Grace Millet
Reference archivist
My Archival Perspective
An Ethics of Care
My framework for reference services is modeled after Michelle Caswell and Marika Cifor’s “From Human Rights to Feminist Ethics: Radical Empathy in the Archives.” Care extends to the researcher, the records’ creators, and the records’ subjects.
Service
Archivists should act in service to their communities and keep this in mind throughout all reference interactions and processing decisions. Service comes in the form of providing access to records and being a friendly and helpful presence in the reading room.
Access and Education
Primary source access and education are more important now than ever. Archivists work to preserve records not just to be held, but to be used by researchers, educators, and students of all backgrounds. These sources are valuable for understanding history within the context of individuals’ or groups’ lived experiences.
