User-centred description: Reparative metadata practices at Florida State University

The remediation of legacy metadata descriptions has become an increasingly prominent topic among cultural heritage institutions. As descriptive practices evolve and new collections continue to be processed, the time and resources available for reviewing outdated or inaccurate metadata are often limited. Yet, inaccurate description directly impacts user access, discoverability and the overall research experience. In response to these challenges, the Special Collections and Archives Department (SCA) at Florida State University Libraries undertook a number of studies as part of a broader initiative involving the remediation of legacy archival description in SCA’s ArchivesSpace database and its digital library, the FSU Digital Repository. The work centred on analysing and correcting outdated, missing or incorrect metadata description to improve user experience and discoverability. Conscious editing practices, APA language guidelines, and updates to linked data such as Library of Congress subject headings, name authority files and other controlled vocabularies, alongside institutional case studies, served as guiding resources. The case studies discussed in this paper include the Bradford-Eppes Papers — the first collection to be remediated; the Claude Pepper Papers — a popular collection which used outdated language and standards and the Historical Photographs Collection launching the Mrs. Husbands-Name Project which set out to recover women’s independent identities. The paper discusses the development and refinement of reparative practices and workflows for legacy description in SCA’s finding aids and repository. It highlights successes and ongoing challenges while encouraging other institutions to adopt a user-centred approach to archival metadata. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at http://hstalks/business.