[Archivesspace_Users_Group] Use of Genders field in Agents module?

[Clemens, Alison]

Hi, ArchivesSpace colleagues,

 

I’m writing to ask if anyone on this list has internal, documented policies and best practices in the use of the Genders field in the ArchivesSpace Agents module.

 

We (here at Yale) haven’t yet started using that field and are in the process of assembling some initial thoughts about how we might guide practitioners on campus to use (or not use) that field.

 

Any local documentation you have about this would be much appreciated – if you’re willing to share, could you please send me a note at alison....@yale.edu?

 

And if you’re curious about the broader literature and principles we’re consulting in this work, I’ve included our compiled list of sources below my signature.

 

With thanks,

Alison

 

Alison Clemens

[she/her or they/them]

Access Strategist

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Yale University Library

alison....@yale.edu

 

Compiled resources:

 

• Metadata Best Practices for Trans and Gender Diverse Resources
• Revised Report on Recording Gender in Personal Name Authority Records
• SNAC Cooperative Demographics Statement
• Collection Services Manual for the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University, Section 5.4.4, Describing Gender 
• Digital Transgender Archive Harm Reduction Guide
• Harvard CHoM Description Manual
• Records in Contexts (RiC) Comments from the Technical Subcommittee on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (TS-DACS), Section 2. Concepts Around Human Identity: RiC-P36 Gender (2016)

 

[Maureen Cresci Callahan]

A few years ago, we did a big project to look at identity categories in subject headings that are assigned to archival collections. This included subject analysis training and a big lit review (although I'm seeing some really wonderful resources in your email, Alison, that have come along since!) I think our big two principles that we took away that can be applied to any of this work are:

1. A person is always the sole authority on their identity categories. Often, when we do description work, it's important to identify from independent sources that our information about a historical figure is true -- but the only appropriate source for identity categories like gender, sexual identity, race, ethnicity, or belief is the individual themself.

2. Do not assign an identity category to a person unless we have documentation from that person's own voice that it applies. In some cases, a person may present different identity categories to different audiences. For living persons, it's best to just check with the person. For dead people, any differences should be documented and contextualized as part of archival description.

For my money, if we follow these guidelines, we tend to be okay!

I'm excited to see what you smarties at Yale come up with -- I hope you'll share!

Maureen

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--

Maureen Cresci Callahan
Sophia Smith Collection Archivist

Smith College Special Collections
Northampton, Massachusetts 01063
voicemail: 413 585 2981
email: mcal...@smith.edu

videoconference: https://smith.zoom.us/my/maureen.callahan

pronouns: she/her/hers

Information about the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's history