Statement on Language and Content

UTSA Libraries Special Collections strives to make our collection materials available online both to our University community and to audiences worldwide. Through our Digital Collections, we offer broad public access to a wide variety of publications, historical content and archival images.

Our goal is to provide original descriptions of the material for the purposes of transparency and research; however, some materials may contain offensive language, negative stereotypes, and/or depictions of violence. Viewer discretion is advised.

We in Special Collections aim to describe archival materials in a manner that is respectful both to those who created and those who view items in the collections we steward. Cultural competency in description is an ongoing goal for our department. When we encounter harmful language that a staff member generated, we will update it. When the descriptions or titles were generated by original creators or donors, we will review word choice, do our best to contextualize original language within its historical context, and provide supplemental terms that will aid in research for scholars and community members.

We encourage users to provide feedback to help us continue to improve our archival description. Please contact us with any questions or concerns. We recognize that words matter, and that terminology evolves over time.  Our department is prioritizing these efforts as an ongoing, important process.