Archival Diasporas: Understanding Dispersed Photographic Collections

Ricky PunzalanAssistant Professor

University of Maryland College of Information Studies punzalan@umd.edu | www.rpunzalan.com

SAA Research ForumNew Orleans

August 13, 2013

The Problem of Dispersed Collections

Acknowledging complementary collections in finding aids

Enlarging our notions of provenance, ownership, and custody

Exploring the role of technical standards and tools in reconnecting and linking collections

Bastian (2001/2006), Nesmith (2006), Wurl (2005), Hurley (2005), Pitti (1997)

“Standards such as Encoded Archival Description now offer the potential of virtually reuniting fragmented collections and relating distributed collections through the on-line linking of finding aids.”

Jeanette Allis Bastian, “A Question of Custody: The Colonial Archives of the United States Virgin Islands,” American Archivist 64 (Spring/Summer 2001): p. 114.

“Allowing dispersed collections to be brought together” (Deegan and Tanner, 2002)

A collaborative endeavor

Harnesses the affordances of the digital

Unsworth (2006), Austenfeld (2010), Lynch (2009), Deegan and Tanner (2002), and Shenton (2010)

Virtual Reunification

Methodology

A Case Study of Worcester’s Dispersed Ethnographic Images

A Suitable candidate for reunification

In 10 LAM institutionsResearch demandEfforts to consolidate since the 70’s In various stages of digitizationFunding availability

1887-1888 Visited the Philippines as a student

1890-1893 Led a zoological expedition of the Islands

1899-1901 Appointed to the Philippine Commission

1901-1913 Appointed Secretary of the Interior of the Insular Government

Several publications on Philippine Indigenous Groups

1898 The Philippine Islands and their PeopleNotes on Some Primitive Philippine Tribes, National Geographic

1906 The Non-Christian Tribes of Northern Luzon, Philippine Journal of Science

1911 Field Sports Among the Wild Men of Northern Luzon, National Geographic

1912 Head-Hunters of Northern Luzon, National Geographic

1913 The Non-Christian Peoples of the Philippine Islands, National Geographic

1914 The Philippines Past and Present

Dean C. Worcester, 1866-1924

NATURAL HISTORY

American Museum of Natural History Private

Field Museum of Natural History Private

ANTHROPOLOGY AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology University (Private)

Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum Public

U. Michigan Museum of Anthropology University (Public)

U. Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology University (Private)

ARCHIVES

National Anthropological Archives Public

U. Michigan Bentley Historical Library University (Public)

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Newberry Library Private

U. Michigan Special Collections Library University (Public)

Research Sites

• Accession records• Worcester photographs & indexes• Worcester papers and manuscripts• Published materials on Worcester

and his photographs

Site Visits and Archival Research

(Jul 2010 – May 2012)

10 Institutions

- 9 on-site / 1 off-site - Chicago, New York,

Boston, Ann Arbor, & D.C.

25 respondents

- Heritage workers (19)

- Researchers (2)- Funding admins. (4)

Semi-Structured Interviews

(Nov 2011 – June 2012)

Data Gathering

• Interview transcripts• Field notes• Memos

Interview Participants (n=25)

Stakeholder Group Job Description No. of Participants

Heritage Professionals and Administratorsfrom Owning Institutions (n=19)

Archivists 10

Curators 6

Collections Managers 2

Librarian 1

Funding Agency Representatives (n=4)Executive Director 1

Program Officers 3

Researchers (n=2)Professor 1

Exhibit Intern 1

Dimensions of Dispersion

Dispersion – Geographic

1-3 Ann Arbor, MI (UM: Bentley/Special Collections/UMMA)4-5 Chicago, IL (Field Museum/Newberry)6 Suitland, MD (NAA)

7 Philadelphia, PA (UPenn Museum)

8 New York, NY (AMNH) 9 Cambridge, MA (Peabody Museum) 10 Cologne, Germany (R-Joest Museum)

Dispersion – Provenancial

Dispersion – Temporal

Dispersion - Material

Conclusions

What does it mean to assemble the ‘whole’?

What is the ‘object’ of reunification?

If reunification is the solution, what is the problem?