Sagamore Community ArchivesPrivacy Case Study 3.1

March 3, 2012 LI801XR

Kira WarnerPaige AsmannTerry ChartierJane Cotitta

Small city of 10,000

The Sagamore Community Archives found a box labeled “Survey” that contains 40 surveys of women from 1943.

Originally compiled by the now defunct Sagamore Social Service Agency

Each woman had given birth out of wedlock and given their baby up for adoption

Survey intended to assess the mental and physical states of women during their first year after adoption

Survey participant’s name, address, SSN, religious affiliation and names of immediate family members recorded

As far as the archivist can tell, the results were never published

Get the Facts Straight

What is the Moral Dilemma?

Should the records be kept?Should the results be distributed?

Should the families be contacted?

Respect for intellectual

property

Surveys not copyrighted

Results not currently published

Owned by community

archives

Evaluate the Moral Dilemma Principles of Information Ethics

Evaluate the Moral Dilemma Principles of Information Ethics

Respect for privacy

Open access

Full public access

Surveys in original form

Partially open access

Photocopy survey and

redact sensitive

information

Access restricted to

certain individuals

Closed access

Archivist alone has

access

Evaluate the Moral Dilemma Principles of Information Ethics

• Access• Equitable access• May place restrictions on access for privacy

• Privacy• Privacy rights of donors• Protect personal information collected

Archivists Code of Ethics:

• Quantitative• Qualitative• Types of information disclosed

Case does not indicate

type of survey

information

Evaluate the Moral Dilemma Principles of Information Ethics

Fair representation

Information not being sold

Evaluate the Moral Dilemma Principles of Information Ethics

Nonmaleficence

If identities discovered, living

respondents/families could be harmed

Evaluate the Moral Dilemma: Should records be kept?

Yes No

Evaluate the Moral Dilemma Should the results be distributed?

Yes NoSmall size of town, individuals can be

implicated

Research too outdated

Personal information can be removed

Information could be combined with other

similar surveys

Evaluate the Moral Dilemma Should the families be contacted?

Yes No

Test Solution• Strict guidelines for human

research:• http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_

subject_researchSurveys

should be kept with

closed access

Surveys should not be distributed

Families should not be notified

Photographs

• Photo 1: http://kidsthesedays.org/archive• Photo 2:

http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/tips/responding_to_writing_assignments.html • Photo 3:

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cspg/peea/2011/11/a_trip_through_the_archives_ca.php• Photo 4:

http://sincereoasis.org/decides-dog-stressed-breathing-bloodshot-eyes • Photo 5:

http://clipartist.net/uncategorized/safe-1303976644-rss-openclipart-org-commons-wikimedia-org/