Background Statement
The libraries and special collections of the TriCollege (Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore Colleges) recognize that the processes of describing materials are not neutral. We are committed to promoting inclusivity and diversity through the acquisition and description of collections held by each institution. In the process of acquiring new materials and creating descriptive records, library staff must make choices regarding the language used to describe collection materials so that users may discover these resources in the TriCo's online catalogs.
We recognize that many of our collection materials are created by and/or depict marginalized groups of people; however, collection materials and previous descriptions of these materials often do not reflect the realities and lived experiences of these groups in a respectful or accurate way. Library staff will follow these guiding principles in an ongoing effort to promote an equitable and inclusive research and learning environment:
Iteration
While we strive to describe newly acquired library materials with the most up-to-date terminology, locating and updating problematic descriptions in previously cataloged materials is a large, complex, and far-reaching project. Reparative description is an ongoing, iterative process, and we will continue to identify methods of improving our descriptive practices, which may include analyzing subject terms or seeking community feedback.
Some parts of a material’s description may be outside the scope of our revisions. We do not censor our materials or erase details from the historical record, even when the materials themselves reflect problematic views or contain offensive language; for example, titles of published books will not be changed.
Collaboration
We welcome and seek to incorporate input and feedback on our descriptive choices from the communities, groups, and individuals associated with our collection materials.
We will also reach out to and engage with colleagues, donors, and the communities who have expertise in relevant subject areas for input when describing collection materials and deciding which vocabularies best fit our needs.
Transparency
We aim to be transparent about the changing nature of our description, and our role in adding or replacing description. We also commit to increased transparency about our own institution’s past descriptive practices to the extent possible. When feasible this may include discussions surrounding outdated versions of descriptions with relevant library staff.
To achieve transparency, we may create biographical and/or historical notes that avoid recreating or reinforcing previous inequities and overvaluation of traditionally privileged groups; evidence-based description that includes citations and notes to document our decisions; and notes addressing changes that have been made to description.
Inclusive and Accessible Language
We endeavor to provide description that is fair, inclusive, accurate, and respectful to those who use our materials and to the people and communities that they describe. Describing collection materials requires making description decisions regarding focus, emphasis, interpretation, and tone; it also requires making decisions regarding inclusion and exclusion of information.
In order to accomplish this, we will identify and use alternative and/or external standardized vocabularies that may include more appropriate or community-oriented language, and implement their use in our description. In the absence of appropriate existing thesauri, staff may use local terms to describe materials. Where applicable, local terms will be created in consultation with the people or organizations who created or are described by the materials.