The Ethics of Accessing Archives: Exploring Policies at the Arizona State Museum Archives Nevin Kohler

The Ethics of Accessing ArchivesArizona State Museum Archives

For my project, I focused on the Arizona State Museum Archives (ASMA) and its policies regarding access to its collections and holdings.

Questions I had going into this:

1) Why do the archives allow some material to be freely used whereas other items are more restricted?

2) How do the archives balance restriction of access versus ease-of-access?

3) Why are some archival items off-limits to everyone?

4) What is the relationship like between ASMA and regional tribes?

5) Do the archives’ information policies work well, or do they need to be changed?

First of all, what are the AZ State Museum Archives? What are its responsibilities?

The Ethics of Accessing Archives

The AZ State Museum Archives are located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson. On the second floor there is a library, which supports research and scholarship at the museum. The archival holdings are in this library.

According to its website, “the ASM Archives collects manuscripts and archival materials, including maps and sound recordings related to the archaeology and ethnology of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico” and “currently cares for more than 1,500 linear feet of paper documents, more than 6,000 maps, and more than 1000 original sound recordings. Access to the archives is by appointment only.”

Most of the archives are related to the study of the indigenous peoples of the American Southwest and northernwestern Mexico. The ten cultures the archives cover include the Navajo, Hopi, Seri, Tarahumara, Yaqui, O'odham, Colorado River Yumans, Southern Paiute, Pai and Apache.

The archives include documents relating to archaeological surveys, such as reports, maps and field records. There are also field notes and manuscripts related to ethnological research of indigenous people.

The Ethics of Accessing ArchivesBackground

“It is the policy of the Arizona State Museum to make its collections available to the public, academic community, and others for research, publication, exhibition, educational, and other purposes. However, the type and conditions of such use must be consistent with the museum's responsibility for care and preservation of its collections. Access to sensitive materials may be restricted. Archives users are responsible for securing copyrights or literary rights when necessary.

The Arizona State Museum Archives are available by appointment only Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.”

Arizona State Museum Archives Access Policies

“Access is available only to:

• Arizona Antiquities Act permit holders.

• Researchers who have a need to access the ASM Archives to comply with legal mandates.

• Researchers who have an interest in accessing fully processed manuscript collections whose finding aids are available are on Arizona Archives Online. Prior to making a request for access to documents, please research the collections on AAO to identify specific box/folder location information. Some archival documents have records in the ASM Library online catalog. Please provide the accession number associated with the document with your request for access.”

Arizona State Museum Archives Access Policies

To better understand the ASM Archives’ policies and their ethical considerations, I interviewed Mary Graham, head librarian, to find out more. I asked her the following questions:

1) What are some of the ethical challenges you face as the head librarian of the ASM Library & Archives?

2) What ethical dilemmas have arisen that have to do with any aspect of the collections or archives?

3) Do you ever refuse donations made to the collection? What kind of ethical considerations do you need to make when acquiring new materials for the library and/or archives?

4) How successful are your policies at “minimizing restrictions and maximizing ease of access”? Do you think access policies need to be amended to allow for more users to access the

archives?

5) According to your website, “access to sensitive materials may be restricted.” Why?

The Ethics of Accessing ArchivesInterview Questions

6) What security policies have you implemented to protect digital records from hackers and other would be thieves?

7) What are some of the most culturally sensitive materials in the archives and what do you do to ensure the privacy of those who are related to archive materials (donors, people whose lives are documented in the holdings, etc.)

8) Seeing as librarians, archivists and museum staff have privileged access to historical and culturally sensitive records, have you ever been in a situation where you’ve noticed there was a potential conflict of interest? If so, how did you handle it?

9) How do you balance the needs of preserving the collection versus making collections open to the public?

The Ethics of Accessing ArchivesInterview Questions

Mary Graham and I covered a lot of ground in the interview. Here are a few facts taken from the interview:

• Archaeological site location data reports are protected by law. Only vetted people, for example Arizona Antiquities Act permit holders

and other researchers, can access these data. Therefore the archives cannot just let anyone have access.

• Some documents, like agreements with the Hopi tribe, cannot be accessed unless one has permission from the Hopi.

• Sacred and religious information pertaining to certain cultural groups are restricted. Photographs of burials or human remains are

restricted as well. The archives maintain the right to approve or disapprove those who want to look at culturally sensitive information.

• Some things are closed to everyone. The archivists are stewards who hold it, but if tribes such as the Apache do not allow it, no one

can access it.

• Personal medical information from the 1950s and 60s is in the archives, but is restricted for obvious reasons.

• Sound recordings are in the archives, but permission was never gained from the tribes in AZ in the 1960s. There was no human

subject review board at the time. Therefore, the sound recordings are heavily restricted. Consultation with tribes needs to occur before

any decision is made regarding access. However, these recordings are still being preserved.

• Archives access hours are restricted and appointments are required due to a shortage of staff.

• There is a huge collection of legal documents the archives maintains.

The Ethics of Accessing ArchivesInterview Summary

Ethical Theory and Archival Policies

After interviewing the head librarian of the Arizona State Museum Library & Archives, I came away with the

impression that policies about access are oftentimes influenced by legal requirements. For example, since Native

American tribes can claim ownership to many of these documents, their permission is often required for access.

There are also laws regarding privacy that affect access to records. These laws come from the Western

philosophical tradition, perhaps some of it stemming from Kant’s deontological ethical theory. At the same time,

the collaborative nature of how the archivists work with tribes reminds me of the collaborative nature of the

Navajo system of justice.

Therefore, my findings suggest the ethical theories that best guide the Arizona State Museum Archive’s policies

come from a combination of Kant’s ethical theory, in which people act and behave based on moral obligation

instead of for strict utilitarian reasons, and the Navajo system of justice, in which all members of a community

can participate in decision making and problem solving.

The Ethics of Accessing ArchivesAnalysis

• The Arizona State Museum, along with its Library and Archives, takes pride in how it works

and collaborates with tribes. Is this a growing trend, in which there is a collaborative

relationship between archivists and their primary stakeholders? Or is it an anomaly? What

can librarians and archivists do to improve relationships with donors and people who are

subjects of archives?

• Is it right for the AZ State Museum Archives to only allow access to Arizona Antiquities Act

permit holders and researchers who have to comply with the law? Or should they open up

these archives to others and be less restrictive?

• Do AZ State Museum Archives policies need to be changed, or are they fine the way they

are? What can this archival institution learn from the various codes of ethics we’ve studied

over the semester, including the Society of American Archivist’s Code of Ethics?

Discussion Questions

Brown, M. F. ‘Cultural Records in Question: Information and Its Moral Dilemmas.’ Cultural Resource Management 21, no. 6

(1998): 18–20.

Ellis, J., & Australian Society of Archivists. (1993). Keeping archives. Port Melbourne, Vic: Thorpe in association with the Australian

Society of Archivists Inc.

Mossman, E. (1993). Research, ethics and the marketplace: The case of the russian archives. Slavic Review, 52(1), 87-89

Schwarz, J. ‘The Archivist’s Balancing Act: Helping Researchers While Protecting Individual Privacy.’ In Privacy and

Confidentiality Perspectives: Archivists and Archival Records, edited by Menzi L. Behrnd-Klodt & Peter J Wosh, 82–92.

Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 2005.

Sookprasert, T., & Rungcharoensuksri, S. (2013). Ethics, access, and rights in anthropological archive management: A case study from

Thailand. International Journal of Humanities and Arts Computing, 7(supplement), 100-110.

Interview with Mary Graham, head librarian at Arizona State Museum Library and Archives. Interview conducted October 27, 2014

Society of American Archivists Code of Ethics website

Photos from Arizona State Museum Photograph Collection, University of Arizona

References