Addressing cultural insensitivity in archival description: A literature review examining collaborative approaches

Abstract

Issues surrounding inappropriate language use in library cataloging and archival description have a history of discussion. This literature review examines biased language in library and archive use for collection description and explores collaborative approaches for combatting the issue. Collaborative, community archiving practices and the use of folksonomies or user-generated metadata offer potential solutions to alleviating some of the pain points evident in description practice and protocol. This paper advocates that further research into the use of user-generated metadata needs to be undertaken for archives to truthfully, respectfully, and justly represent the diverse histories held in their collections.