Statement on Potentially Harmful Material in the Collections

Due to their historic nature, some materials may represent ideologies, positions, norms, or values that are not consistent with those of Michigan State University or the MSU Libraries. Some of the materials in our collections contain imagery or language that is prejudiced, damaging, and exclusionary. These perspectives were wrong when these items were created and are wrong today.

The past informs the present, and we believe that collecting these items can provide critical historical context to the world we live in. Murray and Hong Special Collections works to bring these materials to light in order to minimize their harm. While we cannot change the past, we can learn from it, and move forward together.