P.I.

Working Definition:

An abbreviation for “Philippine Islands,” the appearance of the term “P.I.” in finding aids and collections guides signals a historicized American imperial view of the Philippines. This term is particularly harmful in regards to its impact on the potential discoverability of materials. For, if the abbreviation appears alone, searching by “P.I.” places the burden on the researcher to sort through other uses of the abbreviation, let alone to know and reuse imperial terminology.

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