Bias in Records Assessment and Valuation

This week’s reading cut a broad path through the records management terrain. My particular interest is in appraisal or evaluation of records. I prefer to call it valuation of records, because I have become interested in the way some records have value for some people and at the same time the same records may have no value to another person. This presents, I think, the biggest dilemma for a records manager (or perhaps even an archivist) and that is, how does one come to grips with valuation without interjecting personal bias. That bias can cut both ways, too. On the one hand, an archivist may want to save everything because the record itself has value, whereas another (let’s say the business manager) recognizes that there just isn’t any way to cost-effectively save everything and some disposition decisions have to be made. Due to this particular interest (uh, ax to grind?) of mine, I will focus on Shepherd and Yeo’s Chapter 5, Managing appraisal, retention and disposition.

The historical perspective in the first part of the chapter was quite informative for me, a “non-participant” in the profession. It was intriguing to learn how the profession has generally accepted Jenkinson’s theories, but devalued their practicalities; and has apparently bashed Shellenberg’s theories on value to the point where they are now less than acceptable. This chapter gets at what I have considered the heart of the decision, and that is that the decision maker can’t help but apply her own biases in making such decisions. There seems to be an attempt in the development of professional Appraisal Theory to make it a completely unbiased decision, based solely on the value of the records. I maintain, however, that valuation can’t be unbiased and, therefore, is made somewhat differently depending on who is making it.

Even after exhaustively outlining an excellent and thorough appraisal strategy focused on the users, whether internal or external, and balancing those interests, the authors acknowledge that the decision maker’s biases will not be completely removed. In fact, taking all users’ interests into the balance and considering risks by asking such questions as, “What if the record did not exist?” continues to draw on biases of those answering that question.

Much like Luciana Duranti, the authors suggest another requirement for improvement in appraisal decisions is to move that decision earlier in the life-cycle of the record. Making such decisions at the very time the record is created will certainly help in the long-term process of appraisal and disposition. But, once again the end-users are not present at that time (may not even be known at that time), and the decision-maker is still left to try and anticipate who the users will be and what their special or specific needs might be.

For these reasons, I believe that dealing with decision-maker bias on the part of the record manager and the archivist is one of the biggest challenges in the profession. I think that the authors have presented a strong strategy to help reduce and even eliminate that bias. But, ultimately, it cannot be entirely removed.

What impact does personal bias have on these decisions? It could have a significant impact, and unfortunately most of the time we will not know the impact until it is too late. A current example might be the Library of Congress agreeing to archive the Twitter records. If that were entirely up to someone like me (a Twitter rebel), the decision may have gone otherwise. For the life of me I can’t understand or recognize any value in such records. I find Twitter to be completely obnoxious and even, dare I say it, valueless. Now, many of those reading this post will disagree. In fact, quite a large number of the class forum readers will feel that Twitter is an amazing tool and that the records present a significant view of our times and culture. I do agree that there is that to consider. But, herein we have the very dilemma being presented. One opinion against another leaves us with making a decision that is completely influenced by personal bias, and those with the loudest voice will win.

All of which begs these questions: Can personal bias be removed from the appraisal and disposition decisions? And, Should it even matter? (Meaning: Are we comfortable that someone with an Archivist’s view will always prevail, making their biases acceptable to us?)

Sources Referenced :

Duranti, Luciana (2001). "The Impact of Digital Technology on Archival Science" in Archival Science 1(1), pp. 39-55.

Geoffrey Yeo and Elizabeth Shepherd . (2000). Managing records in the electronic age: London: Library Association Pub. Chapter 5, “Managing Appraisal, retention and disposition”.