Processing Metadata Shame: Imposter Syndrome in the Archive

Imposter Syndrome and Metadata Shame are widespread and underdiscussed. In truth, it’s rare for any archive or catalogue to be perfect.

Archivists and record keepers, do you feel good about your neck, but bad about your metadata? You are not alone. Too often, we get caught in the back-eddy of perfectionism, chasing standards that we can’t (and maybe no one can) meet 100%, and overwork. Collections grow ever-larger, researcher needs expand, and overwork is common if not ubiquitous.

Developments in the field—notably Greene and Meissner’s seminal paper, the concept of the Total Cost of Stewardship, and applying manufacturing efficiencies to collection preparation—have allowed us to reconsider, collectively and individually, how we can approach our work in new ways.

By thinking about our end goals, understanding how to prioritize, and (above all) supporting one another individually and professionally, we can be less burdened by metadata shame and imposter syndrome and more effective in our stewardship of collections. We might even feel better about our necks andour metadata.