SOCIAL MEDIA AS A STORYTELLING
TOOL IN LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES:
BEST PRACTICES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Paper presented at the 7th annual Knowledge, Archives & Records Management Conference –
6 November 2014
Karen du Toit
Archivist
SABC Radio Archives
Twitter: @karentoittoit
‘PART OF THE ROLE OF CULTURAL
HERITAGE PROFESSIONALS IS TO BE
SAFE-KEEPERS OF THE STORIES OF
INDIVIDUALS. WHERE WE ONCE FOCUSED
ON THE LIVES OF THE WELL-KNOWN, WE
HAVE NOW KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME
THAT IT IS THE COLLECTIONS OF THE
"COMMON MAN" THAT REVEALS SOME OF
THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF OUR
SOCIETY.’
Melissa Mannon
HIGHLIGHTS
Introduction
SABC Media Libraries
Storytelling and social media
Five best practices for human rights storytelling in
social media
Basic Principles on the Role of Archivists in Support
of Human Rights
Libraries and archives using social media to
address best practices for human rights
Summary
Bibliography
INTRODUCTION
SABC MEDIA LIBRARIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Since 2009
Two volunteers
Website (Google Sites)
Blog (Google Blogger)
other
GO
OG
LE
SE
AR
CH
: “S
AB
CM
ED
IAL
IBR
AR
IES”
SABC Media
Libraries website
ranks 9/10 on
Google’s Page
Rank measurement
BL
OG
TH
EM
ES
SABC Media Libraries
SABC
archives
libraries
archivists
librarians
SOCIAL MEDIA VS STORYTELLING
Purpose
Share beginning,
middle and end
Skin on the bones
Vulnerable
Own story
Embrace casual
Talking to friend
Brief
Use contractions
Light hearted
Punctuation and case
Break the grammar rules
Ask questions
Use pronouns
Storytelling (Cocoran) Social Media (McClary)
GUIDING PRINCIPLES ON BUSINESS AND HUMAN
RIGHTS ENDORSED BY THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS
COUNCIL
FIVE BEST PRACTICES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
STORYTELLING IN SOCIAL MEDIA (POYNTON)
Explicit human rights strategy
Link human rights opportunities to your company’s
business
Include stakeholder views
Recognize challenges
Balance qualitative and quantitative reporting
SABC VISION, MISSION, VALUES
SABC Annual Report 2013
BASIC PRINCIPLES ON THE ROLE OF ARCHIVISTS
IN SUPPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Draft (2014)
Awaiting comments: [email protected]
Two sections applicable:
Section 2: Providing Access to Information in Archives
Section 5. Freedom of Expression and Association
ARCHIVISTS/LIBRARIANS USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN
SUPPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
1. Description to clarify human rights violations
2. Timely description
3. Archivists advocate and support the right of access to government records
4. All persons are entitled to call upon the assistance of an archivist to assist in establishing their rights.
5. Archivists ensure access to archives.
6. Promote programs to inform the public about their right of access to archives
7. Archivists, like other citizens, are entitled to freedom of expression, belief, association and assembly.
8. Archivists making disclosures of information showing human rights violations without threat of retaliation
SUMMARY
Libraries and archives telling our stories on social
media!
In support of human rights!
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Basic Principles on the Role of Archivists in Support of Human Rights. (Draft). Available from: http://www.ica.org/download.php?id=3388
Mannon, M. http://archivesinfo.blogspot.com/2014/09/from-obituaries-to-objects-examination.html
Poynton, C. http://www.bsr.org/en/our-insights/blog-view/five-best-practices-in-human-rights-reporting
SABC. http://www.sabc.co.za/
SABC Annual Report 2013. http://www.sabc.co.za/
SABC Media Libraries blog. http://sabcmedialib.blogspot.com/
SABC Media Libraries website. https://sites.google.com/site/sabcmedialib/
United Nations Human Rights. (2012) Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Available from: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesBusinessHR_EN.pdf
THANK YOU!
