<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif">A few years ago, we did a big project to look at identity categories in subject headings that are assigned to archival collections. This included subject analysis training and a big lit review (although I'm seeing some really wonderful resources in your email, Alison, that have come along since!) I think our big two principles that we took away that can be applied to any of this work are:</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif">1. A person is always the sole authority on their identity categories. Often, when we do description work, it's important to identify from independent sources that our information about a historical figure is true -- but the only appropriate source for identity categories like gender, sexual identity, race, ethnicity, or belief is the individual themself.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif">2. Do not assign an identity category to a person unless we have documentation from that person's own voice that it applies. In some cases, a person may present different identity categories to different audiences. For living persons, it's best to just check with the person. For dead people, any differences should be documented and contextualized as part of archival description.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif">For my money, if we follow these guidelines, we tend to be okay!</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif">I'm excited to see what you smarties at Yale come up with -- I hope you'll share!</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif">Maureen</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif"><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Nov 16, 2023 at 11:29 AM Clemens, Alison <<a href="mailto:alison.clemens@yale.edu">alison.clemens@yale.edu</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div class="msg-9014875042200171306">
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<p class="MsoNormal">Hi, ArchivesSpace colleagues,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m writing to ask if anyone on this list has internal, documented policies and best practices in the use of the Genders field in the ArchivesSpace Agents module.
<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We (here at Yale) haven’t yet started using that field and are in the process of assembling some initial thoughts about how we might guide practitioners on campus to use (or not use) that field.
<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Any local documentation you have about this would be much appreciated – if you’re willing to share, could you please send me a note at
<a href="mailto:alison.clemens@yale.edu" target="_blank">alison.clemens@yale.edu</a>? <u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And if you’re curious about the broader literature and principles we’re consulting in this work, I’ve included our compiled list of sources below my signature.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With thanks,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alison<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Alison Clemens<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>[she/her or they/them]<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Access Strategist<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Yale University Library <u></u>
<u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="mailto:alison.clemens@yale.edu" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">alison.clemens@yale.edu</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Compiled resources:<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li style="color:black;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;vertical-align:baseline">
<a href="https://zenodo.org/record/6686841#.Y-ZlpnbMKUk" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Metadata Best Practices for Trans and Gender Diverse Resources</span></a><u></u><u></u></li><li style="color:black;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;vertical-align:baseline">
<a href="https://www.loc.gov/aba/pcc/documents/gender-in-NARs-revised-report.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Revised Report on Recording Gender in Personal Name Authority Records</span></a><u></u><u></u></li><li style="color:black;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;vertical-align:baseline">
<a href="https://portal.snaccooperative.org/node/359" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">SNAC Cooperative Demographics Statement</span></a><u></u><u></u></li><li style="color:black;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;vertical-align:baseline">
<a href="https://github.com/rose-collectionservices/collection-services-manual/tree/master/05-DESCRIPTION#544-describing-gender" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Collection Services Manual for the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory
University, Section 5.4.4, Describing Gender</span></a> <u></u><u></u></li><li style="color:black;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;vertical-align:baseline">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/15usOPOUi4Edq0gz2O47xbQBgvYJJlpX3sj6_LDOaQuM/edit" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Digital Transgender Archive Harm Reduction Guide</span></a><u></u><u></u></li><li style="color:black;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;vertical-align:baseline">
<a href="https://wiki.harvard.edu/confluence/display/hmschommanual/Guidelines+for+Inclusive+and+Conscientious+Description#GuidelinesforInclusiveandConscientiousDescription-Identity&Naming" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Harvard CHoM Description Manual</span></a><u></u><u></u></li><li style="color:black;margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="color:windowtext"><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XoQmrT-kdj5fCKNcg0umghsWFORrKRf7rMsB4OsnY5o/edit#heading=h.3o2j39wyeqw5" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">Records in Contexts (RiC) Comments from the Technical Subcommittee on Describing
Archives: A Content Standard (TS-DACS), Section 2. Concepts Around Human Identity: RiC-P36 Gender (2016)</span></a></span><u></u><u></u></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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</div></blockquote></div><br clear="all"><div><br></div><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><font face="times new roman, serif"><b>Maureen Cresci Callahan</b><br>Sophia Smith Collection Archivist</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="times new roman, serif">Smith College Special Collections<br>Northampton, Massachusetts 01063<br>voicemail: 413 585 2981<br>email: <a href="mailto:mcallahan@smith.edu" target="_blank">mcallahan@smith.edu</a></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="times new roman, serif">videoconference: <a href="https://smith.zoom.us/my/maureen.callahan" target="_blank">https://smith.zoom.us/my/maureen.callahan</a><br><br><a href="https://www.smith.edu/about-smith/equity-inclusion/gender-identity/pronouns" target="_blank">pronouns</a>: she/her/hers</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="times new roman, serif"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="times new roman, serif"><a href="https://libraries.smith.edu/special-collections/about/sophia-smith-collection-womens-history" target="_blank">Information about the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's history</a></font></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>