STHC-L: The Science, Technology and Health Care Archives Forum

Request for Assistance with Session Proposal for 2003 SAA Annual Meeting

• Date:   Tue, 10 Sep 2002 11:39:05 -0400
• To:   sthc-l@library.ucla.edu
• From:   Susan McElrath <McElrath.Susan@NMNH.SI.EDU>
• Subject:   Request for Assistance with Session Proposal for 2003 SAA Annual Meeting
• Message-ID:   sd7dd9dc.035@mnhgwia.si.edu

Good Morning -

My name is Susan McElrath.  I work at the National Anthropological Archives
and just recently joined this listserv.   On behalf of the Privacy and
Confidentiality Roundtable, I am developing a session for the 2003 SAA
Annual Meeting in Los Angeles and would appreciate your assistance in this
effort.  Once the session is finalized, I will formally request the
endorsement of the STHC Roundtable.

The proposed session would focus on cultural property/sensitivity and
privacy rights in research collections.  I am leaning towards a panel format
with a variety of speakers introducing the issues and then opening the floor
for questions from the audience.  On the cultural property/sensitivity side,
I would like to include speakers familiar with ethnographic and folklore
collections.  I have a few names already and plan to include a tribal
archivist or museum professional.  On the privacy side, I was thinking of
medical and sociological research would present the most thorny issues. 
Some of the topics to address would be the relationship between scientists
and their subjects, the role of release forms, and archivists
resposibilities toward third parties documented in their collections.  If
anyone on the listserv would be interested in participating in this session
or has suggestions for potential presenters or has comments on improving the
session, please contact me at (301) 238-2874 or
. 

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Susan McElrath

Susan McElrath
Archivist
National Anthropological Archives
Smithsonian Institution
(301) 238-2874
mcelrath.susan@nmnh.si.edu