Emotional Labor in Archives: Learn and Share

Abstract

Archivists often delve deeply into records, so how do archivists cope when they spend their time working with collections that hold painful, emotionally heavy or traumatic memories? For those archivists who strive to put into practice the ideas of radical empathy, how do they carry on with this emotional labor every day? Topics covered include the theories of ethics of care, radical empathy, and trauma-informed practices in archives, as well as ideas for support for archivists. This presentation is intended to ignite discussion for attendees during the presentation and going forward in their work.