1. Methods to Address Systemic Collection Bias
SAA Research Forum 2018
Laken Smith
Graduate Intern, Athens State University
MLIS University of Alabama
Pulaski Public Library
Dakota Cotton
University Archivist, Reference Librarian
Athens State University 1

2. Historical Context & Issues
N. Alabama / Tennessee Valley
Athens, AL & Pulaski, TN.
Founding sites of the Ku Klux Klan
History of racist violence and terrorism
Historically White Institution(s)
Whitewashing, selective accessioning, historical denialism
Ongoing segregation, underrepresentation 2

3. “… most discussion of the racial and ethnic homogeneity of the field overlooks the systematic structural inequalities that create such homogeneity in the first place. Racism is not simply a matter of individual choice; it is a system of power relations fundamentally embedded in every institution in American society.
…more scholarly and professional attention needs to be paid to white privilege as an overarching construct that shapes virtually every aspect of the archival endeavor… Here, critical race theory’s framework for interrogating, challenging, and eliminating the predominance of white supremacy can provide a crucial way forward (Dunbar 2006).”
– From “Critical Directions for Archival Approaches to Social Justice,” Punzalan & Caswell, Pg. 9

4. Systemic Bias White Supremacy in the Archive – Manifestations:
Record Gaps
Invisibility - Silence
Public Spaces 4

5. Systemic Bias White Supremacy in the Archive:
Manifestation: Record Gaps
Missing Records, “Cleaned”/ Obfuscated Records
Methods to Address: Record Gaps
Conduct environmental scan
Policy restructuring: Ensure records of those in power are kept.
State Standard Retention Policies – Permanent Record Guidelines
Self-audit 5

6. Systemic Bias White Supremacy in the Archive:
Methods to Address: Record Gaps
Policy restructuring: Actively prioritize and pursue marginalized histories
Ex.: Margaret Oliver Collection
Co-Author: Laken Smith 6

7. Systemic Bias White Supremacy in the Archive:
Manifestation: Invisibility – Silence
Lack of Representation of PoC
Active minimization of white supremacy
In our public & published history
On campus & in the student body
Local history organizations
“The trope that “it was just a social club” gets harder to break the longer we allow it to exist. The men who created the society, their intentions, the unintentional results, and the silence that surrounds the KKK’s history have not been properly addressed.” Laken Smith 7

8. Systemic Bias White Supremacy in the Archive:
Methods to Address: Invisibility – Silence
Leverage Institutional Level Strategic Planning
Research / Publication
Local & official history publications, Historical markers
Direct outreach
Advisory Council to the Archive:
Outreach to staff, faculty, students, community of color directly
Foster relationships & create active dialogue to guide archival policies and growth 8

9. Systemic Bias White Supremacy in the Archive:
Manifestation: Public Spaces
Buildings, Artwork, Displays
Founders Hall, 1844 9

10. 10

11. Systemic Bias White Supremacy in the Archive:
Methods to Address: Public Spaces
Add context and dialogue to existing public art & spaces
Tell the whole story & refute patterns of whitewashing and selective historical narratives
Engage with local people to solicit collaborative opportunities with communities of color
Call to Artists, events
Digital Presence 11

12. Explanation Objectives Participants Resources News/Blog 12

13. 13

14. “The discourse within our field tells us that, for as long as they have existed, archives have been operating in the service of power.
But by embracing our role as activists, we have the opportunity to turn this very evidence against the structures of power, which has in the United States been rooted in white supremacy.”
– From “Truth and Reconciliation: Archivists as Reparations Activists.” Robinson-Sweet, Pg 14

15. References
Caswell, Michelle. Not Just Between Us: A Riposte to Mark Greene. UCLA Retrieved from
Caswell, Michelle & Punzalan, Ricardo. “Critical Directions for Archival Approaches to Social Justice.” The Library Quarterly. Vol. 86, No
De la Peña, Carolyn. “The History of Technology, the Resistance of Archives, and the Whiteness of Race.” Technology and Culture, vol. 51, no. 4, 2010, pp. 919–937. JSTOR, JSTOR,
Dunbar, Anthony W. “Introducing Critical Race Theory to Archival Discourse: Getting the Conversation Started.” Archival Science. Vol. 6, p
Perkins, Douglas D. “Speaking Truth to Power: Empowerment Ideology as Social Intervention and Policy.” American Journal of Community Psychology. Vol. 23, No p
Poole, Alex H. “The Strange Career of Jim Crow Archive: Race, Space, and History in the Mid-Twentieth-Century American South.” The American Archivist. Vol.77, No p
Ramirez, Mario. “Being Assumed Not to Be: A Critique of Whiteness as an Archival Imperative.” The American Archivist. Vol. 78, No. 2, p
Robinson-Sweet, Anna. “Truth and Reconciliation: Archivists as Reparations Activists.” The American Archivist. Vol. 81, No. 1, p
Solnit, Rebecca. “Silence and powerlessness go hand in hand – women’s voices must be heard.” The Guardian. March, 8th, 2017.
Taylor, Chris. "Getting Our House in Order: Moving from Diversity to Inclusion." The American Archivist. Vol. 80, No. 1, p  
Thomas, David. The Silence of the Archive. Facet Publishing, Principles and Practice in Records Management and Archives. EBSCOhost.
Caswell, Michelle. Not Just Between Us: A Riposte to Mark Greene. UCLA Retrieved from
Caswell, Michelle & Punzalan, Ricardo. “Critical Directions for Archival Approaches to Social Justice.” The Library Quarterly. Vol. 86, No
De la Peña, Carolyn. “The History of Technology, the Resistance of Archives, and the Whiteness of Race.” Technology and Culture, vol. 51, no. 4, 2010, pp. 919–937. JSTOR, JSTOR,
Dunbar, Anthony W. “Introducing Critical Race Theory to Archival Discourse: Getting the Conversation Started.” Archival Science. Vol. 6, p
Perkins, Douglas D. “Speaking Truth to Power: Empowerment Ideology as Social Intervention and Policy.” American Journal of Community Psychology. Vol. 23, No p
Poole, Alex H. “The Strange Career of Jim Crow Archive: Race, Space, and History in the Mid-Twentieth-Century American South.” The American Archivist. Vol.77, No p
Ramirez, Mario. “Being Assumed Not to Be: A Critique of Whiteness as an Archival Imperative.” The American Archivist. Vol. 78, No. 2, p
Robinson-Sweet, Anna. “Truth and Reconciliation: Archivists as Reparations Activists.” The American Archivist. Vol. 81, No. 1, p
Solnit, Rebecca. “Silence and powerlessness go hand in hand – women’s voices must be heard.” The Guardian. March, 8th, 2017.
Taylor, Chris. "Getting Our House in Order: Moving from Diversity to Inclusion." The American Archivist. Vol. 80, No. 1, p  
Thomas, David. The Silence of the Archive. Facet Publishing, Principles and Practice in Records Management and Archives. EBSCOhost. 15