Housed within the William and Gayle Cook Music Library, we offer access to rare and unique audiovisual collections in ethnomusicology.
Using the Archive
Statement on Harmful Language
Our bibliographic records in IUCAT may contain harmful language.
You may encounter harmful language in our online catalog (IUCAT), and when searching and accessing various IU Libraries collections, including those in the Archives of Traditional Music. You may find examples of such language in book, score, or recording titles, subtitles, or other information transcribed directly from library materials.
Harmful language may appear for several reasons, including:
national and international cataloging standards: when it comes to recommended terms/vocabulary/headings, some of these standards are slow to change
age: many of the bibliographic and descriptive records within IU Libraries were created years or decades ago; much of that language can be outdated or offensive today
historical context: at times, we may choose not to censor harmful words because this content provides historical context for understanding the era, attitudes, and opinions of their creators
If you encounter harmful, outdated, or problematic language in IU Libraries descriptive records, please let us know your concerns by emailing atmusic @ iu.edu, or calling 812-855-4679. Based on the nature of your concern, a librarian will contact you and discuss what language we might be able to change or update.
