Critcatenate is an effort to keep folks up to date on critcat efforts with a monthly-ish roundup of news. Critcat is short for critical cataloging, focusing on the ethical implications of library metadata, cataloging, and classification practice, standards, and infrastructure.
#critcat in September 2024:
- New call for submissions: Descriptive Notes, the blog of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Description Section, is relaunching its series on Inclusive and Reparative Description practices and projects in archives. Descriptive Notes welcomes articles, announcements and updates, shared resources, and visual content relating to issues of archival description, including case studies, projects, collaborations, and any conversations that would be of interest to readers. Read more about SAA submission guidelines and email saadescription@gmail.com to submit.
- New toolkit: Disability and Accessibility Subject Headings Toolkit created by the DEI in Metadata Networking Group of Illinois. This new toolkit joins the group’s LGBTQ+ Toolkit and Immigration Subject Headings Toolkit
- New news story: How Inclusive Metadata Fosters Diversity in Museum Collections by Jennifer Micale, highlighting the Binghamton University Art Museum archive project
- New recording: Queer Literature Indexing Thesaurus (QLIT) presentation hosted by the Nordic Network for Queer History Archives and Activities. QLIT, which includes 900 terms and is based on Homosaurus, is led by the archivist of Sweden’s Archives and Library of the Queer Movement
- New recording: How to Queer the Catalogue presented by Adam Cohen and Jules de Guzman at CAPAL24, describing a project at Mount Royal University Library to supplement print bibliographic records with terms from Homosaurus
- New recording: Slowing Down For Metadata Justice: On Learning To Trust Our Bodies And Ourselves by Bailey Hoffner, a webinar hosted by the Metropolitan New York Library Council. Describes the need to collectively construct a values-based foundation to see, understand, and subvert the structural discrimination built into our information system
- New blog post: Remote Coworking As A Model for Reparative Description by Betts Coup, published on the SAA (Society of American Archives) Descriptive Notes blog, describing a strategy for getting more reparative work done on description in finding aids
- New article: Where Do I Belong? : Creating an Inclusive Metadata Policy by Nicole Lewis, Karen Glenn, Jeremy Myntti, Sharolyn Swenson, and Katie Yeo at Brigham Young University, published in Library Resources & Technical Services
- New article: Comparing Critical Cataloging Procedures and Developing Local Policies in the Context of Digital Library Metadata by Sarah Werling and Erik Radio, published in Journal of Library Metadata
- New article: Stop, Collaborate, and List ‘Em: Creating Local Metadata to Promote User Discovery of Minoritized Identities in a STEM Collection by Paige J. Dhyne and Alyssa Nance at Furman University, published in Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship
- New article: Preserving Ukrainian Identity: Ethical Cataloging of Ukrainian Music in Soviet Publications by Laikin Dantchenko and Jack Haig Nighan, published in Music Reference Services Quarterly
- New article: Queering the Language of Dynasty in Imprints and Bibliographic Metadata by Elise Watson, published in The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America
- New article: Defining an Ontology for Museum Critical Cataloguing Terminology Guidelines by Erin Canning, presented at the 9th Workshop on Linked Data in Linguistics. Presents the proposed ontology for the project Computational Approaches for Addressing Problematic Terminology (CAAPT)
- New article: Identities Classified: Indigenous Knowledge Management Systems and Gender in the “Age of Information” by Ia Kholan Bull, Diana E. Marsh, and Travis L. Wagner
- New chapter: The Decolonization of Arctic Library and Archives Metadata (DALAM) Thematic Network at the University of the Arctic by Sharon Farnel, Sandra M. Campbell, David Cox II, Lars Iselid, Peter Lund, Susanna Parikka, Sharon Rankin, Ivar Stokkeland & Päivi Wendelius, published in the book Library and Information Sciences in Arctic and Northern Studies. Describes work done to improve efficiencies in circumpolar metadata decolonization efforts
- New report: Addressing Harmful Content in Collections by Rose Paquet for the Oregon Heritage Commission. Includes background information on the national conversation on harmful language in archival description, links to guidance resources, information about Oregon-specific reparative work, and recommendations for future work
- New-ish PhD thesis: Sapere aude: educação catalográfica crítica by Filipe Reis. This thesis is in Portuguese with an English summary, discussing the education of library school students in critical cataloging work
- New PhD thesis: Adopting Critical Cataloging Practices Post-Diversity Audit: It’s Your Community’s Connection to Your Collection by Jessica K. Anderson. Reports on a survey of 100 Connecticut public librarians “to determine their experiences with collection audits as well as to investigate what drives or hinders the integration of inclusive cataloging reflective of community diversity”
I’m doing a brief review of the new LCSH lists for headings that might be of interest to readers of Critcatenate. LCSH list numbers consist of a two-digit number for the year and a two-digit number for the month the headings were approved (for example, headings on list 2406 were approved in June 2024).
New LC headings of note on list 2406:
- new LCSH: Collective trauma
- new LCSH: Gender identity in video games
- new LCSH: Generational trauma
- new LCSH: Pregnant men
Many new LCSH relating to Palestine and Israel, including:
- new LCSH: Blockade–Gaza Strip
- new LCSH: Gaza Strip–History–Blockade, 2007-
- new LCSH: Gaza Strip–History–Bombardment, 2023-
- new LCSH: Israel–History–Bombardment, 2001-
- new LCSH: Israel-Hamas War, 2023-
- new LCSH: October 7 Hamas Attack, Israel, 2023
- new LCSH: Palestinian Arab diaspora
Multiple revisions relating to paralysis:
- revised LCSH: from Hemiplegics to People with hemiplegia
- revised LCSH: from Paralytics to People with paralysis
- revised LCSH: from Paraplegics to People with paraplegia
- revised LCSH: from Quadriplegics to People with quadriplegia
Take note of special list 2406a, which has many revisions relating to race, including revising Racially mixed people to Multiracial people and revising Miscegenation to Miscegenation (Racist theory). Congratulations and thank you to the African American SACO Funnel for this work!
Upcoming:
- Monday Oct 7-Friday Oct 11: 2024 LD4 Conference: Building Community for Linked Open Data, free and online, requires registration. LD4 2024 includes multiple critcat-related sessions:
- Mobile Subjects in Linked Open Data: Biases and Gaps in Identity and Representation
- LD4 Wikidata Affinity Group: Ethical Description of Humans on Wikidata: Panel & Community Discussion
- Developing a Spanish-language Homosaurus: Using Multi-language Linked Data to Enhance LGBTQ+ Resource Discoverability
- Controlled Vocabulary Linked Data for Improved Subject Access to LGBTQ+ Cultural Heritage Resources
- Enhancing Search and Discovery for LGBTQIA+ Materials at the Orbis Cascade Alliance and Beyond: a Tour of the Homosaurus Implementation Project
- Tuesday Oct 8-Thursday Oct 10: OLAC 2024 (the audiovisual catalogers). In person in Minneapolis. Critcat-related sessions include:
- A Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Toolkit for Audiovisual Catalogers presented by Treshani Perera
- Accessibility Metadata presented by Teressa Keenan
- Critical Cataloging & Solo Librarianship presented by Katie Yeo
- Contextualizing Harmful or Offensive Materials in Your Collection
presented by Elizabeth Burton
- Friday Oct 18–Saturday Oct 19: Reparative Description Workflows. Workshop presented as the Midwest Archives Conference (MAC) Fall Symposium, workshop facilitated by Stephanie M. Luke and Kristen Whitson. In person at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois
Please let me know if there’s anything else coming up or I’ve missed anything!