The Reparative Archival Description Working Group (previously the Reparative Archival Description Task Force) was formed in November 2019 after AMDECO identified a need for legacy description remediation. RAD members identified a need to focus on the acknowledgement and repair of past harms caused by archival description. The task force was re-charged as a working group in 2021.

RAD acknowledges that the term “reparative” can be harmful to some. “Reparative therapy” is a form of conversion therapy provided to adults who voluntarily seek to change their sexual orientation or gender identity, usually out of a desire to live their lives in accordance with their religious or political beliefs. We stand with survivors of reparative therapy, and unequivocally believe that reparative therapy is a harmful, dangerous practice that can inflict lifelong damage to those who undergo it. 

Our name was inspired by and took inspiration for its name from Lae'l Hughes-Watkins’ article, Moving Toward a Reparative Archive: A Roadmap for a Holistic Approach to Disrupting Homogenous Histories in Academic Repositories and Creating Inclusive Spaces for Marginalized Voices. If you have concerns about RAD’s use of the word “reparative,” we invite you to contact us so that we can understand and discuss your concern. Our group’s aim is to reduce harm to users who interact with our archival collections, and we take all feedback under careful consideration. You may contact us using our Feedback Form.

RAD welcomes feedback, suggestions for potential future projects, and concerns related to harmful, outdated, or inadequate description. The committee’s purview pertains to archival description in finding aids available in Archives at Yale and catalog records in Orbis and Quicksearch pertaining to archives and manuscripts. Areas that are out of scope for our work include books, e-resources, and proposing changes to Library of Congress subject headings and other controlled vocabularies. We do not revise original printed titles. RAD discusses and evaluates all comments, requests, and suggestions we receive. When developing our plans for future projects, considerations include but are not limited to:

• Staff availability and expertise
• Scope and amount of material
• Complexity of the proposed review and potential revisions
• Existing resources on preferred terminology by community groups
• Anticipated research interest and use

To propose a potential RAD project or provide feedback, please complete this form. 

If you have inquiries related to RAD and its work, please contact co-chairs Monika Lehman and Jennifer Coggins.