Ethical Digitization Considerations Workshop with Archivists Roundtable

Join the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (ART) in collaboration with the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) and the Feminist Institute (TFI) for a workshop on ethical considerations surrounding digitization and oral history.

As our world becomes increasingly digital, so do archives. Bringing materials online presents a unique set of challenges. The Feminist Institute shapes our archival practices within feminist ethics of care. This means we prioritize building relationships with our record holders, view ourselves as caretakers of their materials, and utilize a collaborative cataloging model to create a participatory archiving environment. An extension of this form of care work, called reciprocal ethnography, asks questions like, “how do we give agency to our narrators to be advocates of their own stories.” By looking at projects like the NYC Trans Oral History Project, we learn how grassroots and volunteer-led collective work can model this by placing an emphasis on accessible materials and community engagement.

This workshop will allow participants to learn and discuss the ethics surrounding digitizing personal cultural material and oral histories. What kinds of releases are needed? What role does relationship building play in digital archiving? How might we de-professionalize institutional roles so that marginalized communities have more access to the recording and preservation of their histories? Participants will get hands-on experience in wrestling with digitization ethical considerations, oral history exercises, and compassionate listening.

This is an in-person workshop limited to 30 people (ART + METRO members only). Box Lunch catered by Lenwich will be provided (water bottle and snack included).