Our collections
Hull History Centre holds archive collections dating back to the 11th century. These enable audiences to discover the stories of the people and city of Hull, as well as the histories of people from around the United Kingdom and the world.
These collections can contain outdated language, judgements and opinions relating to race, sexuality, disability, religion, nationality, class and gender. Researchers should be aware that they may encounter outdated or offensive language and attitudes when using archive materials.
Some of the material in our collections may be upsetting or traumatic to view, for example items that relate to violence or oppression. This kind of content is unlikely to be explicitly noted in our catalogues. If you would like to enquire about the content of a record or file before you visit us, please get in touch.
Our catalogues
In our catalogues we usually consider it important to retain a record’s original terminology for its title. Where necessary, we will also include original terminology in descriptive texts. This is not an endorsement of these terms and judgments. Rather, it is a way to reflect the context in which the documents were originally created. We understand that it can be difficult to read content like this, and Hull History Centre is committed to an ongoing process of reassessing our approach to cataloguing. We are also committed to including statements in our catalogues to put any potentially offensive content, language or attitudes into context.
Our cataloguing guidelines include guidance for archivists on creating inclusive descriptions of our archives. We try to use inclusive language and take into account sector best practice, while also reflecting the content and language of the archive material.
We aim to make it as easy as possible for researchers to find the histories they are looking for, although we acknowledge that this is challenging at times. For help with locating under-researched histories in the History Centre's collections, see our guide to Diversity in Archives.
This work is long-term and ongoing. If you'd like to make us aware of any potentially harmful content within our collections or catalogues, or if you'd like to know more about the steps we're taking, please email us or speak to a member of staff.