Incorrect/Harmful Content
The WCSU Archives’ aims to describe the historic records in our holdings in an accurate and respectful manner for all who use and are represented in the collections we safeguard and make accessible, especially those featuring Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and other marginalized groups. Still, researchers may occasionally come across offensive language or access terms in WCSU Archives finding aids, catalog records and other descriptive resources that are racist, xenophobic, homophobic and ableist in nature. Some of that language, found in the name of an agency or organization, title of a published work, etc., is preserved because changing or removing the content would alter the historical record or one’s understanding of it. However, when writing finding aid abstracts and item level metadata, we occasionally re-use language found within the records to describe the material, some of which is harmful and problematic, when it is not needed or without providing context. There are also descriptive resources, created several years ago, that contain antiquated language now viewed as demeaning. Comments and questions concerning the accuracy and/or language found within our descriptive resources can be directed to us through this form.