The official website of the Cataloging Ethics Steering Committee.
Cataloguing Code of Ethics (Final Version - January 2021)
Mission Statement:
At the request of their membership and for the benefit of all staff creating, sharing, enriching & maintaining metadata, the cataloguing communities of the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom are tasked with compiling a Code of Ethics for Cataloguers.
It will be a dynamic document embodying the collective experiences and wisdom of our community of practice and will consist of a framework, with guidance and examples of best practice, which can be shared across the cataloguing community.
The Code will be a collaborative and inclusive project managed by a Cataloguing Ethics Steering Committee directing a number of Working Groups consisting of individuals drawn from diverse geographical, ethnic and library sectors.
Members of the Cataloging Ethics Steering Committee:
Beth Shoemaker, Victoria University in the University of Toronto, Canada (co-chair) (ALA CORE representative) Staffing/Work Conditions Working Group Liaison
Karen Snow, School of Information Studies, Dominican University, Illinois, USA (co-chair) (ALA CORE representative) Classification Working Group Liaison
May Chan, University of Toronto, Canada (CFLA-FCAB CMSC representative) Access Scope & Infrastructure Working Group Liaison
Jane Daniels, Retired, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Wales, UK (CILIP MDG representative) Authority Work Working Group Liaison
Sarah Furger, Joliet Public Library, Illinois, USA Subject Headings Working Group Liaison
Diane Rasmussen McAdie, formerly of the School of Computing, Engineering, and the Built Environment, Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland (CILIP MDG representative) Resource Discovery & Accessibility Working Group Liaison
Updates on Committee Activities:
Final Version & Drafts of the Cataloguing Code of Ethics:
Final version of the Cataloguing Code of Ethics
Second DRAFT Cataloguing Code of Ethics (closed for comments)
First DRAFT Cataloguing Code of Ethics (closed for comments)
Translations of the Cataloguing Code of Ethics:
ΚΩΔΙΚΑΣ ΗΘΙΚΗΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΑΤΑΛΟΓΟΓΡΑΦΗΣΗΣ (Greek translation) - "thank you" to Elisavet Chantavaridou! (Disclaimer: this Greek translation has not been vetted by members of the Cataloging Ethics Steering Committee)
قواعد أخالقيات العمل يف الفهرسة (Arabic translation) - "thank you" to Professor Mahmoud Sherif Zakaria! (Disclaimer: this Arabic translation has not been vetted by members of the Cataloging Ethics Steering Committee)
Cod Moeseg Catalogio (Welsh translation) - "thank you" to Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru/The National Library of Wales! (Disclaimer: this Welsh translation has not been vetted by members of the Cataloging Ethics Steering Committee)
Code de d’éthique du catalogage (Français/French - Canada translation) Fédération canadienne des associations de bibliothèques/Canadian Federation of Library Associations (En attente d’examen/Under review)
Etički kodeks katalogizator/ica (Bosnian translation) - "thank you" to Dalila Mirović! (Disclaimer: this Bosnian translation has not been vetted by members of the Cataloging Ethics Steering Committee)
Working Group Reports:
Resource Discovery & Accessibility
Cataloging Ethics Bibliography:
Cataloging Ethics Bibliography
Related Documents:
Working Group Expectations & Deliverables (including Code of Conduct)
Last updated - September 2025