Taking Action With Words

Reparative Language

Project corrects insensitivities in collection records

by ALLISON SMITH, Reparative Language Assistant and CRISTINA PROCHILO, Archives Manager

Historic New England’s collection services team recently completed a yearand-a-half-long project to assess the descriptions of objects, books, and archival materials available via the organization’s online catalogue, the Collections Access Portal, and make record updates using inclusive descriptive practices. The purpose of our Reparative Language Project is to acknowledge problematic materials in collections, recognize that cataloguing description is not neutral, update language where appropriate, fill descriptive voids, and contextualize materials where necessary. By assessing, addressing, and expanding inclusive description practices, a more fully representative view of Historic New England’s collections can be shared and accessible to all, online.

The project began following the catalytic events of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. In 2021, Historic New England adopted The New England Plan, our five-year strategic agenda highlighting inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility as the foundation for our work. The Reparative Language Project consists of five stages: research, assessment, a statement regarding the presence of harmful language and imagery in the online catalogue, remediation of catalogue records, and the creation of best practices to guide future descriptive tasks.

Last year, three cohorts of graduate student interns assessed catalogued records online and flagged them for review and remediation. The 620 records needing additional contextualization and remediation fell into two basic categories: either the collection item itself was problematic or its description was outdated, incomplete, or needed additional contextualization. To provide context, a statement was added to records alerting viewers to harmful imagery and/or language in collections. This statement acknowledges the presence of difficult materials, presents materials without restrictions or redactions to preserve the historical record, and acknowledges their problematic nature so researchers can view them in the context in which they were created. We added a link at the end of all Collections Access Portal records, so if viewers identify catalogue items they think need more review, they can send a message to the appropriate staff.

There were key ideas guiding this project: cultural humility; acknowledging and remediating harmful language in the catalogue; and recognizing the relationship of identity, language, and power in updating catalogue subject headings and other terminology used to describe people. These ideas speak to the intrinsic importance of reparative language work. By acknowledging positionality, updating language describing collections materials, researching preferred terminology of identities and personhood, and committing to this work, the collection services team is not only a more inclusive steward, but it may also improve researchers’ experiences with the online catalogue.

The creation of guidelines and best practices for inclusive description of Historic New England’s collections was the final phase of the project, and the primary focus of the work performed by Reparative Language Assistant Allison Smith. Research into community-generated style guides and preferred terminology was conducted and updated terms were selected to replace harmful, inappropriate, or outdated descriptive terms that should not be used. Recently updated categories include catalogue records related to disability, domestic work, enslavement, gender and sexuality, indigeneity, mental health, and race and ethnicity.

Save the Date

Inclusive description is an ongoing, iterative process. As Historic New England’s collections expand and time passes, inclusive descriptive work will adapt to meet evolving library, archival, and museum best practices as well. Though the Reparative Language Project is complete, the ongoing work now shifts to focus on creating sustainable, inclusive descriptive records as part of our regular cataloguing practices. Doing so makes Historic New England’s objects, books, and archives more accessible to the public and shares a more accurate, broader view of New England’s diverse history.

A Dinner in Support of the Historic New England Fund

Saturday, March 11, 2023

6:00 PM

Second Annual Presentation of The Historic New England Medal

Fairmont Copley Plaza

Boston, Massachusetts

As our major fundraising event of the year, we hope you will consider sponsoring or attending the Historic New England Medal Gala.

For more information about the benefits of being a sponsor and for additional information, please go to HistoricNewEngland.org/Gala, call 617-994-5934, or email Events @ HistoricNewEngland.org.

by MADELINE WEBSTER