practice reveals they are treated differently across UK GLAMs.
4.2.10. Ethical statements and cultural sensitivities
Statements on decolonisation, cultural sensitivities and ethical reuse are also made in GLAM policies. These can relate to intellectual property rights, open access or even digital access to collections.
While Bristol Museum & Gallery does not have a copyright policy, a significant portion of its website is dedicated to decolonisation statements that focus on the physical collection, the buildings and other aims. Policies extend to: ‘Action on decolonisation’ with a public commitment; ‘Our aims and objectives’ with the working group’s terms of reference; ‘Decolonisation – FAQs’ with many questions and answers on specific collections and colonial connections in general; and a ‘Decolonisation Blog’ which collates Museum activities on decolonisation.[1] No digital policy or decolonisation of digital collections is considered within these.
Some policies provide general notice to the user that the digital collections and data they encounter can be problematic. Some go further by inviting corrections and feedback on collections. Some provide educational context around issues embedded in collections.
The Horniman Museum explains the database includes “language taken from historical documents [] may now appear outdated and offensive” and some “information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities”.[2]
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums includes a notice that some information and images “may include images of objects that could offend some people, or that local communities might consider sacred or special”.[3]
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology does not have a copyright policy but acknowledges its “catalogues include historic descriptions and representations that are factually inaccurate, racist and otherwise inappropriate” and makes a commitment “to the work of addressing hurtful legacies in the collections we care for”. It also asks users for “help in identifying images or data that cause offence or harm”, providing an email address for feedback and suggestions.[4]
The Pitt Rivers Museum does not have a copyright policy but warns users in two places. The first is presented as a sort of terms of use pre-screening upon clicking ‘Search the Collections’, which users must agree to before proceeding. A ‘Cultural warning’ puts users on notice that “some records document research into people and cultures using scientific research models and language from the 19th and 20th centuries. These depicted people in ways that are outdated and offensive.” It goes on to explain there is “information on, and photographs of, objects associated with ritual or ceremonial activity yet to be classified as public. In some indigenous communities, there may be prohibitions relating to the age, gender initiation and ceremonial status or clan of the person who may see them. The database also contains the names of deceased persons, which may cause sadness or distress, particularly to relatives of these people.”[5] The second notice is provided via the ‘Collections online’. It asks users “to bear in mind that these are working databases that are constantly being updated. It is important to see how objects were perceived in the past; therefore we preserve all the
- ↑ See 61. Bristol Museum & Gallery (C. Ethical policies)
- ↑ Item, Collection Information, 20. Horniman Museum (C. Ethical policies)
- ↑ Search Our Collections, 56. Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (C. Ethical policies)
- ↑ Collections, 62. Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (C. Ethical policies)
- ↑ Search the collections, 43. Pitt Rivers Museum (C. Ethical policies)
