Harmful Content

Acadia’s Archives and Special Collections contain content that may be harmful or difficult to view. We collect historical materials from many time periods. As a result, some of the materials presented here include language and images that reflect outdated, biased, and offensive views and opinions. We actively work to flag content that may be harmful. This is an ongoing process.

Our holdings reflect collecting practices over the last 200 years. As a result, some communities are underrepresented in our collection, while others are overrepresented. We are working to contextualize our materials and educate researchers on the perspectives that are missing in our holdings and why.

The language we use in our descriptions reflects the original language used by records creators. We do this to maintain the context of the original material. This means that offensive, outdated language may be present in our descriptions. When a file title contains offensive language, we create an alternative title and provide the original title transcribed unedited.

As archivists, we describe materials from and about communities that we do not ourselves belong to. We recognize the importance of creating description that is respectful. We are committed to the ongoing improvement of the ways that we describe and represent communities represented in our records.

If you encounter language or images in finding aids or digital collections that you find harmful, we welcome your feedback.