#critlib 2017-10-23: radical empathy in archival practice
October 23 2017 #critlib chat on Radical Empathy in Archival Practice, informed by the article "From Human Rights to Feminist Ethics: Radical Empathy in the Archives" by Michelle Caswell and Marika Cifor. Moderated by @DinahHandel and @kellywooten. See also https://radical-empathy.tumblr.com/.
References
radical empathy in archival practice | critlibFrom The diseases of the cat / by J. Woodroffe Hill (1901)
From Human Rights to Feminist Ethics: Radical Empathy in Archives - eScholarshipMuch recent discussion about social justice in archival studies has assumed a legalistic, rights-based framework to delineate the role of records, archives, and archivists in both the violation of human rights and in holding individuals and governments accountable for basic human rights, such as the right to life, privacy, and freedom of expression.Announcements
- Monday 10/23 join the #critlib convo on radical empathy in archival practice co-hosted by our own @kellywooten http://critlib.org/radical-empathy-in-archival-practice/ …
- Questions are up for #critlib based on @professorcaz & @marika_louise article! #d4d folks listening to @msmollyebrown talk may be interested https://twitter.com/binghamctr/status/920104832102408193 …
- Can't wait for Monday's #critlib on "radical empathy in archival practice"! Great Qs by @DinahHandel & @kellywooten! http://critlib.org/radical-empathy-in-archival-practice/ …
- #critlib If you haven't read @professorcaz & @marika_louise's article please do so! http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0mb9568h … Even if you're not in archives!
- Did you know that preparing to host a #critlib chat starts by collaborating with a bunch of smart women & culminates in glitter gifs? pic.twitter.com/sP45QEFawz
- @fromADMwithlove It could be interesting to tune into #critlib next Monday, it looks like it will be a good one, and relevant? http://critlib.org/radical-empathy-in-archival-practice/ …
- @kellywooten you have no idea how excited i am for this #critlib chat
- Tomorrow @ 2 PM EST is radical empathy in archival practice #critlib http://critlib.org/radical-empathy-in-archival-practice/ … Being an archivist not req. for participation!
- We’ll be starting our Radical Empathy in Archives #critlib chat soon! 11am PST/ 12pm MST / 1pm CST / 2pm EST http://critlib.org/radical-empathy-in-archival-practice/ …
- Today's #critlib should be an especially good one: #RadicalEmpathy in Archival Practice led by @DinahHandel & @kellywooten. 2pm ET. pic.twitter.com/BksbAAJGOs
- Ready for a tea and twitter break this afternoon? Tune in for this chat on Radical Empathy in Archives #critlib https://twitter.com/DinahHandel/status/922507104203759618 …
- We’ll be starting our Radical Empathy in Archives #critlib chat soon! 11am PST/ 12pm MST / 1pm CST / 2pm EST http://critlib.org/radical-empathy-in-archival-practice/ …
- Here are some tips to make your chat experience great (turn off notifications! try tweetdeck! eat a snack!) #critlib http://critlib.org/twitter-chats/
- If you can't join the #critlib chat but want to learn more, check out the article that inspired us- lots to offer beyond archives. https://twitter.com/violetbfox/status/921105299427258369 …
Introductions
- Hi all! Welcome to the #critlib chat about radical empathy in archival practice: http://critlib.org/radical-empathy-in-archival-practice/ …
- Hi! I’m your co-pilot for today's #critlib. You can tweet anonymously through this form: https://tinyurl.com/ybyqck72
- @DinahHandel I'm Kelly. I work at @binghamctr with women's & lgbtq history collections at Duke University's @rubensteinlib #critlib
- hi #critlib i'm amanda, archivist in seattle and have been looking forward to this chat for weeeeeeeeeks pic.twitter.com/ak99KbVnxS
- hi #critlib! i'm rosemary--an accessioning archivist @BeineckeLibrary. i'll be chiming in as a can whilst going from meeting to meeting.
Q1. Reflect on the 4 relationships discussed in the article (between archivists and records creators, records subjects, users & larger communities) and share your experience with any that resonated with you.
- @infomartian You are right on target-- I ran out of characters to add that one! #critlib A1
- @infomartian Can you say more about the possibilities of envisioning a radical empathy among our colleagues? #critlib A1
- @kellywooten esp following greg eow's plenary speech, a lot of us were considering the idea of vulnerability in professional spaces. #critlib A1
- @kellywooten that's a huge part of it for me. being open to & supportive of vulnerability in others & feeling empowered to be vulnerable myself #critlib
- @kellywooten for example, having an instinctive negative reaction to poor spelling/grammar #critlib A1
- Yes! We can't be an inclusive profession when we are nitpicking typos in colleagues' emails. #critlib A1 https://twitter.com/infomartian/status/922526097002106880 …
- @kellywooten or in reference interactions. researcher gatekeeping is gross. a1 #critlib
- @lemurchild I want to imagine a world where tech services folks are also involved in donor relationships and community building. #critlib A1
- @kellywooten I want to live in that world! #critlib A1
- @lemurchild Maybe include community of subjects in archival description process. #critlib
- I've been thinking about @anarchivist's comment about maintaining boundaries in these relationships. #critlib A1
- @anarchivist Here's the tweets with some commentary by me about empathy & boundaries https://radical-empathy.tumblr.com/post/166708341989/from-anarchivist-via-twitter-being … #critlib A1
- @kellywooten @anarchivist Oh yes. How do we bring our whole selves to our work and to our collegial relationships, yet maintain boundaries? #critlib
A1. In lib cataloging, told to assign subj headings by considering the intent of the author, which privileges that relationship. #critlib pic.twitter.com/pqxlH3fUdH- #critlib A1 Saw a really great talk by @justbilley abt. changing LCSH for queer people
- @barkivist Oh, interesting! Maybe consideration to who is affected by the institution without necessarily being a part of the institution? #critlib
- @violetbfox Yes! This is where I keep going with this. Whose stories are missing in the retention schedule and what can I do about it? It's a challenge bc, for many institutional archivists, they don't have the ability to do much collecting beyond the retention schedule.... #critlib
- @barkivist @violetbfox A2 It is hard, because RM is heirarchical. Collecting student groups helps, and Alumna/e who aren't powerful #critlib
- @barkivist I feel like there is a TON of emotional labor and relationship work in institutional archives! #critlib A1
- @barkivist @violetbfox Like you almost need an external retention schedule for outside (but affected/affecting) people/groups. YES. #critlib
- @barkivist The student newspaper gets heavy rotation in instruction as a result - it's one of the few places student voice shows up reliably. #critlib
- Marking this question to come back to-- @barkivist let's work on a Tumblr post? #critlib A1 https://twitter.com/barkivist/status/922527822417100800 …
- @barkivist Even if you aren't collecting, the org of records and their access points can be created w/ empathy 4 who the records represent #critlib
Q2. How can we remain emotionally open and vulnerable yet remain grounded? Can we be both affective and effective archivist?
- @DinahHandel this ties in exactly to what you were saying for A1 about balancing user needs and creator/subject needs #critlib
- @DinahHandel I think affective work can lead to effective work. they're not mutually exclusive concepts #critlib
- @DinahHandel toxic environment can also be from *lack* of emotional boundaries a2 #critlib
- #critlib A2 I'm in the same boat as @kellywooten -- almost no differential between life and work at the momen
- A1: We have sev archival collx where multi living srcs hv id'd creators as queer but subjs didn't in life, so it's not in collx rec #critlib https://twitter.com/DinahHandel/status/922525468733173761 …
- A2: I hope so. My main concern is I don't forget that my work is thru inst lens, and how that makes me complicit in oppression. #critlib https://twitter.com/DinahHandel/status/922526788575571968 …
- Joining late! I think a lot of this has to do with outreach and empathizing with donors w/out removing ourselves from our duties #critlib https://twitter.com/dinahhandel/status/922526788575571968 …
- @snowdenbecker woah, awesome! I wonder if there are any resources on this that we can share... #critlib
- @DinahHandel This paper introduced concept: http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1520349 …. DM me if you want a PDF & I'll leverage my access privilege for you! ;-) #critlib
- @DinahHandel H/T to Guy Edmonds for mentioning the term to me in relation to the Home Movie Living Will ( http://www.centerforhomemovies.org/a-living-will/ ) #critlib
Q3. When do the tenets of our profession complicate or uplift our capacity to be radically empathetic?
- [This should have been A3] #critlib https://twitter.com/kellywooten/status/922529846286323717 …
- @DinahHandel A3. (As a not-archivist:) MPLP shifts work burden from archivists to user. Up to users to research context & do extra searching. #critlib
- @DinahHandel Shifting burden can be okay if you're upfront about it--do archivists publicly note when MPLP has been used? #critlib
- @violetbfox Good question! An institution might have that documented, but unlikely to be known outside the "field"... #critlib
- @DinahHandel I was comparing the requirement to show photo IDs to unfair voter ID laws-- who are we keeping out? #critlib
- "columbusing delusion" = when researchers "discover" something in a "dusty archive" that we always knew was there? love it #critlib https://twitter.com/TheGnarrator/status/922531412984647680 …
- A3: 2/ Barriers to access--- IDs, collections behind paywalls a.la. @DinahHandel #critlib
- "it's hard to leave behind authority" gets at the heart of so much of this discussion #critlib https://twitter.com/khvandeven/status/922531327261294592 …
- A3: I wrote about archiving sex workers’ lives last year, in which I contradict the ACA’s code of ethics http://microformed.net/deciding-when-to-put-yourself-out-there/ … #critlib
- Good question! Join in #critlib on radical empathy in archives. https://twitter.com/kellywooten/status/922529305032146953 …
- A3: I try to speak to every donor as if I'm talking to myself, asking about donation of my family papers. 1/2 #critlib https://twitter.com/kellywooten/status/922529305032146953 …
Q4. How do we create a radically empathetic 5th relationship between archivists? What might that look like?
- @widelight @lizahar This sounds like a great idea! We also have the radical empathy tumblr to promote folk's work/ideas: https://radical-empathy.tumblr.com/ #critlib
- @snowdenbecker Exactly! Mostly I'm trying to keep in mind that process of transferring such personal content is deeply emotional & factor it in! #critlib
- @DinahHandel I wonder if we could have sliding scale professional development funding-- more $ for those who earn less #critlib
- @barkivist #critlib agreed on acknowledging privilege part, especially because u connect this to naming limits on your actions&what pwr can be shared
- @DinahHandel And sometimes not prying. #critlib
- I'm always thinking about how working at a well-resourced place can benefit my colleagues across the state. #critlib https://twitter.com/barkivist/status/922533312454946816 …
- @kellywooten yes! One possibility is cost-sharing. If you have the resources, can you shoulder more of the cost of a collaborative project? #critlib
- Bumping parts of this conversation into #critlib A4 https://twitter.com/NicoleG_Haus/status/922300790064271361 …
Q5. How can we navigate conflicting responsibilities between affective relationships? Which relationships do we prioritize?
- when you see #critlib is trending for you pic.twitter.com/oRS6gwbMFr
- @kellywooten For me, the prioritization changes over time, depending on whether or not the donor is still living A5 #critlib
- @lemurchild I think it's our responsibility to recognize their history as valuable and perform outreach to where they also recognize that #critlib
- @lemurchild This is definitely a challenge we experience-- the org's founded in the earlier 2000s still have a paper trail at at least. #critlib
- @lemurchild But even the older groups usually use shared 3rd party digital platforms that have their archives locked down #critlib
- @lemurchild PLUS they are the gmail generation and their professional/activist work is usually co-mingled with their personal emails. #critlib
- @kellywooten A5 I am a lot more careful about protecting living donors, and a lot more protective of access when the donor is deceased #critlib
- A5: This shifts depending on context. I prioritize students and contingent labor/non-degreed staff diff dependent on diff sitch. #critlib https://twitter.com/kellywooten/status/922533975096266752 …
- Sending LOL (lots of love) to #critlib moderators @DinahHandel @kellywooten from #DLFforum @captain_maybe, Holly, and I love you!
- And how much of that "natural" empathy gender-coded? (How is this the first gender comment? Or did I miss one?) #critlib https://twitter.com/poeticdoxa/status/922535338043691014 …
- @kellywooten #critlib PRECISELY THIS. Gendering compassion and emotional labor obscures that professionals can improve on this as a skill
- @kellywooten #critlib diagnosing the problem as empathy being gendered as femme&POC labor is crucial. At same time, solutions can hold evry1 accountable
- Realized when trying to describe my male boss, who is (imho) incredibly empathetic, most lang that came to me was feminized. #critlib https://twitter.com/kellywooten/status/922535585159483397 …
- #critlib Agreed-digitization can only do so much, and the process of ppl using materials can make them feel suspect/profiled https://twitter.com/kellywooten/status/922529846286323717 …
- @widelight I think even recognizing that it is possible to have shifting priorities is a big step! There is never a 1-size-fits-all solution. #critlib
- I just gave a talk abt nabe ass'n records. many now don't even have websites. just facebook groups. #critlib https://twitter.com/lemurchild/status/922534926246957059 …
- @infomartian Is it up to info professionals to make that decision? #critlib
- @violetbfox necessary question. my talk (& thinking) focuses on building relationships w/ these grps so they can tell their own history #critlib
- 100% I'm all for application of epistemic equilibrium in archives as both an ideal + as practicable. 1/2 #critlib https://twitter.com/violetbfox/status/922534629546057728 …
- Conclusions
- #critlib: If you have ideas for future chat topics, to moderate yourself or suggest, submit them to http://critlib.org/twitter-chats/suggest-a-twitter-chat/ …
- My pitch: check out https://radical-empathy.tumblr.com/ and suggest resources to add #critlib pic.twitter.com/TezOnfPG7M
- @DinahHandel @Wikipedia entry is good too - touches on e-records planning, which is totally archives/archivists' area! http://bit.ly/2z0UBCF #critlib
Miles Kimball Knitting Tot... Get it => http://icrochetworld.com/miles-kimball-knitting-tote-bag-by-msr-imports/ … #crochetbook #critlib #ilovecrochets #crochet #crochets #critlib pic.twitter.com/7UB0LlXdTd- @khvandeven "Knowledge has often been chained & bound & colonized"--@WalidahImarisha at #saa17 this year #critlib
- Great #critlib ! Thx @kellywooten and @DinahHandel for bringing this all about (and all the incredible work you do for the profession)
- Closer to accurate.... #critlib cc @kellywooten https://twitter.com/icrochetyarn/status/922538318419591168 …
- I'm transitioning back to real life at the reading room desk, so if I missed a comment lmk. Thanks, y'all! Hearts to @DinahHandel #critlib
