The Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies (JCAS) announces three new book reviews:
"Review of Scattered and Fugitive Things: How Black Collectors Created Archives and Remade History," written by Kai H. Uchida.
Download the article: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol13/iss1/1/
Abstract: In Scattered and Fugitive Things: How Black Collectors Created Archives and Remade History, historian and archivist Laura E. Helton tells the story of six individuals – Arturo Schomburg, Alexander Gumby, Virginia Lee, Dorothy Porter, Vivian Harsh, and Lawrence Reddick – whose practices of radical collecting revalued and recast the importance of Black history. Helton combines innovative methodological readings of previously undervalued archival sources with a keen understanding of archival practice to illuminate Black archives as a site of radical collecting, intellectual inquiry, and community empowerment. Compellingly written with insights about the theory of their curation and the story of their archival labors, this monograph builds on her existing work examining Black print culture, its collectors, and its creators. Helton's monograph will have a broad appeal to historians, archivists, and scholars of print and material culture.
"Review of Land in Libraries: Toward a Materialist Conception of Education," written by Anna Z. Szapiro.
Download the article: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol13/iss1/2/
Abstract: Extractive practices of colonial land theft and environmental exploitation have produced intolerable global conditions leading to climate collapse. As the information field grapples with its culpability in colonial violence and climate change, Lydia Zvyagintseva and Mary Greenshields's incisive Land in Libraries: Toward a Materialist Conception of Education draws contributions from practitioners in the United States and Canada to chart a way forward. Through historical analysis, case studies, critical theory, and autoethnography, authors in this volume take up land – and our relation to it – as the epistemological catalyst for systemic change. At once austere critique and lyrical contemplation, Land in Libraries is a gripping collection recommended for anyone in the discipline, especially practitioners of settler and immigrant heritage in North America, searching for meaningful ways to orient their practice toward justice, decoloniality, and climate recovery.
"Review of Ethics in Linked Data," written by Rebecca Fried.
Download the article: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol13/iss1/3/
Abstract: "Ethics in Linked Data," edited by B. M. Watson, Alexandra Provo, and Kathleen Burlingame, offers a critical examination of the ethical challenges and opportunities in linked data practices within GLAM institutions. In its sixteen chapters the anthology blends theoretical frameworks with practical case studies to address the social and cultural implications of linked data systems. Divided into three parts, the book explores the theoretical and contextual foundations of ethical considerations, addresses institutional and structural challenges shaped by colonial and hegemonic forces, and focuses on community-centered projects that amplify marginalized voices. By highlighting issues such as sustainability, inclusivity, and privacy, the contributors underscore the inseparability of ethics and technology. The volume concludes with a comprehensive checklist for embedding ethical practices into linked data projects, offering a roadmap for practitioners aiming to create equitable and sustainable linked data environments. This essential resource challenges readers to rethink assumptions about technology's neutrality and to adopt more conscientious and inclusive approaches to linked data development.
JCAS is a peer-reviewed, open access journal sponsored by the New England Archivists, Yale University Library, and Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
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Sally Blanchard-O'Brien
Marketing & Outreach Associate
Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies
email.jcas@gmail.com
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