Repairing the Harmful Language in our Catalogs

"Develop cataloging processes and guidelines that address DEAI issues in current catalog and future entries, including offensive language, culturally sensitive content, and biases in descriptions." How does an organization go about tackling a strategic goal like this? Luckily others in the greater museum and archives field have developed Reparative Cataloguing Guides that we can adapt for our individual institutions. 

Why have a guide? To update outdated, offensive language and add context to transcriptions of creator-derived text. An added benefit? Debunking previous conceptions of our collections as being predominately Anglo-Saxon male-focused as we discover the other voices hiding in plain sight. The guide acknowledges that our sensibilities today do not reflect those of the past or even of the future. Rather than censoring collection content, the guide advises context and content warnings to inform our content-users, with the rare exception for truly offensive language.

CONTENT WARNING: In this workshop, attendees will grapple with one museum's draft guidelines for Reparative Cataloguing- their choices may not reflect your institution's values; come ready to respectfully disagree and find guidelines that work for you. 

About the presenter:
Cipperly Good is the Richard Saltonstall Jr Curator of Marine History at the Penobscot Marine Museum. She has over 20 years experience working in the museum field, with a masters in Museum Studies and much of her early internships at beloved small local museums. Ms. Good’s mission is to provide the training, advice and exhibit services to the dedicated artifact repositories preserving and creating access to our local and national treasures.

MAM members receive discounted rates for workshops. Please login to your account to ensure your discount is applied. Trouble logging in? Email info@mainemuseums.org.