Content Statements

Overview

Content statements are a recent strategy used in digital collections to provide context to materials that contain harmful content or used harmful metadata/language in the past. A number of items in our Collections Portal and in our wider holdings have such content. In the interest of providing richer and more useful metadata to our users, as well as internally tracking the kinds of harmful content we have in our collections, the following statements have been developed below.

These statements and practices have been created by Devon Murphy, Karina Sánchez and Theresa Polk. They have been adapted into a general guide by Devon Murphy, and are subject to change at any time. TARO-specific guidelines are derived from work by Carla Álvarez, Rachel Winston, and Ryan Lynch. For more information or questions, contact Devon Murphy, Metadata Analyst, at devon.murphy@austin.utexas.edu

Example for UT Collections Portal (including HRDI)

Evaluate the collection

• What kinds of harmful content or terminology are present?

• How frequent do they appear across the collection? Across a particular resource?

• What power or historical dynamics are at play?

• Are the individuals present or described in the collection still living?

• What is the relative research value of the materials? 

Use the statement(s)

Enter the content statement in the first Description field; make sure it is separate from other descriptions. This ensures it appears first in the full record display.

Currently, descriptions do not appear in search lists on the Collections Portal or on the shared collections viewer in Primo.

If the item will be published as "metadata only," add a General Note field using the note text template. 

Example for TARO

Evaluate the collection

• What kinds of harmful content or terminology are present?

• How frequent do they appear across the collection? Across a particular resource?

• What power or historical dynamics are at play?

• Are the individuals present or described in the collection still living?

• What is the relative research value of the materials?

Use the statement(s)

Enter the content statement in the Processing Information section, under the processing statement. Adding an additional, specific statement that is tailored to the type of harmful content at the item level is also encouraged when possible.

While applying the statement in the abstract is most desired, TARO's character limits hinder its display to users in browse and advanced search lists. 

Make clear any access restrictions in the Collection Restrictions section; be sure to use consistent text across finding aids.

Example of the statement in action.

Table of Contents

Works Cited

Harmful Content Presentation by Karla Roig Blay, Digital Preservation Coordinator, and Karina Sánchez, Scholars Lab Librarian, UT Austin Libraries

LSA Inclusive Teaching, University of Michigan. “An Introduction to Content Warnings and Trigger Warnings,” n.d. Accessed 2022. https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/inclusive-teaching-sandbox/wp-content/uploads/sites/853/2021/02/An-Introduction-to-Content-Warnings-and-Trigger-Warnings-Draft.pdf.

The NCDHC Team. “Harmful Content on DigitalNC.” DigitalNC. Accessed 2022. https://www.digitalnc.org/policies/harmful-content-on-digitalnc/.

Further example from DigitalNC: https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/38702#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=98&r=0&xywh=-46%2C0%2C5595%2C3399 

Wilson Special Collections Library. “A Guide to Conscious Editing at Wilson Special Collections Library.” UNC Libraries, 2022. https://library.unc.edu/2022/06/conscious-editing-guide/