https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives This digital poster looks at various topics of ethics in archives and special collections. en-us 2016-09-19 19:20:13 UTC 2025-09-24 13:48:29 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Lightdecrease.png leannabarcelona https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/124892818 For a full list of annotated references used in this project  please see the attached document OR visit the RSS Feed through Firefox!]]> 2016-09-19 19:56:58 UTC https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/124892818 leannabarcelona https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/124893834 Archivists and librarians are often held to an ethical standard in their professions. They must make choices and act in a way that benefits the community they serve. What does it mean to act ethically in the archival profession and what ethical challenges to archivists face?]]> 2016-09-19 20:01:27 UTC https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/124893834 leannabarcelona https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/138581358 Most often, archivists cannot digitize their entire collection, depending on the size. Therefore, they must make a choice about which materials are worthy of digitization, and thus greater access. This choice holds a lot of power and places a lot of responsibility on professionals. 

In addition to selection comes the ethical dilemma of providing greater access to personal and sensitive materials, tying the issue of digitization to the privacy-access dilemma. Digitization can be greater access, but this may not always be in the best interest of the materials. ]]> 2016-11-17 22:35:02 UTC https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/138581358 leannabarcelona https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/138581392 Much of the literature on archival ethics and special collections as a whole grapples with how personal information and sensitive materials are accessible to others. Certain legislation, like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), outline rules for releasing personal health records. While some materials may be beneficial for research, archivists much make decisions about what is accessible. Access is also tied to arrangement and description, because how something is stored and searchable can affect how people find certain records. This can become problematic when done incorrectly, and also without thought. If a collection is described including personal information that really should be restricted, then an ethical problem arises.

In addition to legislation are restrictions places on collections by donors and/or archivists. Many donors will donate collections with stipulations, may it be consent forms not to make photo copies or to keep papers under lock in key for a certain number of years. In some cases, donors may not require restrictions when they should have and it is up to the archivist to step in and decide if further restrictions should be implemented for the sake of privacy. ]]> 2016-11-17 22:35:18 UTC https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/138581392 leannabarcelona https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/138582397 Many institutions follow a code of ethics, such as the National Archive's Archivist Code below. Other examples are the International Council on Archives Code of Ethics and the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Core Values Statement and Code of Ethics. Many archival institutions adhere to these codes or use them as a base for their own. ]]> 2016-11-17 22:44:40 UTC https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/138582397 leannabarcelona https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/138721913 Helen Wakely asks the question, who is it that we want to represent in our collections? This question is important to ask as an archivist because essentially the decision to collect certain materials is a decision to collect specific voices.]]> 2016-11-18 15:12:26 UTC https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/138721913 leannabarcelona https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/138971647 Andrieli Pachú da Silva and additional researchers looked at 16 archival codes in various countries in the world and used content and textual analysis on each to compare them collectively to see if archival arrangement and description was mentioned.]]> 2016-11-20 23:07:31 UTC https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/138971647 leannabarcelona https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/139229196 The three big topics in which ethical issues in archives arises are:

• Privacy versus Access
• Digitization
• Imperative Records Management and Understanding of Responsibility

]]> 2016-11-21 22:30:19 UTC https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/139229196 leannabarcelona https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/140548417 Particularly in the context of human rights, many scholars argue that archivists must collect materials. It is imperative for them to manage records because it documents certain times and travesties in the world. Scholars have looked at genocide as a way to examine neutrality in archives and found that in certain situations, it is impossible to remain neutral because archivists possess a social responsibility to communities and generations to retain documentation of what has happened. An example of this is record keeping of Nazi and Holocaust related materials. 

In addition to keeping records, scholars believe that archivists must understand the full responsibility of their profession. This is often done through ethical codes, but some scholars believe that in certain areas of the world, these codes are not developed well enough or followed thoroughly. One of the main areas that ethics play a role is in selection/appraisal of materials. Archivists hold the power to determine what is kept and what is not, choosing whose voices are heard and who is kept silent. They may also be faced with materials that uncover unsavory actions, requiring them to become "whistle-blowers" in some scenarios. Understanding the weight of the social and moral responsibility that comes with being a keeper of the past as an archivist is vital, and some scholars argue that there need to be more guidelines and discussions to help archivists navigate through this. ]]> 2016-11-29 16:05:05 UTC https://padlet.com/leannabarcelona/ethics_in_archives/wish/140548417