A Code of Ethics for Catalogers

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, Emory University* (co-chair) (ALA CORE representative) Staffing/Work Conditions Working Group Liaison

Karen Snow, School of Information Studies, Dominican University (co-chair) (ALA CORE representative) Classification Working Group Liaison


May Chan, University of Toronto (CFLA-FCAB CMSC representative) Access Scope & Infrastructure Working Group Liaison

Jane Daniels, Retired, Cardiff Metropolitan University (CILIP MDG representative) Authority Work Working Group Liaison

Sarah Furger, Joliet Public Library Subject Headings Working Group Liaison

Diane Rasmussen, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde (CILIP MDG representative) Resource Discovery & Accessibility Working Group Liaison


*Now with the University of Toronto