On a Critically Articulated Philosophy and Ethics of LIS
In “An Archive of Our Own…,” written in LS 556: Intellectual Foundations of Archival Theory & Practice, I explored the work of archivist and academic Rebecka Taves Sheffield. Through her hands-on work with the ArQuives, as well as her own archival projects and her book Documenting Rebellions (2020), she has contributed significantly to developing and articulating an ethics of queer community archives. Sheffield and I share a similar lens, coming from a queer studies background before finding ourselves in LIS spaces, and I really appreciate the ways in which Sheffield is able to marry queer studies and archival theory.
In “When the Call is Coming from Inside the Library: Self-Censorship as a Staff Retention Issue” written in LS 501: Information in Communities, I tackle the repercussions of not following professional ethics in regards to censorship. While I wrote this nearly two years ago, it feels more relevant than ever as federal agencies are gutted and local institutions are curtailed by both federal and state-level legislation.
This program has strengthened my belief in the importance of open and free information, of intersectionality, and of guarding against the rise of white supremacy, homophobia and transphobia, and other forms of bigotry. As I write this, I am at work at a public library, wearing a T-shirt that reads Ban Bigots, Not Books. While maybe excessively cheeky, this illustrates one of my guiding principles—nobody gets to tell someone else what they can read (or otherwise cerebrally consume).
Example 1
An Archive of Our Own
or, She Who Archives the Archives:
Rebecka Taves Sheffield’s Contributions to Queer Community Archives
or, She Who Archives the Archives:
Rebecka Taves Sheffield’s Contributions to Queer Community Archives
Written in LS 556 : Intellectual Foundations of Archival Theory & Practice
Example 2
When the Call is Coming from Inside the Library:
Self-Censorship as a Staff Retention Issue
Self-Censorship as a Staff Retention Issue
Written in LS 501 : Information in Communities