Statement on Potentially Offensive and Harmful Content
Consistent with the AU Libraries Commitment to Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression and Alfred University’s commitment to supporting a culturally diverse campus, the AU Libraries strive to create an inclusive environment and provide inclusive research services for students, staff, and faculty.
The AU Libraries recognize that libraries are not neutral. Libraries, particularly academic libraries, collect materials from a variety of cultures and eras in order to preserve the historical and scholarly record. Items in our collections are prone to reflecting Western hegemony and item descriptions may include historical language that is offensive or harmful.
The AU Libraries strive to collect and describe materials in a way that is respectful to our patrons. If you encounter problematic language in our catalog, we invite you to share your questions and concerns. Please email a description to libraries@alfred.edu. We will review your feedback with the goal of preserving the context of the resource and maintaining findability and access, while addressing the stated questions and concerns.
This statement was adapted from similar statements by Brandeis University Library and Ithaca College Library.
