1. HISTORICAL METHOD AND ARCHIVAL MEASURE Caroline Dubois, Julia Fricke, Jules Pitre, Lydia Thorne, Michelle Wood

2. AGENDA  Introduction & Definitions – Julia  Historical Method – Michelle  Archival Measure – Jules  Biases in Historical Method & Archival Measure – Caroline  Case Study – Lydia  Ethics in the Historical Method – Julia  Conclusion - Julia

3. INTRODUCTION  Historical Method  defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “a technique of presenting information in which a topic is considered in terms of its earliest phases and followed in an historical course through its subsequent evolution and development”  Archival Measure  defined by Palys as “any information that is contained in “hard copy” records or documents (p. 226

4. QualitativeQuantitative Focus HumanObservable variables Materials Interviews, documentsData Historical Method ✓✗ Archival Measure ✓✓ Reminder: Qualitative vs Quantitative

5. HISTORICAL METHOD  Identify a topic  Find primary and secondary sources

6.  The original materials which are “produced by people or groups directly involved in the event or [the] topic under consideration, either as participants or as witnesses” (Rampolla 2010, p. 6).  What are they?  Documents – diaries, census data, letters, newspaper and magazine articles, autobiographies, birth and death registers, literature, etc.  Unwritten sources – recordings, artifacts, art, films, eyewitness accounts, etc.  Where are they?  Archives  Library catalogues  Edited and/or translated print collections  Electronic databases PRIMARY SOURCES

7.  The “books and articles in scholarly journals that comment on and interpret primary sources” (Rampolla 2010, p. 7).  These sources are very useful; however, they are NOT as valuable as primary sources  Where are they?  Library catalogues  Online databases  Journals  The internet SECONDARY SOURCES

8.  Organize, Evaluate and interpret the sources  Present your ideas in writing

9.  Historiography refers to the study of historical writing and the methods used by historians  It also refers to the actual writing of history  Historiographic essays are concerned with what historians have written, how they have interpreted events, and what methods they used  Focus on the secondary sources HISTORIOGRAPHY

10. ARCHIVAL PRESERVATION  Archives: “are that small portion of all the info, communications, ideas and opinions people generate that are recorded and kept. Archives are tangible products, whether they are physical or electronic, visual, aural or written” (Millar 2010, p. 2)  Great effect of information technology on modern archival procedures  Advantages of digital technologies:  Protecting the originals  Representation of the originals  Transcending the originals

11.  General principles for preservation of all materials  Appraisal is both necessary and desirable  Keep the original  Keep multiple copies of objects  Do the minimum necessary to stabilize and preserve the object  Preservation actions should not exceed the abilities of the personnel who apply them  Preservation actions should aim at the highest quality possible  Preservation actions should not harm the object  Preservation actions should be documented  Preservation actions should adhere to ethical considerations

12. ARCHIVAL RESEARCH – THE BASICS  “Sometimes, archival research involves following a Nancy Drew-like trail of clues that culminates in the rare, intriguing, “holy grail” find at the conclusion of the search – but not often” (Ramsey, et al., eds p. 29)  Tedious and time consuming  Start with a broad research question  Consider the various materials available  Are they truthful? Is background research needed?

13.  General rules when going through archives:  Know what is forbidden  Wash hands before handling documents  Use provided equipment if necessary  Greatly depends on the archival institution

14. ARCHIVAL MEASURE  Qualitative and Quantitative analysis  Unobtrusive measures: Offers a compendium of techniques and measures that are less influenced by the intrusion of the researcher. These techniques are non- reactive because the data are produced where there is no thought of the evidence being analysed in the future and the research gets involved usually long after the participants have “left the scene” (Webb et al.)  Two Categories: Physical Trace and Archival Measure

15.  Physical Trace: essentially the physical remains after an interaction  Erosion: evidence that is missing from the scene  Accretion: evidence that has been added after a physical encounter  Provides research with information about individuals  Advantages -> inconspicuous and anonymous  Disadvantages -> questions privacy and lack of informed consent

16.  Archival measure: “comprise any information that is contained in ‘hard copy’ records or documents” (Palys, p. 226)  Written or taped records, photographs, newspapers, books, private materials, government records  Be wary of any shifts in collections maintenance or policy changes  Materials NOT made for researchers observation but for own personal use!

17. JACOB SISKIND COLLECTION  Carleton University Archives  Jacob Siskind Music Resource Centre

18.  Biases of Historical Method and Archival Measure  History: event vs records  Data as a social process

19.  Biases of Historical Method and Archival Measure  Qualitative and Quantitative BIASES

20.  Biases of Historical Method and Archival Measure  Reactivity  Context of Construction  Creator

21.  Biases of Historical Method and Archival Measure  Selective Deposit/Selective Survival  Archival Collection

22.  Biases of Historical Method and Archival Measure  General Limiters  *Quantitative Analysis

23. CASE STUDY Crime Statistics

24. CRIME STATISTICS  How is crime defined?  How would you define crime?

25. THERE IS NO CONCRETE DEFINITION  Crime is socially constructed  Laws generally reflect the beliefs of society; they are created and/or defined by people of that society and so can change over time  For ex. in London, England: Robbery stats formerly only included those cases where the robbery was certain or probable (Palys 2008, p. 231)  The same behaviour that may be considered criminal in one society may not be in another; they are not universal  Crime statistics also change to reflect a society’s fear of a crime at any given time

26. CRIME STATS: ARE THEY ACCURATE?  Crime statistics:  Not all crimes that are committed become statistics  This is referred to as the ‘dark figure’ of crime or unreported crime

27.  For a Crime to become a statistic…..relies on 2 measures: 1)Needs to be Reported (by the victim or witness of the crime)

28. CLASS SCENARIO  What are some of the reasons why you did not report the ‘crime’?  What did you actually see?

29.  Reasons why people don’t report:  Not perceived as a crime/ Lack of awareness  Nothing could be done, lack of proof  Not important enough/perceive crime as too trivial  Don’t want to bother anyone  Too inconvenient or time-consuming  Fear of reprisal  Fear it may not be taken seriously  Reported to someone else

30. 2) Needs to be recorded (by the police)  Even if police respond - was a report written?  When police arrive on the scene they determine if a crime has actually been committed  Police use their discretion to investigate some crimes and not others  Re-classifying to increase/reduce the amount of crime that has taken place has an affect on crime statistics

31. SOLUTIONS  Remember that your research will give you “a slice of the truth” as data originates through a social process  Be aware of the biases that might permeate your method and your data, so that conflicting evidence can be resolved and a more holistic reconstruction can be achieved

32. ETHICAL ISSUES  Legal ≠ Ethical  What is the main issue with archival materials?  Consent!

33. CONCLUSIONS Any Questions?

34. BIBLIOGRAPHY Berg, B.L. & Lune, H. (2012). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences. Boston, MA: Pearson Harvey, R., & Mahard, M. R. (2014). The Preservation Management Handbook: A 21st-Century Guide for Librarians, Archives, and Museums. Toronto: Rowman & Littlefield. Henry, S. (2009). Social construction of crime. In J. Miller (Ed.), 21 st century criminology: A Reference handbook (pp. 296-305). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications Inc. McKee, H.A. & Porter, J.E. (2012). The Ethics of Archival Research. College Composition and Communication, 64(1), 59-81. Palys, T., & Atchison, C. (Eds.) (2008). Historical method and archival measure. Research decisions: Quantitative and qualitative procedures (4 th ed.). (pp. 223-251). Scarborough, ON: Thomas Nelson. Pfuhl, E. H., & Henry, S. (Eds.). (1993). The deviance process: Social problems and social issues. New York: Walter de Gruyter Inc. Rampolla, M.L. (2010). A pocket guide to writing in history (6 th ed.) Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Ramsey, A. E., Sharer, W. B., L'Eplattenier, B., & Mastranfelo, L. S. (Eds.). (2010). Working in the Archives: Practical Research Methods for Rhetoric and Composition. Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press. Ryan, G.W., & Russell, B.H. (2003). Techniques to identify themes in qualitative data. Field Methods, 15(1), 85–109. Smartt, U. (Ed.). (2006). Criminal justice. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Wildemuth, B. (2009). Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information and Library Science. London: Libraries Limited. Vann, R.T. Historiography. (2014). In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/267436/historiography

35. THANK YOU!