Finding a Voice / under-representation in the archives
May 17, 2022 / 9:30 to 2:30 • Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth, NH
May 17, 2022 / 9:30 to 2:30 • Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth, NH
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Join the New Hampshire Archives Group on May 17 at the Portsmouth Public Library for its Spring 2022 workshop — or attend this event online.
IntroductionHistoric archival collections naturally reflect the times and institutions which created them — often under-representing whole segments of the surrounding population. Today researchers are perusing our collections, seeking those at the margins of the record, including women and immigrants, enslaved and indigenous people. We will hear from researchers and educators to consider how we might adapt our collections, processing, and outreach practices to enrich our communities with new voices from the past and ensure a more inclusive future in the archives.
ProgramWe are pleased to offer the following live presentations for this timely discussion (click on title for synopsis & presenter):
9:30 AM — Piecing Together a Puzzle: 18th century New Hampshire women
The New Hampshire Provincial and State Records were published in the late 19th-early 20th century and included the names of few women. Yet they appeared in the original records of the NH State Archives. We'll follow a quest to piece together 18th-century women and their influence in the province.
Marcia Schmidt Blaine is an advocate for higher education and has shifted from purely academic work into administrative challenges. Starting her academic leadership roles as faculty speaker and department chair, she earned a year-long Fellowship with the American Council on Education in 2015-2016 to study models of academic leadership. After returning to Plymouth State, Blaine led the reorganization of the University’s Museum of the White Mountains. Blaine’s research focuses on two aspects of history: the development of American identity in the eighteenth century and the America’s historical relationship with landscape, specifically the White Mountains. Along the northern edge of English settlement, families found themselves involved in late colonial international, intercultural, political, and imperial disputes. Individuals at the front line of contact successfully negotiated cultural and political boundaries in the tense times leading to the final North American imperial confrontation. Professor Emerita of History, Plymouth State University BA, College of William and Mary; MA, PhD, University of New Hampshire 10:30 AM — Reparative Research and the Recovering New England's Voices Project
Dr. Tricia Peone is a research scholar at Historic New England working on the Recovering New England's Voices project. She holds a PhD in History from the University of New Hampshire specializing in the early modern Atlantic world and history of science. Dr. Peone’s research focuses on the history of magic and witchcraft from the renaissance to the present. She has worked in higher ed, museums, and as a historical consultant. She also previously worked as the public programs director at the New Hampshire Humanities Council. You can find her on Twitter @TriciaPeone and on her blog https://thehistoryofmagic.com/. 11:30 AM — MAKING PLACE, PLACING MAKERS: CONNECTING HISTORY, MEMORY, AND LAND BY INDIGENIZING LOCAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS
We are researching the relationship between Indigenous representation in local history collections held at public libraries and our shared understanding of the land called “New Hampshire.” Local collections often lack accurate representation of Abenaki histories and instead represent mostly white authorship — which relegates the Abenaki peoples to a distant, mythological past. Libraries and Indigenous peoples must collaborate in order to provide patrons with a better understanding of the state’s past, creating a more equitable and honest present. We recommend four steps for local libraries: include contemporary Abenaki authors in collections; verify the historical integrity of items within local history collections; provide opportunities for sharing non-written Indigenous knowledge; and repatriate cultural property belonging to Indigenous nations. We are deeply indebted to the members of the Abenaki nation at Odanak who have facilitated our research.
Laura Judge - Laura works at the Chelmsford Public Library in the Reference Department. Laura has also been a research assistant at Harvard, a lecturer at Keene State College, a teacher, audio-visual archivist, and has spent time on the lecture circuit in Hungary. Throughout her career she has worked to build inclusive collections, analyze institutional policies and infrastructure for accessibility, and host educational and collaborative programs. She believes that public libraries should center diversity, equity, and inclusion in order to foster resilience, connection, growth and so much more within their communities. Jedidiah Crook - Jed has spent much of his career working at the intersection of social justice and education. He worked internationally with Protestant and Catholic youth from Northern Ireland as well as locally as the Assistant Supervisor and Resource Educator of the Adolescent Boys unit at the Nashua Children's Home. He studied the role of colonialism in K-12 science education at Keene State where he worked in the Office for Multicultural Student Support and Success. He currently works with the Organization of Refugee and Immigrant Success in their New American Farmers Program that empowers refugees and new Americans through food sovereignty and small-scale agricultural entrepreneurship. 1:00 PM — RAISE THEIR VOICES: BRINGING FORGOTTEN STORIES TO LIFE
Across the field of history, telling the “untold story” has become an important way to highlight the lives of marginalized peoples, especially those who are difficult to find in the historical record. This session will discuss three crucial questions drawn from lessons learned in the museum field: How do forgotten stories come to light? Which techniques can be used to bring them into public consciousness? What can be done to ensure their preservation moving forward?
Maddie Beihl knew at a young age that she wanted to work in the field of public history. After graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor’s degree in Early American History, Maddie interned at the Warner House Association (where she would later serve on the Board of Governors), and Old Sturbridge Village. She joined the Education Department at Strawbery Banke Museum in 2014, where she became the coordinator of the historical roleplaying program and the team’s primary researcher. Late in 2021, Maddie left Strawbery Banke to pursue a Master’s degree in US History. Though she specializes in New England history, her research interests include the Progressive Era, 20th century social reform movements, the history of medicine, and the Jewish-American experience. 1:45 PM — DESCRIBING ABSENCE: THE COMPLICATED POWER OF METADATA SURROGATES IN LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES
In this talk, I discuss the concept of archival silence, sometimes called archival absence, and the power our descriptive practices have over people. What do you do when information about an object was never saved? What do we do if it was destroyed? What if we are asked to destroy it? How does metadata create a surrogate of a person, and how can that surrogate be used to do harm? The talk explores the tension between under-representation as a bad thing and as a potentially good thing.
Jay L. Colbert is the Metadata & Discovery Strategy Librarian at the University of New Hampshire. His research focuses broadly on language and ethics in metadata, knowledge organization and management, and queer theory. Jay serves on the Editorial Board for the Homosaurus international LGBTQ+ linked data vocabulary. He has further interests in labor organizing and copyright; he is a Member at Large on the AAUP-UNH Executive Committee and a trained Copyright First Responder in New Hampshire. Post-workshop tour: Barbara Ward of Black Heritage Trail NH will offer a brief introduction to the African Burying Ground and lead those interested to the memorial site (4-minute walk). |
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