduction? #critlib
- @barnlib MPLP overview for any non-archivists here going "wtf?" http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/events/2010/10-12h.pdf … and Original article: http://www.archivists.org/prof-education/pre-readings/IMPLP/AA68.2.MeissnerGreene.pdf … #critlib
- @foureyedsoul Yeah - in part, because lib staff aren't cross-trained to find the stuff...which just shows how undiscoverable it is. #critlib
- @allanaaaaaaa That is... just... wow. #critlib
- @stephestellar @sendaulas @foureyedsoul Yeah -- it's really a systems problem at some point. #critlib
- @stephestellar @sendaulas @kellymce Certainly think more cross-training for discoverability would be great. For all these reasons #critlib
- @HollyCroft Yes that would be tough, wouldn't it? #critlib
- A4 lots of archives examining their copyright practices in light of UArk case http://blog.librarylaw.com/librarylaw/2014/07/arkansas-and-archival-permission-practices.html … #critlib
- @foureyedsoul @stephestellar @sendaulas Also to help public services staff understand use cases. #critlib
Very good page on copyright/permissions in archives from @BeineckeLibrary http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/research/permissions-copyright … #critlib- @ameliawholmes @HollyCroft The only problem with that appoach is that rich people are cheap - they don't pay unless you make 'em. #critlib
- @foureyedsoul @sendaulas @kellymce Huh, that is an obvious solution that I never considered - wonder how many inst cross-train #critlib
- @eiratansey I know what I’m reading later! Thanks for the link! #critlib
- Question 5
- @rowmyboat Yes! I've seen C+U archives be more deliberate about item-level v MPLP. Trained personnel working w/ colls def helps too #critlib
- Q5 How can we push back on unfair institutional practices, relying heavily on volunteer, student, intern & temp labor. #critlib @rowmyboat
- @eiratansey Based on everything that's been said tonight, it seems staff stability is crucial to the whole mission of the archive. #critlib
- Our @barnardArchivist Shannon O'Neill refused to use unpaid interns. She built a paid fellowship cuz she & @lisarnorberg r awesome. #critlib
- @MisterBooth this was the case at my last gig as well- but we had no way of knowing how accurate/up-to-date that info was. #critlib
@eiratansey we did that a lot at UofO. Or didn't take it until we could fundraise from other donors for the processing. #critlib- @rowmyboat feel like they won't even admit its a problem! #critlib
- There should be a national unpaid intern walkout! @DinahHandel #critlib
- .@captain_maybe Eat the rich. Or, to quote Lucy Parsons, "shoot or stab them." #critlib
@rowmyboat right but before we do that can we make them fund the arts and libraries and archives? #critlib- .@captain_maybe Oh, I guess so. #critlib
- Pitches, good-byes, etc.
- Thanks everyone for participating, especially new-to-#critlib archivists! And thanks to @DinahHandel for agreeing to storify!
- Oh, archivists, please feel free to suggest other 'chives-related topics for a future #critlib: http://tinyurl.com/critlibmod
- Thanks! @MisterBooth Kudos r 2 the @BarnardArchives-ists who r brilliant & inspirational & our boss @lisarnorberg who supports us. #critlib
- Anyways, so #critlib & the piece by @kdrabinski I RTd earlier has me thinking about archives as disciplinary space, and how it hurts access.
