Digital librarians regularly refer to established guidelines, workflows, and frameworks that outline many of the technical aspects of our work. However, there is a lack of guidance when practitioners are faced withscenarios that arise from time to time, particularly around ethicalaccess. This is particularly relevant when working within published materials and materials representing historically marginalized populations, as well as collections that include private data, issues addressing sexuality, or other sensitive topics. 

During the spring of 2024, practitioners from sixteen libraries (academic and public),museums, and historical societies were interviewed for the project. Many of the selected institutions included repositories that have collections which include topics and issues relating to LGBTQ, Indigenous, and underrepresented populations. The interviews posed questions to practitioners around ethical access, as well as the curation and dissemination of digital collections and also included a review of how issues are discussed and addressed internally when complex situations arise. The presentation will showcase the findings from the interviews and provide discussion points for practitioners who are faced with ethical conundrums.

Presented at the State Library of Ohio (Columbus, Ohio) for the 2024 Ohio Digital Network Fest on October 3, 2024