Chapter 6: Determining Access Policies

The goal of an access policy is to protect the records from harm, prevent some information from being disclosed prematurely, and strive to make as much information as possible available to users. An access policy mediates among the competing demands of privacy, confidentiality, public right to know, and equality of access.

Archival Responsibilities Regarding Access

• Understand laws and regulations relevant to information found in records in the repository, especially federal and state laws governing privacy, confidentiality, freedom of information, and regulations regarding security classifications.
• Advise donors and creators about access issues
• Negotiate clear and responsible agreements with donors and agencies
• Know where sensitive information is likely to be found in the collection
• Identify information that cannot be released immediately for public use
• Develop appropriate restrictions for sensitive materials
• Administer restrictions fairly
• Inform users about restricted materials
• Strive to open as much material as possible
• Define policy about access decisions
• Promote equal access wherever possible

It is important that archivists understand some the laws regulating record use. The Freedom of Information Acts (FIOA) were created to ensure that records of government activities are open to all. The statute states that any person has the right to know anything about the operations of the federal government. Exceptions to FIOA include personal privacy and national security. FIOA allows users to request records from the government and the government must respond within a certain time frame.

Another law archivists should be aware of is The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). This law allows students or parents of minor students the right to examine or challenge educational records and prohibits the release of personal information without the permission of the student or parent. FERPA is something all archivist should be familiar with, but especially those working in college or university campuses.

A good access policy should contain: identify the users to be served by the repository, state the type of records held within the repository, state the restrictions on the collections and identify the laws or donor restrictions associated, describe reference services, disclose fees, describe physical access and conditions of user, explain how to use the information, and specify if materials can be loaned.

Access policies are the cornerstones of sound reference service and users should be made aware of the access policy. Archivists strive to provide equal service to all researchers, but the reality is that some records come with restrictions. A good access policy will help clarify these restrictions and allow users to see that a consistent method of service is being applied to all users.

Notes

My finding aid for the Richard M. Dorson Papers, 1940-1980 is up!

http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/findingaids/view?doc.view=entire_text&docId=InU-Ar-VAB8852

Fun Fact about the Wells Library:

We have the largest library collection for folklore and ethnomusicology anywhere in the world!

For this reason, it was selected to be the first “collection of distinction” to be digitized as part of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) agreement with Google. Under this agreement Google has digitized the entire Folklore Collection, which means that the contents of the entire collection will be searchable online by anyone. Only books in the public domain will be readable online, however.

For more about the folklore collection, visit our web page at http://www.libraries.iub.edu/index.php?pageId=329.

Details about the Collection of Distinction may be found here:http://www.libraries.iub.edu/index.php?pageId=8104

What We Could Be Losing

Chapter 5: The Reference Process

This chapter focuses on the human dimension of providing reference services in archives.

It may seem like as more finding aids and records become available online that there will be less of a need for reference services, but as information sources become more abundant people will need even more assistance to locate and evaluate these sources.

Intellectual Dimensions of Reference Services

• Initial Interview

· Query abstraction

· Query resolution

· Search strategy

• Continuing Interaction

• Exit Interview

The initial interview is the interchange between the archivist and the user. This is the opportunity for the archivist to elicit information about the research project and to guide the user to the appropriate sources. During the interview it is crucial for the archivist to ask good questions (query abstraction) about the specifics of the user's needs and goals. Good questions will lead to a better understanding of the user's needs, which will help the archivist provide the best possible solution and materials.

Query resolution is the process of the archivist and the user analyzing the problem in terms of the sources available. It is vital that the reference archivist be well versed in the sources available at their repository. Once the problem has been analyzed with an eye towards available sources, it is time to formulate a search strategy.

A search strategy is a plan for resolving the problem using the sources available. The archivist will help the user identify sources that are highly relevant, others as possibly useful, and some that may be of marginal interest. A well formed search strategy can only be developed if the archivist is aware of the current holdings of the repository, the formats available, the location of the records (some may be housed offsite), and the finding aids available.

The second full stage of the archivist/user interaction is the continuing interaction. As a user works through archival materials they frequently discover new aspects of their topic, discover new names, and become aware of additional sources. It is important for the archivist to support the user during this discovery period by providing additional information about holdings or directing them to reference files to aid in the research of a new name or topic. It is important that the user see the archivist as a vital link to the repository and that questions are always welcomed. A user must feel that the records and the expertise of the staff is being made available to them.

The exit interview is the last stage of the archivist/user interaction. Though it is seldom taken advantage of, the exit interview can function as a means of evaluation of the repository's services. The archivist can discover if the services available are helpful and useful, if the user has any suggestions about services, or even preservation is needed on certain items of a record collection. The exit interview can also service as an opportunity for the archivist to gather more information about existing collections. Perhaps the user can shed light on some person not well described in the collection or identify people in a photograph. The exit interview, though often overlooked, can enhance a repository in many ways.

This three stage process is not limited to physical archivist/user interactions. Off-site interaction should also follow this process. Today users are also taking advantage of the repository via phone, mail, email, and interactive features on the repository's website. It is crucial that archivists treat these users with the same care and respect as those physical visitors to the repository.

Overall, despite expanding technologies, the archivist will always be the mediator between the collection and the user. An archivist must always remember that a repository exists for users and that those users depend on archivists to provide them with the necessary materials from that repository.

Fight For Freedom, Inc.

Today Dina had me searching through Herman B Wells' correspondence files for some information a researcher had requested. As per usual, some interesting items were discovered that had nothing to do with the initial request. I found some documents asking for President Wells' participation in Fight For Freedom. I found a great write up about the Fight For Freedom from the Princeton University Mudd Manuscript Library. They currently house 38 linear feet relating the to Fight For Freedom movement.

"Fight for Freedom, Inc. (FFF), a national citizen’s organization established in April 1941, was a leading proponent of full American participation in World War II. Believing that the war was a threat to American freedom and security, FFF boldly and vehemently championed the interventionist cause, advocating that all necessary measures must be taken to insure the defeat of Adolf Hitler and the German Army. In addition, FFF worked to preserve fundamental American freedoms at home. An offshoot of the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies, FFF was supported by average citizens, as well as prominent educators, labor leaders, authors and playwrights, clergy, stage and screen actors, newspaper men, and politicians. Acting as a clearinghouse for information related to American intervention in World War II, FFF monitored the activities of the leading isolationist organization, the America First Committee, and many of its key individuals such as Charles A. Lindbergh, Burton Wheeler, and Gerald Nye. From its headquarters in New York City, FFF spread its message through an extensive network of state and local branches, as well as through heavy reliance on local newspaper editors supportive of the interventionist cause. Pearl Harbor effectively ended the isolationist-interventionist debate, and by early 1942 FFF had disbanded."

Here are the materials the Fight for Freedom movement sent President Wells.

The letter included a membership card, a propaganda poster, and a petition to post on campus to encourage students to join. I could find no response from IU indicating their support. Still an interesting pre-WWII piece of history.

Check out the Princeton University Mudd Manuscripts Library finding aid for their holdings of Fight For Freedom, Inc. materials, click here!

Grave Monuments

As I was arranging the haphazard folklore collections, I came across a very interesting collection. Pauline Montgomery donated her 1600 piece photo collection of Indiana grave monuments to the Folklore Department in 1983. This is a meticulously documented photograph collection of grave monuments across southern Indiana. The records she kept are quiet astounding. I know this collection will be something that genealogists will just love!

So as I was rehousing the photographs, I came across a most peculiar grave monument. It is a basic headstone, but just behind it is some sort of playhouse or dollhouse that stands as a monument to the deceased. I cannot make out the writing on the headstone so this could be for a child, but still an unusual sight to see in a graveyard. Ms. Montgomery even took a photograph of the inside of this house, which is fully furnished with curtains, tables, and dolls. Now, I'm no expert on grave monuments, but this is the first I've ever heard of constructing a fully furnished playhouse as a monument to the deceased. The interesting things you come across at the Archive!

Martha Lipton

Today I fielded a reference question regarding Martha Lipton. She was a famed mezzo soprano who sang at the Met and other great opera houses of the world. In 1960 she came to the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Lipton instructed young singers at IU until the early 1980s, which is when she retired.

She was a quite a famous opera singer for her day and was trained at Juilliard. It is amazing to think that she came to IU to instruct. How incredible to think that here in Indiana one could receive voice instruction from a world class opera singer! It just goes to show the level of extraordinary talent at the IU School of Music.

SAA-SC Conference

This Saturday was the SAA-SC "Change and Continuity". I have to say it was quite the success! We had presenters from 8 different institutions and attendees from all across the country. The SAA-SC Conference Committee did an excellent job of putting the conference together (thanks everyone!).

The presentations were, I thought, extremely interesting. Presenters talked about on the job experiences, the LOC and Smithsonian Flickr projects, digitization, and the preservation of culture in archives. There was a great variety of topics and all were incredibly relevant to our profession. The conference also included a behind-the-scenes tour of the Lilly Library and a presentation/workshop by Professor Philip Bantin. This was SAA's first conference with this group of officers and members and I think it was a great success. Hope SAA continues to host this conference!

Side note: I also presented at this conference. My topic was DSpace. I didn't do as well as I hoped. My presentation ran long and you could certainly tell from the wobbles in my voice that I was nervous. As glad as I'm that it is over, I'm glad I did it. Perhaps I'll get better with more practice.

Congrats to my fellow presenters who all did a great job!!

Photo courtesy of Bethany Fiechter

Read her blog here!

Week 8 Wrap Up

Week 8 was spent working on finding aids for the folklore collection. I finished two finding aids and submitted both for review. The finding aids I completed were for the Folklore Student Association and the Folklore Administrative Records. I hope that both only require minor edits, but I will find out as soon as I receive feedback from Professor Bantin.

For next week, I hope to finish the remaining two finding aids for the folklore collection. The Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife 1987 record series and the Pauline Montgomery: Grave Monuments manuscript series will be my focus. I think both of these collections are quite interesting and hopefully researchers will agree.

I'm excited to learn what my next project will be!

Chapter 4: Providing Intellectual Access to Archives

The arrangement and description of archives aids in the ability of the reference archivist to provide access to users and allows for the discovery of collections housed in the archive.

Archivists follow the principles of provenance and original order in organizing and arranging records. These principles are grounded in the contextual information that made the records usable as they were created.

Provenance links records to the functions that created them. Provenance is retains for the very important reason of ensuring that the evidence in the records is authentic.

Description is another important process that aids in intellectual access. Description functions as the information that guides users to records and helps user understand those records. To provide better access for users repositories create guides and finding aids that describe collections and records series’. These finding aids can be produced in a myriad of methods. EAD is becoming the most popular as it allows for the archive to mount their finding aids on the Internet, which allows for even greater discovery and use. Finding aids can be just paper publications that are as simple as a repository directory or as detailed as an EAD finding aid.

Archivists use a variety of finding aids, which continue to evolve as new technologies are developed, to provide intellectual access to users about the holdings and collections of an archive. Reference archivists provide a crucial link between these finding aids and the users seeking information. It is always important to remember that description and finding aids are not created just for those working within the archive, rather they are meant to aid users in finding the information they are seeking. It is easy to lose sight of the end user while arranging and describing a collection, but a user's needs must always be considered. Reference archivists take the end product of archivists and enable users to find those collections and gather the information needed.

EAD

Today my task was to help encode a lengthy finding aid using EAD. I was excited to finally do some encoded and brush up on my EAD skills. I spent the day finishing up this finding aid that will be needed by a class that is coming into the archive later this week. Several interns pitched in to get this huge finding aid finished in time. Most of this collection is described down to the item level, as this collection will be scanned for easier use and access. Hopefully I'll get to spend some more time doing encoding during the course of my internship.