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SAA Research Forum New Orleans August 13, 2013

Archival Diasporas: Understanding Dispersed Photographic Collections Ricky Punzalan Assistant Professor University of Maryland College of Information Studies punzalan@umd.edu | www.rpunzalan.com. SAA Research Forum New Orleans August 13, 2013. The Problem of Dispersed Collections.

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SAA Research Forum New Orleans August 13, 2013

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  1. Archival Diasporas: Understanding Dispersed Photographic CollectionsRicky PunzalanAssistant ProfessorUniversity of Maryland College of Information Studies punzalan@umd.edu | www.rpunzalan.com SAA Research Forum New Orleans August 13, 2013

  2. 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)

  3. “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.

  4. Virtual Reunification • “Allowing dispersed collections to be brought together” (Deeganand Tanner, 2002) • A collaborative endeavor • Harnesses the affordances of the digital Unsworth (2006), Austenfeld (2010), Lynch (2009), Deegan and Tanner (2002), and Shenton (2010)

  5. Methodology A Case Study of Worcester’s Dispersed Ethnographic Images A Suitable candidate for reunification • In 10 LAM institutions • Research demand • Efforts to consolidate since the 70’s • In various stages of digitization • Funding availability

  6. Dean C. Worcester, 1866-1924 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 People Notes 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

  7. Research Sites

  8. Site Visits and Archival Research • (Jul 2010 – May 2012) • Semi-Structured Interviews • (Nov 2011 – June 2012) Data Gathering • 25 respondents • Heritage workers (19) • Researchers (2) • Funding admins. (4) • 10 Institutions • 9 on-site / 1 off-site • Chicago, New York, Boston, Ann Arbor, & D.C. • Accession records • Worcester photographs & indexes • Worcester papers and manuscripts • Published materials on Worcester and his photographs • Interview transcripts • Field notes • Memos

  9. Interview Participants (n=25)

  10. Dimensions of Dispersion

  11. 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)

  12. Dispersion – Provenancial

  13. Dispersion – Temporal

  14. Dispersion - Material

  15. Conclusions • What does it mean to assemble the ‘whole’? • What is the ‘object’ of reunification? • If reunification is the solution, what is the problem?

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