Pseudonyms - smith-special-collections/sc-documentation GitHub Wiki

There are a few circumstances under which we should record a pseudonym. This page documents the most common of those circumstances, and how they should be managed. (A separate page with step-by-step instructions for implementing this in ArchivesSpace will be created in the future.)

Scenario 1: Public person writes something under a "pen name," which is not the name by which they are most commonly known.

Example: in the personal papers of Mary Smith, a well-known writer, is a piece she published in college under the name "M. Sommers."

Management: Two agent records, both public, linked and with a note explaining the relationship, should be associated with the resource. It may be appropriate to assign dates to the pseudonym if it was employed for a set period of time.

Scenario 2: Non-public person gives an oral history in which they request to be identified only by a pseudonym in order to protect their privacy.

Example: in an oral history project, Berta Jones speaks about private challenges in their life and asks to be identified publicly as "Star"

Management:

  • In these cases, the narrator should be asked to provide the pseudonym. We should be very careful about creating pseudonyms for people; if they have not provided one we should use generic titles like 'Narrator A' rather than names.
  • Only the pseudonym should appear in the metadata. The real name should not appear at all in ArchivesSpace, not even in internal notes or unpublished records.
  • Only one Agent record should be created, for the pseudonym. Add β€œ(pseudonym)” after the name in the Agent record. Example, β€œStar (pseudonym)”
  • Add a statement to the Conditions Governing Access note explaining that the person has requested that their real name not be made public.
  • Any transcripts and recordings must be redacted or edited as necessary to reflect the use of the pseudonym, as needed.
  • The real name should not be used in digital filenames or folder names, even if the files are unpublished or restricted.
  • No online documentation, including file lists and log files should include the real name.
  • Documentation linking the real name to the pseudonym should be kept in the donor file, offline.

Scenario 3: A donor, who is identified in a collection by a public name, is living under an assumed name for their safety.

Example: Susan Pate is well-known for having been battered by a famous former husband, who continues to attempt to find her. Susan Pate is now living under the name "Heather Drabb," which is the name she uses to contact the repository and donate materials.

Management: In cases where the maintenance of a pseudonym is critical to a person's ongoing safety, we should not enter any confidential information linking the pseudonym to the known identity in our collection control systems. In the case above, only the publicly-known name "Susan Pate" should be entered as an agent. No agent record should be created for the current name. Any information identifying Heather Drabb and her current whereabouts should be kept in the donor file, offline.