Inclusive Cataloging

Introduction

Inclusive or critical cataloging practices aim to remediate racist, sexist, ableist, ageist and/or other harmful terms included in library classification systems related to marginalized people or groups, such as Black and Indigenous People of Color, LGBTQIA communities, and people with intellectual, mental, and social disabilities. This remediation process attempts to dismantle hierarchies of oppression within libraries' systems and should include collaboration with any communities impacted by the terminologies included.

This toolkit is organized by the amount of time you have to commit to the source or the level of engagement you would like to have with the material: Little Time (Get Started), Medium Time (Learn More), Lots of Time (Take Action) and alphabetically by resource title within those categories.

We welcome suggestions for additions to the toolkit.

Little Time (Get Started)

• Cataloging as Civic Engagement: Providing Inclusive Local Subject Alternative to Offensive Headings (Masha Stepanova, Miami University; ALAO Conference 2021; 18m 50s)

  • In 2016 the Library of Congress was unable to officially change the subject headings for “aliens” and “illegal aliens” to “non-citizens” and “undocumented immigrants.” Many libraries reacted to this event by replacing these subject headings locally. Such a project requires careful consideration of alternatives, logistics, possible complications, as well as gaining the support of the library administration. This presentation will describe in detail one such undertaking that used “illegal aliens” as the initial example but moved even further to include inclusive terms for other populations. This presentation will include a step-by-step workflow for adding local subjects, as well as a table of alternative headings. It will also include suggestions for outreach to various populations on campus to help review subjects dealing with race, gender, and sexual orientation.

• Current Work in Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility by Metadata Communities: A Working Report from the ALA/ALCTS Metadata Standards Committee. by Michael R. Bolan et. al. (Article)

  • This article presents the research and initial findings by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services and the Library Information Technology Association Metadata Standards Committee around diversity, inclusion and accessibility areas of interest and focus in the metadata field. The committee studied this topic using a survey methodology and thematic analysis technique. At the time of this writing, thirteen responses had been gathered through a purposeful sampling technique. The article presents specific topics and issues identified through the survey as well as meta-themes that appear to be common across all responses.

• Embracing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Library Cataloging. by Sai Deng & Christine Davidian (Article)

  • The article presents the discussion on Embracing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Library Cataloging" being held virtually in Zoom on February 3, 2021. Topics include creating and maintaining holistic policies pertaining to authority control and identity management; focusing on values of inclusion, diversity, belonging, and equity in working with metadata; and receiving feedback from students in the Gender & Sexuality Studies research group.

• Pursuing Diversity and Inclusion in Technical Services. by Dracine Hodges (Article)

  • This article is based on the opening keynote address of the 27th annual North Carolina Serials Conference. It discusses principles and practices of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the context of technical services. Emphasis is placed on routine rather than extraordinary activities supporting collection development, resource description, and discovery and access.

Medium Time (Learn More)

• Cataloging Lab Critcatenate reading lists

• Critical Cataloging (CritCat) resource guide

• OhioLINK Database Improvement and Discoverability (DIAD) Policy Team’s Guidelines for Outdated Terms (mentions the shared Central Catalog but principles can be applied to non-OhioLINK libraries for local use)

• Cataloging Lab List of alternative vocabularies

• Embracing Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion in Library Cataloging (ALA Core: Technical Services Interest Group; 56m 25s)

  • A Holistic Approach to the Planning and Implementation of Metadata Inclusiveness (Charlene Chou, NYU Libraries)

  • Creating the SSDN Inclusive Metadata & Conscious Editing Resources List (Elliot Williams, University of Miami Libraries)

  • Forming a Working Group to Address DEI Issues in the Library (Annamarie C. Klose, OSU Libraries)

  • The Creation, Enrichment, and Exchange of Public-Domain Bibliographic Records Between Public Libraries (Tris Shores, Founder of the Open Bibliographic Exchange Project)

  • Classification & Cataloging of LGBTQAI+ Material in the Elementary School Library (Linda Garrison, University of Central Florida)

Lots of Time (Take Action)

• The Cataloging Lab

  • The Cataloging Lab was started to be a collaborative place to draft proposals for additions or revisions to LCSH. Learn more about the origin and impetus of the site in this Library Journal article. Over the years, it’s grown to host a number of crowdsourced lists as well. Some of the most popular lists are the list of statements on bias in library and archives description and the list of problem LCSH.