Brief Statement

We try to make our library as welcoming as possible, but some of our older books and items may be harmful because they contain outdated ideas. Many of these items are part of our special collections where they are used to study history. We are also working on updating outdated language in our library catalog. For more information, please read our Full Statement below.

Full Statement

The mission of the Free Library of Philadelphia is to advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity. As such, we pledge free and open access to all our collections. The Free Library strives to ensure that our resources represent our diverse community, although we acknowledge that our materials and the way they are described must be more inclusive.

Materials in the Free Library's collections (such as books, photographs, illustrations, scrapbooks, etc.) illustrate the social mindsets and perspectives of their time, reflecting the society in which they were produced. These materials often contain offensive/harmful (racist, sexist, homophobic, colonialist, etc.) ideas, imagery, and language. The Free Library rejects all forms of discrimination, and we do not endorse this content. However, we acknowledge that there is research and educational value in these materials. They provide an opportunity to assess societal patterns and progress and provide context for examining forms of intolerance, inequality, and hate that persist in our society today.

Additionally, metadata, the language we use to describe library materials, is created by people with their own biases and therefore cannot be "neutral." The Free Library of Philadelphia is committed to examining the language we use and its impact on our patrons and the communities we serve. We are proactively working to change offensive/harmful language that exists in our catalog records, finding aids, and digital collections.

We cannot change the historical record, nor do we seek to diminish our institutional complicity, but we are being mindful of how we discuss and present information. We believe this is crucial for welcoming all patrons and building an inclusive and equitable society.

We understand that this is an imperfect process and an imperfect solution, so we welcome your input. Please reach out to catalog@freelibrary.org when encountering harmful/offensive language in the catalog, finding aids, and digital collections. We appreciate your feedback and look forward to working with you.