LIS 2223 Archival Access, Advocacy, and
Ethics Spring Term 2008
Instructor: Richard J. Cox
Office
SIS 614
Telephone:
Office Hours: Mondays 1:30-4:30
E-mail: rcox@mail.sis.pitt.edu
or rjcox111@comcast.net
The successful application of the
archival functions of reference or access and advocacy is essential to the use
of archival records and historical manuscripts and the adequate management (and
health) of the programs caring for them. If archival records cannot be
used effectively, then what is the point of preserving and managing them? If the purpose or mission of archivists and
archival repositories is not known and understood, then how will researchers
and the public be able to use archival documents?
Archival reference or access to
archives and historical records is a fundamental and necessary function of the
professional archivist and the archival repository. This archival
function possesses significant differences from related functions in other
information professions because of the nature of the records being
serviced. It is also a function being changed fundamentally because of
digitization, digitally-born records, and the continuing evolution of the World
Wide Web.
Archival advocacy, often called public
programming or outreach (or, at least, encompassing these activities), which archivists
have adopted to build public support for their programs, is a closely related
function. Advocacy is particularly important to archivists, manuscripts
curators and other records professionals because of the many competing
information sources and because of technological and other changes to the
manner in which archives and historical records are made accessible. While archival reference or access is a
function associated from the beginning of the modern archival profession,
archival advocacy is an activity developing in the last generation of this
community.
Archival access and advocacy are the
archival functions bridging the professional work of archivists and other
records professionals to a variety of publics interested in the welfare of the
documentary heritage. Archival access and advocacy depends on the quality
of appraisal and descriptive work while also enhancing both the meaning and
understanding of archives as a public good. These functions also
highlight the value of records for evidence, information, societal and
organizational memory, and accountability.
It is in the latter values that the
complicated ethical issues have normally emerged concerning the preservation,
maintenance, and use of records; it is also in this area that archivists and
other records professionals have tended to devote too little attention. Given the nature of these archival functions,
ones certainly not unique to the world of archives and records administration,
it is logical that a considerable portion of the focus of this course will be
on public policy and ethics issues as well.
The archivist’s or records manager’s interest in and
investment of energies in policy and ethical matters have increased
dramatically in the past two decades, and this course will reflect these
changes. At one point in time, records
professionals believed technology to represent the greatest challenges in their
work; however, it may well be the ethical and policy issues that pose the
greatest threats.
The purposes of this course are to
introduce students to the theoretical foundations, principles,
and practices of archival access and advocacy, and the ethical issues they
generate, so that they are proficient in carrying out these crucial functions.
Students will learn about
§
how archival records series and
manuscript collections are handled in the reference room setting
§
increasing use of online systems and
the Internet/World Wide Web to provide both access to and advocacy on behalf of
archives and historical manuscripts programs
§
factors supporting the importance of
understanding actual and potential use of archival records
§
how use relates to archival advocacy
§
issues such as media coverage of
archives and historical manuscripts, tensions between privacy and access, national
security and the implications for records professionals, and intellectual
property and copyright
§
influence of public policy and applied
ethics on archival access and advocacy
§
other critical matters affecting the
use and image of archives and historical records.
Course Outline
This course will consist of three
sections:
§
review of the basic principles and
methodologies of archival reference and
access
§
consideration of archival public
programming, outreach, and advocacy, with a focus on particular case studies
regarding the importance of records and archives
§
examination of ethics and policy
issues concerning the administration of archives, records, and information
systems
Course Requirements and Grading: Masters Students.
There are a number of requirements for
the course. Students will be expected to be able to discuss the reading
assignments and to participate in class discussions. The class will
generally be run like a seminar, with discussions focusing on the assigned readings;
the instructor will provide formal introductory lectures on key aspects of
archival arrangement, description, and reference throughout the course.
Each student will be expected to complete the writing of two brief (5 to 10
pages each) assignments.
Students can write two brief papers in
any of the focal points of the course –
·
some aspect of the archival reference
function
·
some aspect of archival advocacy or
public programming
·
some ethical issue about archival work
The first paper is due March 18th,
and the second and final paper is due April 15th. These papers are to be written as
presentations to professional conferences or as internal (that is, for use
within an archives or records management program) position papers for setting
or refining archival procedures and policies.
These papers are to include full bibliographic citations and references
as necessary. For these brief papers,
there is no need for students to hand in a proposal regarding their topic;
however, the instructor is available for discussion with students of their
ideas for these papers.
Students may expand on papers
completed in LIS 2220, Archives and Records Management, with the instructor’s
permission, which are relevant to the topics being covered in this course. Opting to do this would mean that a student
does not have to complete the two shorter assignments. Students should be more specific in a written
paper proposal handed in by session four of the course (January 29, 2008). Students continuing to work on such papers
must demonstrate a considerably wider range of reading of the appropriate
professional literature and/or a more sophisticated research methodology (as
well as demonstrating a connection with the topics being treated in this
course). In order to receive a passing grade the student will have to
present a paper that must reflect deeper thinking about the topic and a greater
grasp of the nuances of professional debate, theory, methodology, and
practice. It is also expected that these papers will be longer than the
20-25 pages length because of this fuller treatment by the student. The
final version of this paper is also due on
The final grade for Masters students
will be based on the following:
Class participation and discussion 30%
Writing Assignments or Research
Paper 70%
Course Requirements and Grading: Doctoral Students
The primary assignment for doctoral
students taking this course is a major, publishable paper of 25-35 pages on any
aspect of archival access, reference, or advocacy that the student is
interested in or that relates to the student's ongoing dissertation
research. This paper is due on April 22nd. Research proposals by doctoral students must
be submitted by
This paper should show a wide
reading of the existing literature and can look at the topic from a theoretical
or applied perspective. Examples of topics for this paper are as follows:
§
citation analysis and the
implications for archival reference services and access
§
impact of electronic records and other
new information technologies on archival reference and access
§
implications of media coverage of
archives and records matters (such as Holocaust survivors’ assets, tobacco
industry litigation, or the Enola Gay exhibition controversy) for archival access
and advocacy
§
implications of issues like
intellectual property, privacy, and government secrecy for archival access and
advocacy
§
ethical issues concerning or
impacting archival reference or access such as unreasonable access restrictions
placed by donors or special access privileges granted certain researchers
The paper is due the last week of
the course.
Doctoral students working in, or who
have worked in, archival repositories are encouraged to select topics for this
longer assignment relating to these institutional settings and repositories.
Students interested in pursuing this kind of focused assignment should plan to
make prior arrangements with the
Instructor. Doctoral students also can make a case for conducting
literature reviews or research papers related to their planned or possible
dissertation projects.
In writing this paper students are
required to have mastered the readings in this syllabus, and they should be
able to demonstrate that they have examined relevant literature and studies in
related fields such as library and information science and historical studies.
Doctoral students who go beyond the archival literature in their background
reading will do better on these papers, producing something with potential for
publication.
The final grade for Doctoral
students will be based on the following:
§
Class participation and discussion
(20%)
§
Research paper (80%)
Students should adhere to the latest
edition of the Chicago Manual of Style
in the preparation of their papers. Students should acquire, if they do
not have a copy already, the latest edition of Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses,
and Dissertations published by the
Any paper submitted not meeting the
standards of this style manual will lose
one letter grade for the particular assignment.
Course Requirements and Grading: Class Participation and Discussion
Class participation and discussion,
as the final grade weighting reflects, are extremely essential for this
course's success and the student's educational experience:
Each student will be expected to
participate fully and regularly in class discussions about the readings,
session topics, and other matters related to archival studies.
Each student will be expected to
meet at least once during the course
with the Instructor in order to discuss his or her progress and work on the
assignments.
Students who do not fully participate in class discussions will receive no higher
than a "B" for this course.
The Instructor will take into account
the possibility of a larger class size affecting class participation when
considering the grade for the course.
However, students can participate via e-mail and the discussion board on
Blackboard.
Each student is expected to follow
on their own the news media for stories featuring archives and records
issues. There will be class discussions
about particularly important and recurring stories. Students also are
encouraged to post descriptions of relevant news stories on the discussion
board on Blackboard.
If students need to take an
incomplete, they must request permission to do so from the Instructor by April
15th. Students, unless there are extremely adverse or emergency
situations, will have until
This course builds around key themes
and issues, and each builds on a particular book. Students should read the
required books and be prepared to discuss them in class and to draw on them for
their writing assignments. The reading list is not intended to be
comprehensive, but it is rather intended to introduce students to the classic
writings and most important texts on the topic of archival access, advocacy,
and ethics. Students will find in this
syllabus an extensive list of other recommended readings; the instructor will
comment on many of these additional publications as part of lectures or class
discussions.
A number of books are recommended
for purchase through the Society of American Archivists (student members of SAA
get a discount), including
Elsie Freeman Finch, ed., Advocating Archives: An Introduction to
Public Relations for Archivists (Metuchen, New Jersey: Society of American
Archivists and the Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1994). [A small quantity of this book is available
at the
Menzi L. Behrnd-Klodt and Peter J.
Wosh, eds., Privacy and Confidentiality
Perspectives: Archivists and Archival Records (
Verne Harris, Archives and Justice: A South African Perspective (
Margaret Procter, Michael G. Cook,
and Caroline Williams, Political Pressure
and the Archival Record (
Mary Jo Pugh, Providing Reference Services for Archives and Manuscripts (
Other volumes should be purchased
through any online or other bookstore of the student's choice (some of these
volumes also may be available for purchase through the Society of American
Archivists). Students should be able to
save money by purchasing used copies of these books. These books are available at the
Miles Harvey, The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime (
Richard J. Cox, Flowers After the Funeral: Reflections on the
Post-9/11 Digital Age (
Deborah Lipstadt, History on Trial: My Day in Court with David
Irving (
Alasdair Roberts, Blacked Out: Government Secrecy in the Information Age (
H. Shanks, ed. Understanding the
Richard J. Cox, Ethics, Accountability, and Recordkeeping in
a Dangerous World (
Susan Tucker, Katherine Ott,
and Patricia P. Buckler, eds., The
Scrapbook in American Life (
Course Schedule
INTRODUCTION
Session 1 (January 8, 2008)
Introduction to Course and Course
Requirements
Lecture: “
Recommended
Mark Edmundson, Why Read? (
Session 2 (January 15,
2008)
What Are Archival Access, Reference,
and Advocacy -- and Their Ethical
Implications? History and Definitions; Their Place in Archival Institutions;
Their Relationship to Each Other; Issues and Debates.
Lecture: “A Calling to Profess – But What?”
Required
Elsie Freeman Finch, ed., Advocating Archives: An Introduction to
Public Relations for Archivists (Metuchen, New Jersey: Society of American
Archivists and the Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1994).
Recommended
Sue E. Holbert, Archives and Manuscripts: Reference & Access (Chicago: Society
of American Archivists, 1977).
Ann E. Pederson and Gail Farr, Archives & Manuscripts: Public Programs (Chicago: Society of American
Archivists, 1982).
David B. Gracy, “Archivists, You Are
What People Think You Keep,” American
Archivist 52 (1989): 72-78.
Lucille Whalen, ed., Reference Services in Archives (New
York: Haworth Press, 1986).
Philip C. Brooks, Research in Archives: The Use of Unpublished
Primary Sources (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1969).
SECTION
Session 3 (January 22, 2008)
Administering Archival Reference
Programs
Lecture:
“The Reference Room as Archival Research Laboratory and Marketplace; or,
Do We Know Why Archival Records are Used?”
Required
Mary Jo Pugh, Providing Reference Services for Archives and Manuscripts (
Peruse Paul Conway, Partners in Research; Improving Access to
the Nation’s Archives (Pittsburgh: Archives and Museum Informatics,
1994). This is available at http://www.archimuse.com/publishing/partners.html.
Recommended
Paul Conway, “Facts and Frameworks: An
Approach to Studying the Users of Archives,” American Archivist 49 (Fall 1986): 393-407.
Bruce W. Dearstyne, “What Is the Use
of Archives? A Challenge for the Profession,” American Archivist 50 (Winter 1987): 76-87.
Elsie T. Freeman, “In the Eye of the
Beholder: Archives Administration from the User’s Point of View,” American Archivist 47 (Spring 1984):
111-23.
Linda J. Long, “Question Negotiation
in the Archival Setting: The Use of Interpersonal Communication Techniques in
the Reference Interview,” American
Archivist 52 (1989): 40-50.
Avra Michelson, “Description and
Reference in the Age of Automation,” American
Archivist 50 (Spring 1987): 192-208.
Laura B. Cohen, ed. Reference Services for Archives and
Manuscripts (New York: Haworth Press, Inc., 1997). Read selectively.
Frank G. Burke, Research and the Manuscript Tradition (Metuchen, New Jersey:
Scarecrow Press, 1997)
Janice E. Ruth, “Educating the
Reference Archivist,” American Archivist
51 (Summer 1988): 266-76.
Mary Jo Pugh, “The Illusion of
Omniscience: Subject Access and the Reference Archivist,” American Archivist 45 (Winter 1982): 33-44.
Susan L. Malbin, “The Reference
Interview in Archival Literature,” College
and Research Libraries (January 1997): 69-80.
Dianne L. Beattie, “An Archival User
Study: Researchers in the Field of Women’s History,” Archivaria 29 (Winter 1989-90): 33-50.
Paul Conway, “Research in
Presidential Libraries: A User Survey,” Midwestern
Archivist 11, no. 1 (1986): 35-56.
William J. Maher, “The Use of User
Studies,” Midwestern Archivist 11,
no. 1 (1986): 15-26.
Clark A. Elliott, “Citation Patterns
and Documentation for the History of Science: Some Methodological
Considerations,” American Archivist
44 (Spring 1981): 131-42.
Jacqueline Goggin, “The Indirect
Approach: A Study of Scholarly Users of Black and Women’s Organizational
Records in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division,” Midwestern Archivist 11, no. 1 (1986): 57-67.
Fredric M. Miller, “Use, Appraisal,
and Research: A Case Study of Social History,” American Archivist 49 (Fall 1986): 371-92.
Richard H. Lytle, “Intellectual
Access to Archives: I. Provenance and Content Indexing Methods of Subject
Retrieval,” American Archivist 43
(Winter 1980): 64-75; “Report of an Experiment Comparing Provenance and Content
Indexing Methods of Subject Retrieval,” ibid.
(Spring 1980): 191-206.
David Bearman, “User Presentation
Language in Archives,” Archives and
Museum Informatics 3 (Winter 1989-90): 3-7.
Ann D. Gordon, Using the Nation’s Documentary Heritage (Washington, D.C.:
Historical Documents Study, 1992). Read selectively.
Elizabeth Yakel and Laura L.
Bost. “Understanding Administrative Use and Users in University
Archives,” American Archivist 57
(1994): 596-615.
Wendy Duff and Catherine A. Johnson,
“Accidentally Found on Purpose: Information-Seeking Behavior of Historians in
Archives,” Library Quarterly 72
(October 2002): 472-496.
Session 4 (January 29, 2008)
Ethics, Access, and the Relationship
of the Researcher and the Reference Archivist
Lecture:
Brian Cumer, “The
Required
Sara Hodson, “Freeing the