On ‘Holding the Process’

Paying Attention to the Relations Side of Donor Relations

Bibliographic Data

ID21458585
AuthorsJennifer Douglas (0000-0002-3070-5189, University of British Columbia, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume50
Issue2
Pages23-42
Publication date2023-06-07
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchives and Manuscripts (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0157-6895 • E-ISSN: 2164-6058
PublisherAustralian Society of Archivists (PUBLISHER • AU)
DOI10.37683/asa.v50.10925
OpenAlexW4379654618
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited5

This article reports on a series of interviews with archivists and recordkeepers conducted as part of a larger project exploring relationships between grief and recordkeeping. Though the interviews were not explicitly focused on donor relations, it emerged that the relationship between archivists and donors was a particularly emotionally charged one: interview participants described deep and complex relationships with donors, whom they often knew over a long period and through difficult or complicated times. Interview participants also reported feeling unprepared for this emotional work. This article responds to a perceived lack of attention paid to donor relations in archival theory and education by acknowledging the significance of donor stories, feelings and relationships. Aligned with the ever-growing emphasis in archival theory and praxis on person-centered approaches, the article suggests where such approaches are needed in relation to archival education and training, the collection and preservation of donor stories, relationship-building, and recognition of different kinds of archival labor

Feeling · Grief · Political science · Praxis · Psychotherapist · Sociology · Digital and Traditional Archives Management · Law · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · Psychology · Social Psychology

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Open DOIOpen Access