At MCA, we believe in the power of stories to shape understanding, foster empathy, and connect communities. That’s why we are proud to be partners of the DE-BIAS Project, an inspiring Europeana initiative that has worked tirelessly to address bias and promote inclusivity in digital cultural heritage collections.

Over two years, the DE-BIAS Project has broken new ground in helping cultural heritage institutions rethink how they describe, catalogue, and share their collections. By involving minoritised communities and fostering inclusive practices, the project has equipped cultural heritage professionals with the tools and resources they need to bring positive change.

Why DE-BIAS Matters

Cultural heritage collections often reflect the dominant narratives of the times in which they were created. These narratives can unintentionally perpetuate outdated, harmful, or exclusionary language and ideas. The DE-BIAS Project addresses this challenge head-on, enabling cultural institutions to take a fresh, inclusive approach to storytelling.

Focusing on themes like migration, colonial history, gender and sexual identity, and ethno-religious diversity, DE-BIAS has developed resources that empower professionals to:

• Identify and address bias in metadata and descriptions.
• Engage with marginalised communities to tell their stories authentically.
• Build workflows that ensure cultural heritage is accessible and inclusive for everyone.

Resources for Change

The DE-BIAS Project has created a suite of resources designed for cultural heritage professionals, researchers, and anyone passionate about making collections more inclusive. These include:

• Guidelines for Representing Diversity in Metadata
  These practical recommendations provide step-by-step guidance for debiasing cultural heritage metadata. Separate sets of guidelines for professionals and policymakers cover topics like community engagement, technology, and revisiting workflows and funding schemes.
• Interactive Training Course
  Launching in January 2025, the self-paced course “Bias in Digital Cultural Heritage Collections” offers an engaging way to explore and apply the principles of the DE-BIAS Project. Participants will learn about bias in collections, how to engage communities, and tools like the DE-BIAS vocabulary and AI-powered DE-BIAS tool.
• The DE-BIAS Vocabulary and AI Tool
  This innovative tool combines offensive language detection with contextual information and alternative terms, helping institutions create collections that are more inclusive.

All resources are available here : https://pro.europeana.eu/page/de-bias-project-capacity-building-resources

How You Can Get Involved

We invite you to explore the rich resources created by the DE-BIAS Project and take part in this important conversation. Whether you’re a cultural heritage professional looking to implement new practices or a culture lover interested in the broader impact of inclusivity, there’s something here for everyone.

🌟 Beta testers wanted! Be among the first to complete the training course and provide feedback. Reach out via project.debias@gmail.com to join.

Read more about the project and explore the resources here: https://pro.europeana.eu/project/de-bias

At MCA, we’re committed to advancing equity and inclusion in cultural heritage, and we are excited to contribute this journey alongside the DE-BIAS Project partners.