Policies

Statement of Potentially Harmful Content and Language

The Wyoming State Archives preserves government and non-government records that have enduring administrative, legal, fiscal, historical, and/or research significance. Archival collections provide a record of the functions and activities of the state’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, as well as document the history of Wyoming and the region, and serve as a resource that encourages and supports administrative and educational research. As a result of documenting human expression and lived experience, some of the content may include outdated, biased, offensive, and harmful audio/visual materials and language. Inclusion of such content and language in the Wyoming State Archives is not an endorsement of its language, images, or ideology, and does not reflect the official position of the Wyoming State Archives.

The State Archives strives to approach all areas of its work in a respectful manner to all members of our community while also upholding the context and integrity of records as evidence of a time, people, place, or event. When we encounter problematic language that we believe an archivist created, we update it. Language that comes from the original archival material can provide information about the people who created it and is not altered. In such cases, additional context may be provided. The State Archives is committed to working with staff, communities, and peer institutions to assess and update descriptions that are harmful and to establish standards and policies to prevent future harmful language in staff-generated descriptions.

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about materials in the archives and how materials are described.

More information coming soon detailing our policies and procedures!