THE ARCHIVES

The Archives and archival staff acknowledge our complicity in institutional racism and inequity at BB&N. We recognize that archivists exercise power through choosing who and what to include or exclude from our historical records. As the school moves toward the goal of becoming an anti-racist institution, our archival staff is committed to engaging in this work. Below are several areas in which we are actively reassessing our practices and moving forward through the lens of equity and inclusion. This work is ongoing and constantly evolving, and we welcome any questions or feedback you may have about this statement or our work. Please contact us at archives@bbns.org. Flagging Harmful Language and Content As archival collections are largely historical in nature, materials sometimes contain harmful, offensive, and outdated language or content. In order to ensure researchers’ well-being when encountering these materials, we provide content warnings on all harmful or potentially harmful collections. For collections known to contain harmful content, staff have included a content warning to the collection’s finding aid in ArchivesSpace. This content warning provides clear information about the type of content, as well as which materials contain it. Not all collections have been processed and checked by archival staff. For unprocessed collections that may contain harmful content, staff have included a general content advisory in the finding aid that warns of the potential to encounter harmful content. If you encounter harmful or offensive language or content in our archival collections, on our website, or in our finding aids, please contact us at archives@bbns.org. Finding Aid Descriptions We are committed to using accurate and respectful language in our descriptions and finding aids. We also acknowledge language is always changing, and so our descriptions will be regularly assessed for the presence of harmful or outdated language. In choosing language for our descriptions, we: Use terms chosen by people to describe themselves, Choose people-first language, unless otherwise preferred by an individual or group, Avoid subject headings that have damaging connotations or contexts. In some cases, harmful language might offer a certain level of research value by documenting the context of a specific collection or time. Several examples include: Organization names that include outdated language, A title of a published work, An individual defining themselves in terms no longer preferred by their larger community. We will assess these instances on a case-by-case basis to determine whether including the term in the finding aid is helpful to researchers. In cases where this language might be retained in the description, we will clearly indicate such language as coming from contextual documents. Collection Development and Access The BB&N Archives has not prioritized collections documenting the experiences and work of the school’s BIPOC community members. As we move toward becoming an antiracist school, the archival staff is committed to identifying historically underrepresented and misrepresented groups in our collections and to prioritizing access to these materials. In order to provide equitable access, we select subject headings that accurately and respectfully describe and highlight all of our community members. We are also dedicated to pinpointing spaces of silence in our collections, and working with underrepresented groups to identify representative materials for inclusion in the archives.

What We Collect In support of our three core values, the Archives actively collects materials that fall under the the following areas: Academics and Curriculum Administrative Offices Alumni/ae Events Athletics Board of Trustees Buildings and Grounds Faculty Heads of School Parents’ Associations School Publications Student Life & Activities Student Publications Visual and Performing Arts Highly Desired Materials In addition to the above list, the Archives has a particular interest in collecting materials that reflect the BB&N community’s experiences in ways not documented by official records. The Archives recognizes the gaps in BB&N's historical record, particularly as regards BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community members, and aims to document these experiences more fully and in collaboration with the affected communities. The Archives particularly seeks materials in the following wide-ranging areas: Materials from historically underrepresented or misrepresented communities, especially BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae Student-created self-publications (i.e., zines) Scrapbooks and photographs taken by students on campus or at school events Student government and club activities Winning pieces of writing and art (i.e., Junior Profiles) Class syllabi Faculty-created materials, as related to coursework or the school Oral history recordings Materials We Do Not Collect Materials which are not collected by the Archives include the following: Duplicate copies of any item Printed material available in another form Non-school related items Materials created by alumni/ae after their time at BB&N, unless directly related to school activities Moldy or excessively damaged materials Published books, with the exception of books about BB&N

Access to Materials Archival materials do not circulate and must be used either in the archives or in a space designated and supervised by the archivist. The Archives is open to researchers during regular business hours by appointment only. Visitors are asked to adhere to the following guidelines: Upon entry, visitors must provide their name, phone number and/or email, and the reason for their visit. The archivist will then provide the relevant materials. Visitors should not keep coats and bags on the table while accessing archival materials. Please use hooks provided or place them safely to the side. Food and drink are strictly prohibited. Researchers are responsible for maintaining the condition and organization of materials they access for the duration of their use. Notes may be taken with either laptops or pencils and paper. Permission must be obtained from the archives staff before taking photographs. Researchers may request copies of materials from the archivist. Gloves must be worn to handle any unsleeved photographs or slides, and may be required by the archivist for other materials. Restricted Material In keeping with the Archives’ mission to support the educational and research needs of our community, the majority of our collections are open and accessible. The exceptions to this rule are the following: Institutional records are restricted for 20 years. Board of Trustees records are restricted for 50 years. Student and personnel records are restricted for 75 years. During the restriction period, records will be available only to current staff of the Head of School’s Office, the department of origin, and the BB&N Archives staff. Permission to use restricted records must be requested in writing to the Archivist, and written approval must be obtained from an appropriate individual in the department of origin. Records will be made available in accordance with the rules and regulations of the BB&N Archives and federal and state regulations governing access to student and other records. Copyright Researchers intending to publish material from the BB&N Archives must contact Archives staff prior to publication. Researchers are responsible for following copyright law and obtaining copyright prior to publication if necessary. Researchers assume full responsibility for any copyright infringement as the result of their use of materials in the collections. Copyright for records created by Buckingham Browne & Nichols is held by the school. Permission to reproduce these records may be requested through the Archives staff. Researchers may request reproductions of any materials for educational and research use.

The Archives welcomes gifts from members of the wider school community, including alumni, former faculty, and family or friends of the school. If you are interested in donating, or simply want to know more, please reach out to us at archives@bbns.org. We can answer any questions you have about specific materials, our existing collections, or the donation process. Gifts from the BB&N community enable us to preserve and share our rich historical narrative. Thank you!