The Case of the Awgwan: Considering Ethics of Digitization and Access for Archives

As members of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Libraries considered digitizing and presenting the campus humor magazine Awgwan online as part of efforts to chronicle the University’s history and invite study of these materials, questions emerged about the ethics and responsibility of placing the Awgwan online in a broadly accessible digital environment. Much of the magazine depended and traded upon negative and destructive depictions of women and people of color as a key part of its “humor.” What are our ethical obligations in treating such materials? This essay introduces and analyzes the Awgwan; considers the potential value in making the magazine broadly available electronically; and then explores some of the issues the magazine raises for practitioners in archives and special collections today, particularly as more institutions may consider placing similar materials from their collections online.