“It does take a toll on you”: The role of affect in shaping archivists’ encounters with records about the HIV/AIDS epidemic

It is accepted in archival science that research in archives produces a series of cognitive-affective responses. However, the cognitive-affective responses among professional archivists are still poorly understood. Addressing this gap is important given that archival work is a form of care labor. Archivists are not neutral information processors but have understandable emotional reactions when processing records and the lingering affects therein. Like with other caring professions, archivists face the professional hazard of burnout. A better understanding of archivists’ cognitive-affective responses can provide insights to develop supporting tools to mitigate these professional hazards. Thus, addressing this research gap matters to the sustainability of the archival profession and requires collective action. We draw from the case study of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States to explore the affective experiences of the archivists who documented this epidemic. We investigated archivists’ affective experiences and their coping strategies. Relying on purposive sampling and grounded theory, this study builds upon interview data with 25 archivists working in LGBTQIA+ archives. Archivists articulated their experiences as both an inspiration and a burden. As an inspiration, archival work motivated participants to evince the structural injustices faced by the LGBTQIA+ community. As a burden, archival labor led our participants to experience shock, sorrow, and grief, emotions that they navigated with a combination of individual and relational strategies. Despite these burdens, participants found meaning in pushing through their difficult emotions because they believed it was important to make HIV/AIDS records accessible. Our results expand ongoing conversations in archival studies and library sciences about the affective dimension of information curation and the correlation between positive affects and life skills like self-care and community engagement. In addition, our findings reveal an opportunity to enhance existing supporting resources for archivists by leveraging the positive affects derived from archival work.