Demonstrate awareness of the ethics, values, and foundational principles of one of the information professions, and discuss the importance of those principles within that profession.
Introduction
“As archivists appraise records, they are doing nothing less than determining what the future will know about its past: who will have a continuing voice and who will be silenced.” – Terry Cook (Cook, 2011, p. 606)
Archivists play an important role in ensuring history is not forgotten. Evidence of the past can provide important information or lessons for the future. Archivists must act ethically in preserving the historical record. The largest professional organization for archivists in North America is the Society of American Archivists (SAA). SAA has developed the Code of Ethics for Archivists and Core Values of Archivists, which are “intended to be used together to guide individuals who perform archival labor or who work in archival environments” (SAA, 2020).
Ethics
SAA’s Code of Ethics for Archivists lists the “principles of the profession” which “should serve as aspirational principles for archivists to consider as they strive to create trusted archival organizations” (SAA, 2020). Overall, these principles give archivists starting points to evaluate the issues they are facing. The current code of ethics was significantly updated in August 2020 to make it clear that archival work is not neutral, recognize the “complex power dynamics among creators, archivists, and organizations,” as well as “the privilege and power held by those shaping the historical record through their archival decisions,” and highlight sustainability as an important value (Davis, 2020).
Access, Use, and Privacy Concerns
A key value of the archival profession is providing access and use of the archives. Archivists should “provide the widest possible accessibility of materials, while respecting legal and ethical access restrictions” (SAA, 2020). Access and use is the only category that appears as both a core value and an ethical area because of its importance in the profession. If archivists are not providing access to materials and use of them, there is no point to archiving materials in the first place. Access and use can become a big ethical issue when it comes up against privacy, one of the other core values of the profession.
Archivists must “recognize that privacy is an inherent fundamental right and sanctioned by law” and may need to “place restrictions on collections to ensure that privacy and confidentiality are maintained,” especially for traditionally marginalized people and groups (SAA, 2020). If archivists place restrictions on access and use of materials, it is important to be transparent and document “why and for how long [restrictions] will be enacted.”
The SAA website has five ethical case studies to provide further guidance on using the Code of Ethics and Core Values statement. One case study regards Native American materials held by non-tribal institutions. An archival intern at Idaho State University’s archives discovered images taken in the 1920s of a Sun Dance and of a man laid out for funerary viewing (Ryan, 2014). The intern himself was a Sun Dancer and brought these images to the attention of the Head of Special Collections and Archives, noting that these were “most likely taken without the knowledge or consent of tribal members.”
After meeting with a tribal archivist and others from the Fort Hall Reservation, an agreement was reached where images of tribal members from a distance outside the center of the Sun Dance were approved for access, but not images of the Sun Dancers and the ceremony itself. The archive restricted access to the Sun Dance and funerary images to families of those depicted only; even then, the families could only look at and not duplicate the images. While access and use is important for archives, it is also important to not cause harm to communities. In Native American communities, the release of “specialized information or knowledge … can cause irreparable harm” (Ryan, 2014). This ethical dilemma had a positive outcome, “building a relationship of mutual respect and working collaboratively” between the archive and the tribe.
Evidence
Artifact 1
Assignment: Annotated Bibliography Entry – Ethics
Course: INFO 204, Information Professions
Description: This assignment required me to select an article about ethics in an area of librarianship I’m interested in and write an annotated bibliography entry summarizing the article. I chose to discuss an article about the ethics of zine libraries, since I am interested in zines, archives, and marginalized voices. Zines are DIY self-published works, frequently made by members of intersecting marginalized communities. The article discusses the complicated ethical issues in cataloging zines, since authors may not want to be identified or have their materials made available, and argues for “breaking the rules” to protect zine creators.
I chose this assignment because it demonstrates my ability to research complex ethical situations in information science and synthesize the information. Since I am very interested in zines and zine culture, and would jump at the opportunity to work in a zine library, I wanted to learn about the possible ethical implications of such work.
Artifact 2
Assignment: Ethical Impact Assessment: AI for Academic Research
Course: INFO 287, AI, Data, and Ethics
Description: This assignment involved writing an ethical impact assessment (EIA) report about a hypothetical scenario involving artificial intelligence (AI) in a particular setting (I chose academic libraries). The report needed to describe the scenario, discuss relevant principles and values, and assess the scenario from an ethical perspective, providing suggestions on how to address ethical concerns. UNESCO developed the EIA to assess an AI algorithm’s adherence to their ethical values and principles and to “ensure transparency,” which most algorithms lack (UNESCO, 2023).
For this assignment, I imagined a scenario where a university system was proposing a tool to assist students’ research using AI and machine learning (ML). The university would collect data from logged-in students on the library’s website, including their program, what resources they view and download, and details about the opened resources. By creating a scenario where a noble outcome (making students’ research more time-efficient) mixed with privacy issues like data collection and AI, I was able to deeply analyze the ethical issues involved in such a project and make recommendations for a more ethical tool. In the report, I demonstrate my ability to understand and analyze the ethical principles of autonomy and non-maleficence (non-harm) in a society where AI use is ever-present.
Artifact 3
Assignment: Deepfakes as a Tool for Misinformation
Course: INFO 287, AI, Data, and Ethics
Description: One of two options for the final project of AI, Data, and Ethics was to write a research paper on any ethical issue connected to information science. I chose to analyze deepfake technology, how it contributes to misinformation, and the need for legislation. At the time the paper was written in 2024, the main concern regarding deepfakes was non-consensual sexual imagery, although the use of deepfakes to manipulate politics was also on the rise.
In this paper, I demonstrate my knowledge of misinformation, a major concern in information professions and society at large, and how AI-assisted technology is rapidly changing in a way that complicates previous understandings of how to combat misinformation. Deepfakes, convincingly realistic fake images, videos, and audio, are ethical landmines, implicating the principles of autonomy and non-maleficence (non-harm). I evaluate the current state (as of mid-2024) of deepfake-related legislation in the US and the world at large.
Conclusion
In the future, I will use my knowledge of ethical principles and how to analyze the implications of complicated situations to ensure that I am promoting the values of archives without sacrificing ethical integrity. I will strive to uphold the value of access and use while balancing the ethical concerns that come from it. I plan to evaluate my actions, and the policies of my organization, from an ethical perspective, and keep up with news and research related to ethics by following the SAA Committee on Ethics & Professional Conduct blog.
References
Cook, T. (2011). The archive(s) is a foreign country: Historians, archivists, and the changing archival landscape. The American Archivist, 74, 600-632. https://doi.org/10.1353/can.0.0194
Davis, R. K. J. (2020, August 3). Recommended revisions to SAA core values statement and code of ethics. Society of American Archivists. https://www2.archivists.org/sites/all/files/0820-IV-A-CEPC-CodeRevisions_0.pdf
Ryan, E. M. (2014, September). Identifying culturally sensitive American Indian material in a non-tribal institution. Case Studies in Archival Ethics. https://www2.archivists.org/sites/all/files/AmericanIndianMaterial_CEPC-CaseStudy3.pdf
Society of American Archivists [SAA]. (2020). SAA core values statement and code of ethics. https://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-core-values-statement-and-code-of-ethics
UNESCO. (2023). Ethical impact assessment: A tool of the recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence. https://doi.org/10.54678/YTSA7796