Panel on Authority and Authenticity in Archives

from Jeremy York:

Elizabeth Yakel began the discussion about authority in archives with questions of who controls the past, and who should control the past. She outlined her own journey working with the Polar Bear Collections website over the last several years, a website that uses collaborative filtering, commenting, and other features to give users a shared role and voice in shaping interpretations of the World War I Polar Bear Expedition (http://polarbears.si.umich.edu). She argued that giving users a greater say in representations of the past was a question of recognizing authority – that archives do not always have the most authoritative sources when creating representations; sharing authority – having interpretations of collections mediated by archival staff, and users as well who respond to other users’ comments; and creating authority – creating a space for people to own their past and have a say in it. She concluded in the end that the important question in archives is not about authority, but about sharing. Authority can be shared in archives and that is where our emphasis should lie.

David Horrocks then turned the focus of the panel to government records and declassification. He spoke about the ways in which the digital environment is changing the way materials from the Ford Presidency are classified and shifting authority for determining which documents are made accessible from archivists to researchers. Authority in determining access to presidential archives is not held by archivists, but by agencies creating the archives. In the past, this resulted in a laborious process of photocopying materials, sending them to the agency, and awaiting declassification instructions. To increase the efficiency of this process, a new system of Remote Archival Capture (RAC), (a collaborative effort between presidential libraries, the CIA, and a private contractor), has been implemented to digitize archival materials and make them available electronically for review by creating agencies. Advantages of this have been greater efficiency and expertise in declassifying documents, an easier process of re-review, and increased access to collections for researchers who are able to make requests for specific folders and documents (rather than search through a collection of 400 cubic feet, for instance, without a finding aid). One disadvantage has been that with more specific requests, and because requests from researchers are honored equally, requests for materials regarding UFOs receive equal time and consideration as those regarding what some would consider weightier materials such as Vietnam or the Philippines. Another is that digital copies allow multiple agencies access to archival materials, in which they may also want to claim ownership and have a say in determining access.

Julie Herrada spoke last and talked about a variety of issues relating to curation and use of the Ladabie Collection. She noted that limited resources are a significant barrier to carrying out projects similar to the Polar Bear Project in Special Collections, as are issues of copyright and privacy. An institution with a conservative view of access to collections such as the UM Library would be interested in digitizing materials, but not necessarily in making them broadly available. One illustration of this is materials Special Collections owns relating to the investigation of crimes by military personnel during the Vietnam war, including of the My Lai massacre. It was not entirely clear if Special Collections was legally allowed to have these materials when they were accessioned, but there were added to the collection after due legal counsel. A journalist later used this collection to gain access to materials not released by the government and won a Pulitzer Prize for his work. While Special Collections in many ways does not have authority over how its collections are used (it may not hold the copyright for materials, for example) it is customary for those who know they will publish to use collections to ask the Library’s permission. The journalist did this and permission was granted, but these types of permission are one level of control that Special Collections enjoys, and would like to retain, over its collections. Another illustration arises from time to time regarding potential donors to the Special Collections whose views may or may not be in line with those expressed in areas of the Labadie Collection. At times such as these it is convenient to alternately showcase, or downplay materials in the Labadie collection [a practice that may not be as easily executed if the Labadie’s materials were more broadly available].

Highlights from the panel, What Libraries and Information Centers Want in New Hires

from Julie Piacentine (U-M):

With frank honesty and sincerity, our panelists provided three very different perspectives on the skills and general propensities that libraries and information centers look for in new hires. All three panelists mentioned the importance of adaptability, networking, and leadership/self-motivation.

Holly Hibner, Head of Adult Services at the Salem-South Lyon District Library, shared detailed descriptions of the skills and general abilities that her organization looks for. Flexibility is key, since at Holly’s relatively small organization, members of the staff “get a hand in everything,” assisting with all aspects of library work. She noted that her organization not only looks for people who are comfortable with change -- comfort isn’t enough. The Salem-South Lyon District Library looks for new hires who will drive change in the organization, not just go with the flow. Holly also encouraged job seekers to find “your thing,” your area of special interest and expertise, which you can contribute to the organization. Holly gave the example that reference is “her thing,” that when a seemingly-impossible reference question comes up, coworkers bring it to her, knowing that she thrives on the challenge of going the extra mile to find the needed information.

Denise Allee, Records Manager at General Motors, encouraged job seekers to demonstrate their dedication to their field by getting involved in professional associations. Denise noted that it is easy to tell from a resume whether a candidate is actively involved in a professional association. Denise also noted that in fields where details are important, such as records management, make sure your resume is flawless! Some other key things that Denise looks for are:

• Leadership skills - be a team player but also a self-starter.
• Communication skills - learn to listen and read between the lines.
• Problem solving skills - in records management “everything is a crisis.”
• Strategic thinking - how will a decision impact the organization in the long-term?

Finally, Molly Mahony, solo librarian at the U of M Tanner Philosophy Library, gave the perspective of an academic librarian and the specific perspective of a solo librarian. Molly said, “Cataloging is absolutely critical to know and understand and I’m speaking to you as a reference librarian.” She emphasized that you can make your job what you want it to be by arguing your case effectively. Molly noted some specific challenges in transitioning from part time to full time, explaining that employer’s expectations increase greatly when you increase your hours. Finally, Molly noted that, while solo librarianship is highly rewarding, she does not recommend it for new graduates because it is very isolating. Molly entered her position as a solo librarian after establishing a strong network through previous positions at the U of M and elsewhere.

The panel was a great success! Our panelists deserve tremendous thanks for taking the time to share their insights and experience!

Wayne State University Professional Panel: Digital Authority in the Academic Library

from Jessica Keyser (WSU):

Annette Healy, Monique Andrews and Rhonda McGinnis of Wayne State University presented some interesting trends in reference services in the academic setting. Andrews discussed the authority of government documents as many agencies are transitioning from print to online formats. She showed examples of authenticated PDFs that are digitally signed with validation icons. The authenticated PDF is one solution to the problem of questionable authority in web-based documents.

Healy discussed sources of consumer health information found online, and the emerging use of Web 2.0 technologies to distribute health information. Many patients are using social networking sites to form online support groups that provide anonymity, inclusion, and connections that transcend geographic boundaries. The Centers for Disease Control is actually now using Second Life to disseminate public health information. With the huge increase of available health information, librarians are needed to assist users in finding quality resources.

McGinnis talked about the library instruction sessions WSU librarians provide for undergraduate students on finding and evaluating consumer research and user opinions online. The authority of user reviews on sites such as Amazon, C-Net, Google Product Search and e-pinions is questioned. According to a recent Pew study, many internet users rely upon other users’ reviews when making decisions. These sources tend to make librarians uncomfortable, as there is no control over the content of the reviews. However, McGinnis encourages us to consider these popular sources while also educating our users about more “authoritative” sources like Consumer Reports, ProQuest and Gale General One File.

Teaching Authority Panel, Sunday, March 30

from Kate Hutchens:

This panel focused on issues of authority from the perspective of School Media Specialists. The first panelist to speak was Sally Evaldson. She presented some of the challenging aspects of student research behavior that she has observed, as well as some difficulties in dealing with teachers. She emphasized the importance of acknowledging the foundation of reading skills on which all internet reading and research is based, and the necessity to consider these skills when dealing with students and web resources. One resource that Ms. Evaldson pointed out as particularly helpful is QUICK, the QUality Information ChecKlist (http://www.quick.org.uk/index2.htm). The second panelist, Monique Uzelac, mentioned her use of the mantra "Why do I care?" while working with students to evaluate the reliability of web resources to help them understand (by being able to tell her why she cares) the importance of being critical of web information. Our third panelist, Julie Darling, discussed her way of explaining authority and bias to her students. She tells them (to paraphrase), "You are authorities on what it's like to go to East Middle School, so if you make a website about it, it's pretty authoritative. If somebody from West Middle School makes a website about East, wouldn't you wonder about their motives and quality of information?" The fourth panelist, Marcia Mardis, discussed some of the issues of negotiation, with colleagues/administrators as well as with resources and students, that confront professionals in school media. She also talked some about the AASL's Standards for 21st Century Student Learning, of which she is one of the authors. Unfortunately, time ran short for the Q&A, but the question that spurred some discussion from the panelists was about the issue of disparity in research and resource-locating skills for those graduating high school and going on to higher education, and what a college-level librarian might want to know or do to better deal with the situation.

The AASL Standards for 21st Century Student Learning can be found on AASL's page, downloadable in PDF format from:

http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/standards.cf...

Observations from the first Student Panel

The first student panel of the conference covered quite a range of topics under the umbrella title of "The Changing Identity of Information and the Information Profession." Vanessa Uribe of Drexel University presented on the rise of self-representing litigants seeking legal information and their increasing need for reliable and authoritative information about legal issues, particularly in the matters of family law and small claims. Uribe states that this need is most effectively met by the librarians who staff public law libraries, professionals trained in both the legal and library science fields.
The topic of IT and librarianship was addressed in the paper given by Maureen Callahan and Dianne Dietrich of the University of Michigan. The current trend among library schools to teach the tools, rather than the methods of IT is resulting is a missed opportunity to produce librarians who embrace technological advances with the same fearlessness they bring to their reference interactions with patrons. Callahan and Dietrich propose that library science programs address this issue by introducing instruction that focuses on command line computing environments to engender more flexibility and confidence interacting with IT: "the computer is not a 'black box'". Likewise, training of IT professionals who work in libraries could be enhanced by introducing aspects of library education that emphasize values such as the reference interview.
The final presentation was by Jodi Schneider of the University of Illinois, who spoke about the history of the transition from manuscripts to print. The concepts of authority and authorship that developed with the rise of print has direct implications for the current transition from print to digital. In a presentation enhanced with several high quality images of manuscripts, Schneider highlighted some lessons learned from the earlier transition, particularly the importance of copies for preservation and how attributions of authorship have often been suspect with variations of compilations and annotations of work over time.

The panel papers and presentations will be posted to this website as they become available.

WELCOME TO THE QUESTIONING AUTHORITY CONFERENCE

WELCOME TO THE QUESTIONING AUTHORITY CONFERENCE

The conference chairs wish to welcome you to the Questioning Authority Conference which is currently underway at the University of Michigan. Please check back on the conference blog as it will be updated Daily and we would love to have participants comment. A few things for conference attendees to note:

1. The Bentley Historical Library Tour has been cancelled due to low registration for this particular tour.
2. The Ford Library Tour is full.
3. The Clossing Dinner will be held in the Rackham Assembly Hall, instead of the Michigan Union Anderson Rooms.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at (505) 385-7104 (Friday Only) or (734) 647-4937 (Saturday and Sunday).

Sincerely,
The Questioning Authority Conference Chairs