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Archivists and blogging, the conversation continues

There’s been discussion out there in our tiny archivo-blogosphere in response to my post about the role of blogging in the archival profession. I think Heather on ArchivesFound followed up first, in her thoughtful post, “Blogging and the Archival Profession.” This post was noted and discussed by Dani at the Curious Child in her “Blogging Archvists.” (Dani’s post was briefly noted by Linda Clark Benedict over at Alone in the Archives.) Kind of looks like a discussion, doesn’t it?

Heather and Dani raise questions about why more archivists aren’t writing blogs or commenting on them. (Note to Heather and Dani: per the issues raised in the discussion on my post, some people say they won’t take anyone seriously who doesn’t sign their full name to their opinions. Just FYI.) Dani suggests that it might be because archivists aren’t comfortable with technology or “are used to maintaining records and not creating them.” I think she’s off the mark here. While some archivists may not be comfortable with the technology necessary to write or comment on blogs, I think they are in a minority. I also don’t think most archivists are uncomfortable creating records in addition to maintaining them.

I think the issues Heather raised on ArchivesFound are closer to the truth:

One last thing: risk. The elephant in the room. Because blogging involves putting one’s thoughts out there on the web for anyone to read, it can be intimidating, even downright scary. Once your words are out there, anyone can access them. Is that risky? You bet. George Eliot once said “Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact.”

Are fears about disclosure valid? Sure. I know that evaluation of sources for “truthiness” and authenticity is important as well. But part of the problem that hasn’t been fully acknowledged is this: elders and so-called “names” in the field have not really embraced blogging or maintained their own blogs (with the exception of Richard Cox and perhaps one or two others). Archivists that are new to the field may be afraid of reprisal or blogging themselves out of their next job, or simply not willing to jump into the conversation. Those mid-career may have the same fears.

However, I don’t think that it’s true that we have nothing to say. Further, I think that we could all benefit from a lively discourse and vibrant archivo-blogosphere. So what are we doing about it? What’s the next step? How can we move forward?

How can we move forward, indeed? I think it’s a great sign that more and more people are starting processing blogs and other blogs that share information about their repositories. (Almost 50, as I wrote earlier, and I have a few more to add to that list.) But, I think the kind of participation Heather is looking for, like me, is in the area of opinion and discussion of professional issues. That is where we are weak. I’ve written about this here before. I think risk-aversion and fear are very real factors that hold people back from writing or commenting (and from signing their full names, even if they chose to contribute).

I sincerely believe that stating an opinion that may be controversial is potentially dangerous in our profession and this inhibits many people from publicly sharing their views. This may be true in all professions, but I am only speaking here about ours. I think people are right to be cautious. We are a comparatively small profession with a tight job market. No one wants to risk that an all-too-honest comment on a blog will cost them a job. I wish it were true that no one would hold an honest opinion, expressed in a professional manner, against you, but I do not think we live in that world.

I also think there’s an element of something like snobbery at play. I think quite a few people in our profession think blogs, and the people who write and read them, aren’t “serious” or “scholarly.” (And don’t even think of bringing up something like Facebook!). Our opinions are not reviewed or mediated and they don’t come with footnotes. If blogs are not taken seriously, why would serious people spend time writing or reading them? I wish more archivists of Richard Cox’s caliber would write blogs and share their opinions. Why don’t they? I hear quite often how very busy the leaders of our profession are. Reading, let alone writing, blogs takes time. Writing a thougthful comment takes time (as many of you know all too well!) But we all make time for things we think are important.

Can we look at participation in the Archives & Archivists listserv for some parallels? That is a long-established, low-tech forum for professional discussion. How often do you see one of the well-known names of our profession contributing to the discussion there? With a few notable exceptions, not very often. I remember at one point people on the listserv were shocked to learn that not all members of the SAA Council subscribed to the list. As we all remember, the discussion that takes place on the listserv was deemed to have no permanent value. So, blogs are not alone in not being taken seriously as a forum for professional discourse.

So, to return to Heather’s question, how can we move forward? I think that a lot of us who are interested in writing, reading, and contributing to open, unmediated, relatively informal professional discussions via blogs are already here and doing it. We don’t care if the rest of the profession doesn’t take what we do seriously. We see the value for ourselves and our colleagues and that’s enough. There are probably many more who would do so if only they were given some kind of indication that to do is accepted as a serious professional activity. One way to achieve this kind of seal of approval is by word of mouth, and I think we’re doing a good job of achieving that. Keep telling your colleagues that there are some great blogs out there that they need to be reading. Send them the links. If you’re not commenting, take a few minutes to post a comment (with your name, of course) to show newbies that these blogs aren’t out there in a vacuum.

Building from the bottom up is a great way to achieve recognition, but what about getting recognition from the top? How could we get the leadership of the profession to demonstrate that blogs are a valid forum for professional discourse worthy of everyone’s participation? The only ways I can see to do that are to change the minds of the leadership or change the leadership. Either of those is a pretty serious undertaking. I’ll stick with trying to work from the bottom up.

As to the fear issue, I have no advice to offer there. Personally, I have decided to give up on fear. I am sure that there are some opportunities I have lost because of the things I’ve written here, and I know that will continue. I have opinions and I question the status quo, and that rubs some people the wrong way. But I’ve decided that I have to be myself in this space, and if that means I’ll never get my name on an SAA ballot, then I’m willing to live with that.

So, please, go forth and blog and support your blogging colleagues by writing comments–even if they’re short ones. Show the rest of the profession that blogs are useful by helping make them so. And, if you’re looking for some more tangible sign that blogging can help your career, well, I recently signed a book contract. They sought me out because they really liked my blog. Remember that for every person you might offend with your opinions, there are probably just as many or more who might admire you for them.

Blogs | Kate T. | July 18, 2008 10:41 am

7 Comments

By Merrilee Proffitt, July 18, 2008 @ 1:08 pm

I’m not sure that we (as a group) actively need to “do” much of anything, other than continue to act on our impulses. I am seeing more and more blog postings pulled and cited in both conversations and literature, so this is a movement that is well underway. We are part of a larger communications environment, and as more of the larger conversation takes place here, there will be more acknowledgment of this as a valid discussion space.

Heavens, at the RBMS ALA preconference, the Blogging Bootcamp was a complete sellout (and I mean that in the nice way, as in there was no space and about 30 people were turned away). I think if anything needs to be done, it’s more in the area of providing broader educational and demystifying opportunities. I’ve regularly offered to show people how to set up a feedreader and to populate it with a few feeds– you’d be amazed how many people think they need to visit a blog to get the information. This rather broadly held misconception makes me realize how daunting keeping up with blogs must seem to some.

Like you, I’ve had nothing but rewards for blogging and I only wish more people would comment! It sometimes feels like I’m speaking to the trees.
By jordon, July 18, 2008 @ 1:53 pm

Eventually blogs will become a widely accepted form of professional discourse among archivists. It’ll just take a few years for old schoolers to retire. Speaking from a non-archives blogs perspective, when I started our library blog, I had some real pushback from some of my (older) colleagues who either didn’t see the point, or didn’t feel like they had the time (or desire) to participate. After about a year of fighting, they began to come around. And when we hire new people to replace the old ones, they will be more sympathetic to blogging, even if they don’t. Like we hired this one guy who wasn’t a big blogger, but he had already accepted that blogs were a valid forum to promote library services and share information with students, faculty, and beyond. With obvious exceptions, I hate to make it such a generational thing. So when I see a veteran archivist encourage his or her staff to blog, I am really proud of that person, because I just expect them to think it’s a waste of time.

I also think more archivists don’t blog because they don’t feel like they can add enough to the discussion to start a blog. Guilty as charged!
By Lauren, July 18, 2008 @ 3:09 pm

Yes, I am guilty as well!

Whether through SAA or independently of organizations, I think there is potential out there for meaningful blogging on a range of archival topics and opinions. For example, we’ve talked among our steering committee in the SAA Oral History Section about adding an archives-and-oral-history blog to our activities. Time might be a primary issue as far as start-up and momentum go, but you’re right, importance of issues requires some kind of commitment that we can and should step up to.

Group blogs have become, I think, an interesting way for people who may not have the interest/time/dedication/confidence – or – want to contribute to another blog in addition to their primary blog – to discuss and share issues using this technology.

The “Almost 50″ like you provide is important, and should be shared as much as possible, I would say. More people reading blogs – which means they must first be aware of them – may lead to more people writing blogs.

As always, thanks for your efforts!
By Russell D. James, CA, July 20, 2008 @ 2:39 am

The Records Management Roundtable of SAA has also brought up the idea of a group blog on our website, as a means of reaching more records manager and archivists who are records managers. Of course, for us, the idea is in its infancy and really revolves around two questions, one brought up before here and another not – 1) are we ever going to have anything to blog about and 2) what should be the legalities/guidelines for who blogs and when they can blog? As we struggle for these, we hope to come up with some sort of guidelines for blogging for our roundtable.
By Jeanne, July 20, 2008 @ 10:34 am

When I started my blog it was all about reaching out to people with ideas I was learning and extending during my slow part time progress through graduate school. I had so many more ideas than I had time to address ‘formally’ during class time. Often what I wanted to research wasn’t in sync with the course I was taking. I think that another path to more blogging within the profession is one based on encouraging students to blog. Some MLS/Archives programs are pursing this more clearly than others. A great example is the class blog for Syracuse University IST 677: Creating, Managing & Preserving Digital Assets – see it here: http://ist677.blogspot.com/. As more students coming through graduate programs are exposed to courses like this one and enter jobs at archives around the world, the potential pool of archivist bloggers will increase.

For me the driving reason to keep blogging is because I love doing this sort of research – I love pulling ideas together across disciplines. The handful of people passionate about the topics I am most intrigued by are so geographically dispersed that I feel that blogging is the best way to keep the conversation alive between like-minded individuals.

About the whole ‘non-peer reviewed’ aspect of blogs, the more the community participates and comments and calls each other on unfeasible ideas (in a professional manner of course) – the closer to peer-reviewed we will get.

Thanks for keeping this conversation going!
By Jane, July 24, 2008 @ 8:05 pm

Thanks for this fascinating post. Many of the points you and Heather on ArchivesFound have made ring true to me, as an Australian archivist who is relatively new to the profession.

I am reluctant to post to the Australian Society of Archivists listserv, although sometimes I’d like to. Most posters are well established in their careers and have interesting things to say. However, the exchanges can get intense, and people are sometimes tackled strongly on what they’re saying. I don’t want to expose myself to attack, both personally, and in view of future employment in a small and tight professional market. The fact that I’d need to comment under my own name, and have that comment recorded more or less for perpetuity is also scary, given that I’m sure my opinions will change over time.

I think the answer, for me, is to not be so intimidated (aka get a backbone!), and mostly to engage more with some of the excellent archival blogs around, which until now I’ve read with interest but not commented on.