The “Wicked Problem” of Neutral Description: Toward a Documentation Approach to Metadata Standards

Long, Kara; Thompson, Santi; Potvin, Sarah; Rivero, Monica

doi:10.1080/01639374.2016.1278419

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…LCSH terminology describing marginalized groups have been criticized as inappropriate, misleading or outrightly offensive (Adler, 2017;Baucom, 2018;Bone and Lougheed, 2018;Canadian Federation of Library Associations, 2016;Gough and Greenblatt, 1990;Long, et al, 2017;McKemmish, et al, 2020;Olson, 2002;Rawson, 2009;Roberto, 2008), but unfortunately still remain essential for users and access systems (Gross, et al, 2015). Meanwhile, catalogers and other knowledge workers have attempted to rectify present-day harms through redescription and remediation, but their corrections often originate from dominant positions and, as such, can sometimes do more harm than good.…”

Section: The Library Of Congress Subject Headingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Handicapped has been cancelled: The terminology and logics of disability in cultural heritage institutions

Watson¹,

Beck²

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper originated from a collaborative effort between an academic and archivist and a cataloger to address the issues around the LCSH heading “Social disabilities.” In it, we examine various aspects and consequences resulting from the ways that galleries, libraries, archives, museums, and special collections (GLAMS) organize knowledge about disability and disabled users. We do this primarily through the lens of documentary analysis of cataloging and classification systems as this process, elsewhere called “the power to name” (Olson, 2002), as it is the basis for the operation of GLAMS. First, we will provide an outline and contextual information about the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), the largest and most influential subject heading vocabulary system in the world. Next, we will examine the discourse around disability in library and information science via the results of a literature review. Next, we will examine the history, transformations, use, and meaning behind the LCSH heading “Social disabilities,” as an example of breakdown in terminology. Finally, and unique to the literature, we will propose an alternative hierarchy of terms for the Persons hierarchy in LCSH and discuss other methods that catalogers may use for organizing holdings about disability.

show abstract

Section: The Library Of Congress Subject Headingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Handicapped has been cancelled: The terminology and logics of disability in cultural heritage institutions

Watson¹,

Beck²

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Resultingly, information professionals, activists and researchers have struggled with controlled vocabularies, especially ones as pervasive as the internationally‐used Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). While terms from controlled vocabularies broadly and LCSH specifically contain terms describing marginalized groups that are often criticized as inappropriate, misleading, or outrightly offensive (Adler & Tennis, 2013; Berman, 1993; Drabinski, 2013; Long et al, 2017; Olson, 2002; Satija & Martinez‐Avila, 2017) researchers have pointed out that despite its flaws, LCSH may remain essential for users and researchers (Gross et al, 2015).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Our Metadata, Ourselves”: The Trans Metadata Collective

Watson,

Murphy,

Schaefer

et al. 2023

Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Tech

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper presents the history, internal processes, and finalized report of the Trans Metadata Collective (TMDC), founded to address the lack of attention paid to trans and gender diverse issues in galleries, archives, libraries, museums, and special collections (GLAMS). The TMDC, an ad‐hoc group of nearly a hundred information professionals, developed best practices for the description and classification of trans and gender diverse information resources. These guidelines prioritize transparency, cultural sensitivity, correct identification, explicit descriptions of transphobia, and regular assessment of trans‐related content. It examines the effects of commonly used standards and controlled vocabularies such as Resource Description and Access (RDA) and Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) on trans and gender diverse people and critiques the inadequacy of these standards' representation of those communities. The TMDC provides guidance for using existing LCSHs, recommends alternative subject vocabularies, and proposes revisions to improve representation. The paper advocates individual agency in naming and gender identification, with recommendations on contacting creators and documenting their preferences. The TMDC emphasizes the importance of minimizing potential harm and protecting privacy in metadata creation. Overall, the report aims to enhance the representation and inclusion of trans and gender diverse communities in GLAMS institutions.

show abstract

“…Budget cuts and efficiency have governed cataloguing workflows. Cataloguing must move beyond a strict adherence to neutral (Long et al, 2017), interoperable description to critical analysis and ethical reflection on what descriptive elements could be included to serve Indigenous users more equitably (Reijerkerk, 2020). There is power in the decisions that cataloguers make in their work with Indigenous materials and current practices must change to better serve Indigenous users.…”

Section: Ethics In Cataloguing and Indigenous Metadatamentioning

confidence: 99%

Shortcomings of Bibliographic Description in Service of Indigenous Peoples in Canada

Hunter

2021

elip

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The marginalization of Indigenous Peoples in library catalogues and cataloguing standards is well documented. This article looks beyond Library of Congress Classification to analyze how the marginalization of Indigenous Peoples manifests in Machine Readable Cataloguing (MARC) and online public access catalogs (OPACs) to the detriment of Indigenous users. The rules that govern bibliographic description either obscure the presence of materials in a collection that represent Indigenous worldviews, or do not have the capacity to accurately record demographic terms related to Indigenous Peoples. This leads to inaccurate access points and culturally inappropriate metadata. Examples of projects and institutions innovating in this domain are examined. The harms cataloguers enact through adherence to bibliographic standards deserve critical and ethical analysis. These analyses and innovative projects are first steps towards better serving Indigenous users and reconciliation in libraries in Canada.

show abstract

The “Wicked Problem” of Neutral Description: Toward a Documentation Approach to Metadata Standards

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Handicapped has been cancelled: The terminology and logics of disability in cultural heritage institutions

Handicapped has been cancelled: The terminology and logics of disability in cultural heritage institutions

“Our Metadata, Ourselves”: The Trans Metadata Collective

Shortcomings of Bibliographic Description in Service of Indigenous Peoples in Canada

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About