I identify and actively challenge systemic information inequalities in museums and archives—whether through increasing transparency about institutional histories, dismantling internal gatekeeping practices, or advocating for more equitable restitution processes. My work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art includes developing access workflows for sensitive materials (e.g., human remains, restitution cases), creating institutional standards, and consulting with legal teams to ensure compliance and justice-oriented practices.
1.1 Identify situations where systemic information inequality exists.
In museums, special collections and archives where I work, systemic information inequality exists both on the access side (public viewing internal information of institutions), as well as information being internally gatekept from researchers and staff at institutions. My role is to aid in making information available for all who are interested in learning, and beyond that, to make information accessible to spark interest in those who may not have been aware of these resources. Internally in an institution my role in changing the gatekeeping of knowledge is to push institutions to be wholly transparent regarding their problematic pasts and presents. For example, in IST 605, I was able to focus my reference scenario paper on the restitution of artworks, problematic histories in encyclopedic museum collections, as well as indigenous reclaimation of objects from Western institutions. This project allowed me to gather over 20 useful sources related to the aforementioned areas for a hypothetical researcher interested in decolonizing museum practices. This project and others ultimately show my interest in identifying situations where systemic information inequity exists, and how to work to remove those barriers in our institutions.
Related work includes: Library Innovation paper, Reference Scenario, and Lit Review: Reclaiming Library Collections.
1.2 Interrogate and internalize professional ethics, values, standards, and principles.
My values related to social justice and information access for all people push me to make equitable data standards for the institutions that I have worked at and will continue to work in. In my work at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, I was able to participate as a leader in a working group focused on diversity and inclusion in the museum. As a Jewish woman in a STEM field, this was important for me to represent voices who otherwise have not been heard. Further, I was able to gather data from staff through thoughtfully guided focus groups on specific topics related to employment, inclusion, and increasing representation in our workforce. Ultimately this was an experience where I was early in my career but was given an opportunity to interrogate the ethics of our institution’s culture, and work to make them more well rounded and user need based.
Related work includes: Statement of Professional Philosophy, and Respond to a Challenged Book.
1.3 Create and support policies that reflect principles of a just and equitable information society.
I have created policies related to art objects that are being restituted, as well as art objects with human remains. For example, in my current position at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I manage the documentation for the Objects Conservation department. This means that I create data and archive standards for 45 conservators to follow daily. In my work I found that there were no standards or workflows for staff to use when they were working with art objects that have been considered for restitution. After consulting with our legal counsel and other relevant stakeholders, I created a flowchart to help our staff understand what level of sensitivity our archival material was flagged depending on the current case of restitution. For example if an object was removed from the gallery due to investigation of human remains, the files in our archives would be flagged as sensitive or removed if eventually restituted. In this work and in my future work, I am interested in creating equitable archiving policies wherever I work related to gatekept information as well as sensitive information.
Related work includes: Library Innovation paper.
1.4 Demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning via engagement with users, communities, colleagues, and professional networks.
It is my goal to make sure that the community that I support in any work environment is engaged, this includes colleagues, and patrons that I interact with. Something I have employed to garner feedback from staff in my current position at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is feedback surveys. I have found that if I give a platform to staff to let me know if standards need to be adjusted or if technological workflows are confusing, allows them to feel like they are being listened to, and increases the communication culture in the organization. Another example of my commitment to lifelong learning via engagement with my users and community, is my past presentations at professional conferences. I have spoken at the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, as well as the American Institute of Conservation. These experiences have allowed me to gain feedback from my users and community in a constructive and productive way, and I plan on continuing this work in the future.
Related work includes: Library Innovation paper, and Analysis of The J.P. Morgan Library.
Discussion of Learning Transfer:
From these experiences I have learned that information equity and justice only works through support from upper management, key stakeholders, user groups, as well as mentors. This means that it is important to learn current technologies and standards as they evolve in order to fully support the advancement of equity and access in information work. If information is to be equitable and accessible, it must be able to reach all who wish to use it, that means staff, local visitors, visitors on the web, and students.