Inclusive Description

INTRODUCTION

This is an evolving list of resources for archivists seeking guidance on how to describe collections in a more inclusive way. Inclusive description is description which recognizes that no archival function is neutral, including description, but that actions can be taken to remediate and avoid bias and harmful language in finding aids, catalog records, and other description. It is the hope of the Description Section that providing a centralized list of these resources will assist archivists in remediating and avoiding language which harms BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, working class people, and other marginalized groups of people.

The resources listed herein are crowd-sourced and are not formally endorsed by SAA or the Description Section. Please carefully consider the context of each of the following resources when deciding whether or not to implement ideas from them. While the Description Section Steering Committee will not include resources it determines to be harmful, we are not able to review all submitted resources in their entirety. We also recognize that we may overlook some problems due to our own implicit biases. Resources provided herein are shared with the intention of promoting respect for all people. Any content or information about resources provided herein that is perceived to malign any group, individual, or community, or that conflicts with the SAA Core Values Statement and Code of Ethics, should be brought to the attention of the Description Section Committee Chair for review and potential removal from the list. We welcome and appreciate your feedback.

RESOURCES

Case studies

• BSANZ2020 Conference presentation: Cataloguing policies & antiracist work (Nina Whittaker)

• Change the Subject - “A documentary about labels, libraries, and activism.”

• Progess report from Princeton University Library's inclusive description working group

• Redescribing Japanese American Collections at UCLA (Courtney Dean)

Manuals and guidelines

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Protocols for Libraries, Archives and Information Services

• Diversity Style Guide

• Guidelines for Addressing Bias in Archival Description and Catalog Records from The Orbis Cascade Alliance consortium. These guidelines will:

  • Provide information regarding current practices already being implemented by Alliance institutions.
  • Provide tiered recommendations for drafting general and specific statements regarding bias in description and harmful content in collections, including options for where to place these statements in the library catalog, archival finding aids, and other descriptive resources.
  • Provide links to examples of statements acknowledging bias and harmful language in catalog records and archival description from other institutions. 
  • Facilitate ongoing discussions around problematic content, description, and cataloging.  

• Harvard Guidelines for Inclusive and Conscientious Description

• Metadata Best Practices for Trans and Gender Diverse Resources

• Protocols for Native American Archival Materials

• Traditional Knowledge labels to assist in describing rights, access, and use of Indigenous cultural heritage materials

Research and theory (articles, academic papers, etc)

• Changes to Library of Congress Subject Headings Related to Indigenous Peoples: for use in the AMA MAIN Database (Christine Bone, Brett Lougheed, Camille Callison, Janet La France, Terry Reilly)

• Language Matters: Writing Inclusive Finding Aids and Description (Armando Suarez)

• Moving Toward a Reparative Archive: A Roadmap for a Holistic Approach to Disrupting Homogenous Histories in Academic Repositories and Creating Inclusive Spaces for Marginalized Voices (Lae'l Hughes-Watkins)

• Reimagine Descriptive Workflows: A Community-informed Agenda for Reparative and Inclusive Descriptive Practice (Rachel L. Frick and Merrilee Proffitt)

• Toward Culturally Competent (Re)Description of Marginalized Histories (Annie Tang, Dorothy Berry, Kelly Bolding, and Rachel E. Winston)

• Towards the Implementation of Community-Centered Frameworks in the Redescription of Photographic Archives Documenting Marginalized Communities (Jessica Tai)

• What’s in a Name? Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia and the Impact of Names and Name Authorities in Archival Description (Alexis A. Antracoli and Katy Rawdon) from Ethical Questions in Name Authority Control 

Resource lists 

• Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia Anti-Racist Description Resources [Endorsed by SAA]

• Sunshine State Digital Network: Inclusive Metadata and Conscious Editing Resources and related videos

Sample statements about harmful language in archival description 

• List of statements on bias in library and archives description

• Princeton University Library Statement on Language in Archival Description

• Temple University statement about the presence of potentially harmful language in their finding aids

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