Steering Queer: The Obsolescence of Fixed Archival Practices
The UW course LIS 570: Research, Assessment, and Design was a ten-week crash course on the theory, methods, and practice of qualitative research. This course educated me in the proper application of questionnaires, the execution of responsible observation, and the perils of purely quantitative or positivistic thinking in LIS research. The course was centered on the development and execution of a group research project, the results of which are below.
“Steering Queer” is a zine which explored current archival practices through the lens of queer theory, leveraging prior research done by figures such as Emily Drabinski and D.K. Wakimoto. The zine explores a few areas of research, including the use of controlled and uncontrolled vocabularies, practices for archival accountability, and opportunities for community participation. The rapid time frame of the project left us with plenty of room for further refinement of research methods and collection of data, but the practice in performing qualitative research and collaborating with other LIS professionals continues to prove invaluable in my education and career.