Archival standards provide mechanisms for returning stolen holdings to descendants

Evidence

Second, by widely publishing and distributing copies of Renty’s and Delia’s images of nearly naked bodies, the Museum and University have flagrantly violated Renty’s and Delia’s rights to privacy, which was certainly an anathema to antebellum law, but is an essential ingredient for archival practice. He ends his brief just as powerfully, stating: “SAA has published guidelines for how and when an institution ought to re-evaluate and return materials in custody. These practices, known as ‘re-appraisal’ and ‘deaccessioning,’ provide archival repositories with an important framework for offering correctives to past wrongs. The professional and ethical guidance from national and international archival bodies hold that the daguerreotypes of Delia and Renty belong to Ms. Lanier. — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 1233

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains ‘re-appraisal’ and ‘deaccessioning’ as the formal archival framework for correcting past wrongs through return of materials.