Slave Bible From The 1800s Omitted Key Passages That Could Incite Rebellion; NPR, December 9, 2018

Michel Martin, NPR; Slave Bible From The 1800s Omitted Key Passages That Could Incite Rebellion

[Kip Currier: Recently I've been recalling a phrase my wise late grandmother, Esther Hughes Currier, used and which has--thankfully--stuck with me through the years: "Consider the source". The way she used it meant considering the character of the person saying or doing something, often with an implication that the source was of, shall we say, questionable quality or less than sterling character. 

Throughout the analog era, information professionals have habitually "considered the source" in making decisions about what to collect for libraries and what to curate for archives and museums. In the digital era, those and whole new kinds of information professionals (--as well as, increasingly, tech companies and "black box" algorithms and AI bots!), are making thorny decisions about what information and data to collect, curate, and provide access to--now and for future posterity. 

This story about bowdlerized Bibles in the 1800's that were used as a tool of oppression is a powerful reminder that we must always "consider the source"--exercising critical thinking--when determining the veracity and intentions of a speaker or information object.]

"On display now at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., is a special exhibit centered on a rare Bible from the 1800s that was used by British missionaries to convert and educate slaves.

What's notable about this Bible is not just its rarity, but its content, or rather the lack of content. It excludes any portion of text that might inspire rebellion or liberation."