Black Lives Matter, the Internet Archive, COVID-19, and much more!
This week's newsletter will focus on various topics, ranging from Black Lives Matter to COVID-19. Enjoy!
Hello everyone! I hope you had a great week. This week’s newsletter will focus on a number of topics, different from last week.
I’d like to first plug my article about autistic representation in one of my favorite animated shows, while noting statements about Black Lives Matter (BLM). The first of these is by the SAA, noting an event, hosted this afternoon, asking the archival community to reflect on BLM. The second is a statement of solidarity on BLM, writing the following. Here are some excerpts:
Speaking on behalf of UW Libraries to all individuals and communities of color— including our UW employees, users and partners—we mourn with you and support the calls throughout our region and across the nation for justice, accountability and equality. We care about you. We see you. Black Lives Matter. The brutal killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tacoma resident Manuel Ellis and the many other victims of racist violence who suffered before them, reveal the long, persistent history of racism in our country and within our local communities…As I reflect on this unprecedented time in our history, I recognize my own privilege and advantage as a white woman and a leader for the UW Libraries…Libraries are inherently designed for and dedicated to the public good. They are built on the promise of knowledge, community and openness, but this promise is broken by the pervasiveness of racism and systemic bias that exist within our communities and specifically within libraries themselves…How we invest our time moving forward—our actions—will define the change we see in the future…May we each do the hard work to find the pathway to true change, a path guided by caring, compassion and love for each other.
On the same topic, see Ryan K. Smith’s article, “Rumors of War Arrives in the South” about changes to the “monumental landscape” in Richmond, the statement by the Texas Digital Library on racism, and a statement by the Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia about police statement. Furthermore, I’d recommend reading the statement by Cathy Gorn, the executive director of National History Day, on BLM.
There are many other important stories for this week. One of these is the Internet Archive ending their emergency library early in an effort to appease publishers, who filed a complaint at the beginning of this month. Basically, publishers sued the Internet Archive to end the emergency library, their digital lending program, with the suit, if it happened, would bankrupt the Internet Archive! I talked about this in some of my previous newsletters, but I’m mentioning it again. On the other hand, I think the post by David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, about how NARA is dealing with COVID-19 and ideas of possible re-opening is a worthy read. The same can be said by the Hack Library School post about why primary sources matter, and along with Margot Note’s writings. One of these posts is about why archivists should be active, and the other about the benefits of archivists using systems designed for them.
There are some other stories which deserve an honorable mention. First of all, PinkNews had a great article noting that no one knows who throws that the first brick thrown at Stonewall uprising, as it was a collective effort. NARA blogs highlighted specific records: Nixon White House tapes which were released in late May, photographs of Indigenous people within federal records, and FDR’s oval office desk. I also enjoyed reading about means of finding marriages for genealogists, an interview with an expert about why people do genealogy research, and Wayne O’Bryant talking about his family’s relationship with Rev. Simon Miller (1819-1875), using various original records, like census records.
That’s all for this week. I hope you all have a great weekend and week to come.
- Burkely