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Funded and Managed by
City of London Corporation
The London Archives

Inclusive Terminology

Assessing the language used in our catalogue
speak-out-london-exhibition

Harmful language in catalogue descriptions

Archival records reflect the attitudes of the people, societies and the historical contexts which create them. This means the records we look after at TLA can contain historical language and content which are offensive and possibly harmful. For example, material which is racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, antisemitic and/or ableist.

Historically, when we have written catalogue descriptions for these collections, we have often replicated much of the harmful language and content found in the records. So, inappropriate and insensitive terms often appear in our catalogues as well.

We do not endorse this language and we need to recognise that its use can perpetuate harm. TLA commits to improving the language we use so that it is inclusive, respectful, and does not cause harm to those who interact with our collections.

Why does it matter?

Exhibition of posters on walls, including one advertising an anti-racism rally
GLC Anti-Racist poster on display in The London Archives Information Area

Language plays a crucial role in shaping our experiences and interactions. We acknowledge that the way we describe collections impacts how people understand and connect with history. By continuing to use harmful language in our catalogues we are privileging and uncritically perpetuating historical bias. Such use is seldom necessary.

It is our responsibility to prevent marginalised people, communities and cultures from being disrespected, misrepresented, and/or forgotten in our collections. For researchers consulting the records, we aim to reach a point where researchers don’t have to search on harmful terms to find relevant records using our catalogues. We have a duty of care to prepare researchers for viewing potentially derogatory, distressing or triggering content within the archives.

What steps are we taking?

We have established an Inclusive Terminology Working Group to foster conversation around decolonisation and inclusive practice. The aim of the group is to remove harmful or discriminatory terminology from our public view. This review includes our catalogue, exhibitions, research guides, website, picture archive, policies and any public content. The working group operates cross-departmentally and includes members from our Collections Knowledge and Engagement team and Digital Content and Development team. This work must be a collaborative process and we hope to add new members.

The main objectives of this work include:

  1. Critical review of the online Catalogue and London Picture Archive to identify and remove harmful and discriminatory language by using preferred terms, adding appropriate content warnings, and enriching descriptions with historical context.
  2. Advisory role responding to feedback from staff and users around harmful language in all areas of work. To develop exhibitions, research guides, webpages, social media, policies and any public content with inclusive descriptive and interpretive practice.
  3. Advocacy work to promote ethical inclusive description work internally and externally with staff, users, students, and the archives sector.
  4. Policy improvements to develop sustainable inclusive terminology policies and workflows to embed this into working practice.
Person looking at an exhibition display
Visitor exploring our Unforgotten Lives: Londoners of African, Caribbean, Asian and Indigenous Heritage exhibition which ran in 2023

What have we done so far?

  • Updated over 400 instances of harmful language within our catalogue
  • Incorporated a cultural sensitivity review and added appropriate content warnings when curating exhibitions
  • Taught seminars with UCL Archives and Records Management students to workshop examples of historic harmful language within our records in November 2023 and 2024
  • Presented at the Archives and Records Association Conference 2023 on ‘Switching the Lens: Using our exhibition as a gateway to embed Equity, Diversity and Inclusion’
  • Delivered an Impact Seminar with The National Archives on ‘Building an Inclusive Catalogue’ in 2024

Asking for feedback

If you come across language in our resources that you find harmful or offensive or wish to comment on any of the changes we have made, we want to hear from you.

You can also contact us to find out more about the work we are doing. Your feedback is vital in helping us continue to grow and improve. Please reach out to us via email ask@tla.libanswers.com

Frequently Asked Questions