1. Good Afternoon to all members of the #phstmu Twitter page. I hope that everyone is enjoying their spooky Halloween Saturday and staying safe from those vampires, werewolves, and fearsome witches and warlocks (not to mention a global pandemic)!

2. Today, I want to continue delving into the Society of American Archivist's (SAA) Core Values of Archivists and Code of Ethics for Archivists. I will continue to highlight and explain ethical standards and values that I find interesting. Let's Begin!

3. The first ethical value that I wish to highlight is that of advocacy. As SAA's Core Values states, "Archivists promote the use and understanding of the historical record, while also serving as advocates for their own archival programs and organization’s needs."

4. Archivists' advocacy may include actions like, "Contributing to the formation of public policy related to archival and recordkeeping issues, ensuring that archivists’ expertise is used in the public’s interest, and making the utility and value of archival work understood... "

5. The next archivists' value to highlight is that of accountability. AS SAA's Core Values states, "Archivists help maintain documentary evidence of actions by individuals, groups, and organizations..." Archivists' maintaining of documentary evidence preserves historical truth.

6. Preserving historical truth holds individuals, governments, and organizations accountable to the people of contemporary society and to future generations. I feel this is especially relevant to our discussions about racially motivated violence in PH class and in Texas History.

My Texas History class has been analyzing the congressional investigation of J.T. Canales into the Texas Rangers in 1919. The work of the archivists who preserved the documents from the investigation has helped us understand the violence The Rangers inflicted on ethnic Mexicans.

8. As the SSA's Core Values states, " By preserving records of societal experiences, functions, activities, and decision-making, archivists provide important resources for contemporary and future entities seeking accountability."

9. That's all for today, everyone! The link for SAA's Core Values and Ethics page is here:
https://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-core-values-statement-and-code-of-ethics
Have fun guys today and stay safe!