Welcome to Week 4.
Please read
1. Controlling the Past textbook, pp.257-278 (Elizabeth Yakel's essay)
2. Controlling the Past textbook, pp. 365-382 (Jimerson essay)
The respond here to the following:
1. What does Yakel understand by archival 'representation'? In what sense is this an 'active' role?
2. In what sense do archivists control the past, according to Jimerson? And why are there ethical consequences of this responsibility?
I'll post the Research Paper Assignment later this week. Hopefully you have a topic in mind by now!
~Aaron
Yakel's archival representation refers to the "representation of records by records creators, archivists, and systems." Meaning that there is an evolution that is inherent in the representation of records from the time they were created by their creators and the transformation that occurs when archivists change or disrupt the "original order" of the records by applying their own bias or judgement in arrangement. The organizational and classification schemes vary by archivist, and if a collection is rearranged several times, the original context loses some integrity. According to Yakel, "The archival representations, then, demonstrate not only the evolving physical collections and intellectual understandings of collections, but also changing perspectives on collection arrangement, description, and management." The archivist must be aware that these representations build on one another, and represent the possible cultural context and bias of the archivist.
ReplyDeleteArchivists control the past because they are responsible for shaping the documentary direction of records. Jimerson emphasizes the importance of recognizing this power because the ethical consequences of not adhering to the responsibility is in record representation that has lost integrity due to bias, or is not meeting the needs of those who are underrepresented in society. He focuses on social justice and collaboration with librarians and museum curators to fill in the gaps. Thus, by controlling the records, you control the past--and how the past will be presented to future generations.
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ReplyDeleteArchival representation means that any information drawn from a source must accurately reflect it in its entirety. The truth is the archivist's activism. Yakel uses the example of a historian cherry-picking one sentence from a diary to create the support for his entire narrative as a reminder for objectivity.
ReplyDeleteArchivists are duty bound not to manipulate records to push any agenda. Any time material is processed the historical integrity is somewhat lost. An archivist must let the truth of the information speak for itself without organizing it in a way to disservice its original intent. Control of records and the past comes with responsibility.
Yakel understands that archival representation has the ability to grow through web 2.0 by working collaboratively with stakeholders and in sharing authority. This gives the community and archivist an active role in elaborating and expanding history. Yakel states, “…archivist can use web tools and use existing metadata to enrich context, collaboration, and shared authority.” Her goal is to expand the role of archivist by including others in the process of curation. She further states, “…collaboration with the stakeholders from a specific interested communities is key tent of documentation strategy. Yet the envisioned participation was carefully controlled and modulated: the archivist was still in control”. Yakel recognizes that there is a fine line in taking an active role. However, through her examples and experiences she shows, it is possible and a positive expansion of archival practice.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Jimerson, archivist control the past because of the records they keep. Furthermore, without archival memory the history of the people is left out, thus, leaving history to be told by those in power. Jimerson gives examples of this in explaining the history of auther, George. Jimerson states, “His [Orwell] perspective and commitment coincide with subsequent efforts to demonstrate the centrality of archives to modern society and the damages of a world without access to reliable information about the past and present.” Orwell’s experiences helped guide his work, which elaborates on leaving behind a form of dependable records and stopping totalitarianism. In turn, it is a responsibility to record and archive the past. It is important to place biases aside and archive all histories. If the past and present is not archive and recorded it leaves room for totalitarianism.
This week’s readings were my favorite! I enjoyed Yakel because of her elaboration on shared authority. I believe sharing authority is a great way to get people involved and passionate about history. I loved that Jimerson writes about Orwell, Animal Farm is one of my favorite books!
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ReplyDeleteYakel says that archival representation is the ever evolving archives. Archives are manipulated in many different ways and their representation are changed depending on the archivist or person using the material. Web 2.0 has become a fascinating topic as of late with archivists because it gives the general public more of a role in archiving even if they are unaware of that role. Yakel aims to include more people in the world of archives.
ReplyDeleteJimmerson is very straight forward: archivists control the past because they have the control over the documents that represent the past. I have a friend/ex-boss who is an archivist, who (jokingly!)told me once not to mess with her because she was an archivist and could make me disappear. The power of archivists hold many ethical issues, including the power to create or erase history. Who is to say what is important in history? Who is to say what gets remembered and what gets forgotten? True, the majority of history is written by the powerful and the winners, but there are instances where we have the other side. Jimmerson is very against totalitarianism.
I also want to apologize for this being so incredibly late. I accept the consequences of my action.
DeleteMS