This is a crowdsourced compilation of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) that some consider problematic (for a variety of reasons). Opinions will vary about what constitutes a “problem heading”; this may include offensive terminology, headings that aren’t clear, headings that inappropriately conflate multiple ideas, or terminology that’s not commonly used/understood. Your institution should decide which terms are most appropriate for your users, in collaboration with any communities impacted by the choice of terminology.
Click the green plus sign to see comments for more information on each heading.
List of problem headings
Current LCSH | Preferred term? | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Antifa (Organisation) | Anti-fascist movements | This corporate body refers to a defunct U.K. organization and should not be applied to works about the current antifa movement |
| Argentina--History--Dirty War, 1976-1983 | Terrorismo de Estado, Argentina, 1976-1983 | The LCSH "State-sponsored terrorism" may be a valuable addition to works about this period. Find more information about the origin of the contested term "Dirty War" at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War#Origin_of_the_term |
| Asian flu | 1957–1958 influenza pandemic | For more information on this heading, see "Cataloging 'Asian Flu' is Creating Racial Knowledge" by Shu Wan (pdf): https://www.ala.org/rt/sites/ala.org.rt/files/content/SRRT/Newsletters/srrt216.pdf#page=7 |
| Asperger's syndrome | Autism spectrum disorders | DSM 5 no longer recognizes Asperger's as a diagnosis. In addition, the namesake for Asperger's was doctor who colluded with the Nazi regime and referred patients to a clinic that euthanized the disabled. For more information, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Asperger |
| Berbers | Amazigh | Authorized form is an exonym that may be considered pejorative. "Amazigh" and "Imazighen" are the terms used by these groups. For more information: https://www.linguisticanthropology.org/blog/2019/09/23/respecting-identity-amazigh-versus-berber/ |
| Bildungsromans | Coming of age--Fiction | While "Bildungsromans" is an established literary genre and accepted term for researchers; it is not widely understood by the general public. |
| Boat people | Political refugees | A term considered derogatory by some. For more information, see https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/07/30/why-the-language-we-use-to-talk-about-refugees-matters-so-much/ |
| Bossiness | Assertiveness (Psychology); Assertiveness in women; Assertiveness in girls | This is a gender-coded term, and typically is only used to refer to women or girls who are considered to be overly assertive or self-confident |
| Brazil--History--Revolution, 1964 | Brazil--History--Coup d'état, 1964 | The military dictators referred to this as a democratic revolution when it happened (and the U.S. government initially did as well), but historians, political scientists, and others have long agreed that this was a miitary coup d`etat. The only places where you see it referred to as a revolution are in formal language created by the military dictators. I have also used the term used by children of exiled military dictators. |
| Cerebral palsied | People with cerebral palsy | Cerebral-palsied (and related terms like Cerebral-palsied children) is an uncommonly used term and not in line with the person-first language used in most LCSH. |
| Child pornography | Child sexual abuse material | LCSH is behind global trends to move away from "child pornography." See the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children's glossary: https://www.icmec.org/resources/glossary/#:~:text=While%20most%20legislation |
| Children of egg donors | Donor-conceived offspring | Within the community of women who have used egg donors, it is clear that the children are the children of the intended parents. "Donor offspring" implies that they are the children of the donor rather than conceived using donor eggs or sperm and then the children of the intended parents. |
| Children of sperm donors | Donor offspring | Children of sperm donors, which was created in 2012, implies those who are conceived via sperm donation or children of actual donors, i.e., their biological fathers were once sperm donors. It is a misleading term. You would also need then, Children of egg donors (children conceived via egg donation). Therefore, the correct term would be Donor offspring, which is the term this community uses. Donor offspring encompasses all those conceived via a third party, i.e., gamete donation. |
| Climatic changes | Climate change | "Climate change" is a much more widely understood term. |
| Common fallacies | Misinformation | Misinformation is a UF but the meanings are different and misinformation is now much more commonly used. |
| Criminals | Some argue that terms like "criminals" dehumanize people accused or convicted of crimes. For more information about alternate options, see: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/04/12/what-words-we-use-and-avoid-when-covering-people-and-incarceration | |
| Cross-dressing | Choice of terminology isn't a problem, but the very narrow scope note is an issue: "Here are entered works on the practice of assuming a dress and manner not generally associated with one's gender for psychological gratification." There are multiple reasons people dress across genders, including, historically, disguises to enter military service. Should the scope note be embiggened? | |
| Crystalline lens | Lens (Eye) | "Crystalline lens" is overly medicalized language for a term most would describe as "the lens of the eyes". |
| Defloration | Virginity | For more information about this heading, see https://cataloginglab.org/kb/defloration/ |
| Discovery and exploration | The term "discovery" suggests a terra nullius/Western-centric view for lands which had Indigenous populations. Potential replacements will depend on the focus of the book but might include "Colonization" or, as a less-bad alternative, "European discovery". | |
| Domestic relations | Family law | The authorized heading has a much broader meaning in popular usage; bar associations, law schools, etc., use "Family law" to describe this field. |
| Dwarfs (Persons) | People with Dwarfism | There's been a move to separate the LCSH term into two categories - dwarves in folklore and people with dwarfism. For more information about recent changes to this heading, see https://inevermetadataididntlike.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/on-giants-and-dwarfs/. To add "Persons" seems like an afterthought. "People with dwarfism" moves toward people-first language, rather than identity-first, which is preferred by many communities. |
| East Indians | Indic people (possibly?) | According to Biswas, (2017) using the term East Indians “in reference to individuals from India represents a problematic vestige of colonialism because the term's origins are inextricably tied to a European imagination that was shaped by the writings and experiences of maritime travelers, Christian missionaries, and colonial expeditions." Biswas, P. (2017). Rooted in the Past: Use of “East Indians” in Library of Congress Subject Headings. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly,56(1), 1-18. doi:10.1080/01639374.2017.1386253 |
| Eskimos | Read carefully the scope note of this heading: https://lccn.loc.gov/sh85044824; this headings' use in older cataloging should be reviewed. Many Native peoples find "Eskimos" an offensive term, as well as being imprecise. For more information, see this post from the Alaska Native Language Center https://www.uaf.edu/anlc/resources/inuit_or_eskimo.php | |
| Ethnic arts | Seems pretty reductive and non-specific. | |
| Fetishism | Figure sculpture, African OR Ceremonial objects | "Fetishes" and "Fetish figures" were applied to African objects by European colonizers as a condescending interpretation of African culture. More accurate language is available to describe the objects. The history of the term is explained more here: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/journals/conservation-journal/issue-31/the-function-of-a-fetish-figure/ |
| Future life | Afterlife | "Future life" seems to be a term in vogue in the early twentieth century U.S., but its current use obscures its meaning of "life after death." |
| Gender nonconforming people | Gender nonconforming people | I see that gender nonconforming is listed as a problem heading, with the suggested replacement of nonbinary people. However, there are many gender nonconforming people who are not nonbinary. Nonbinary is generally understood to fall under the transgender category. People can be gender nonconforming but not nonbinary. My daughter attends a camp for 'transgender and gender nonconforming kids.' School policies are generally made to protect 'transgender and gender nonconforming students.' While someone can certainly be nonbinary AND gender nonconforming, someone can also certainly be male or female and gender nonconforming. For example, my brother is a gay man who is gender nonconforming (he breaks expected norms in his clothing choices). He also identifies as male, not nonbinary. Thanks for listening and thanks for your project! |
| Gender-nonconforming people | Non-binary people | Gender-nonconformity depicts a bias that believes in the adherence to gender stereotypes of a binary gender system. |
| God (Islam) | Allah | See March 2022 presentation from Middle East Librarians Association for details on this heading: https://youtu.be/eSNW2gQVJXc?t=1920 |
| Hand-to-hand fighting, Oriental | Shaolin martial arts, its 450 | If it is meant to be used instead of Shaolin martial arts, use the more specific term. |
| Hearing impaired | Hard of hearing people | "Hearing impaired" is not used by most American people in the Deaf community due its focus on the negative aspects of deafness. For more information, see https://www.nad.org/resources/american-sign-language/community-and-culture-frequently-asked-questions/#:~:text=For%20many%20people%2C%20the%20words,what%20people%20can't%20do. |
| Hispanic Americans | Latino/Latina/Latinx | Authorized form conflates Hispanic with Latino/a; these have distinct meanings. For more information, see https://remezcla.com/features/culture/latino-vs-hispanic-vs-latinx-how-these-words-originated/ |
| Homeless persons | Unhoused people | For further thoughts on the terminology around homelessness, see https://archive.curbed.com/2020/6/11/21273455/homeless-people-definition-copy-editing |
| Husband and wife | Spouses--legal status, laws, etc. | LCSH redirects "Spouses--legal status, laws, etc." to "Husband and wife", which has a scope note that excludes same-sex spousal pairs. It reads, "Here are entered works on legal relations between husband and wife. Works on the legal status of women during marriage, and on the effect of marriage on their legal capacity, are entered under Married women—Legal status, laws, etc.". Cataloging resources about the legal relations of individuals in a same-sex marriage therefore don't have an appropriate LCSH at this time. I think the problem could be solved by flipping the reference to Use: "Spouses--legal status, laws, etc." |
| Illegal immigration | Undocumented immigration | These headings have been in the public spotlight since 2016; see a history of revision efforts at the Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_aliens_(Library_of_Congress_Subject_Heading) For a list of all the headings related to this term and potential replacements, see page 10 of the Report of the SAC Working Group on Alternatives to LCSH "Illegal aliens": https://alair.ala.org/handle/11213/14582 A potential improvement to the 2021 revisions might be for "Illegal immigration" to be switched automatically to "Undocumented immigration," although these are not coequal. |
| Illegitimacy | Nonmarital births | Calling any person "illegitimate" on basis of their parents' legally married status is demeaning. Granted, this is a legal term, but "Illegitimacy" and related terms should be put in a UF. |
| Illegitimate children | Children of unmarried parents | Calling any person "illegitimate" on basis of their parents' legally married status is demeaning. Granted, this is a legal term, but "Illegitimacy" and related terms should be put in a UF. |
| Indians of North America | Indigenous peoples of North America | "Indigenous peoples" recognizes that there may be many different groups of indigenous people in a given geographic area. The United Nations adopted "Indigenous peoples" as the preferred term for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). "Indian", when used by non-Indigenous peoples, is generally considered an offensive term. It represents a colonialist attitude that failed to differentiate between the indigenous peoples of North America and of South East Asia, and applies a single label to a very diverse set of indigenous peoples. For more information on changes that Canadian libraries have implemented, see https://main.lib.umanitoba.ca/indigenous-subject-headings. LC has said it will be changing this language; for more information, see: https://connect.ala.org/core/discussion/sac-2022-annual-meeting-lc-ptcp-report#bm1fd16409-fc71-4a3a-a066-6f129b65ecbf |
| Inmates of institutions | Some argue that terms like "inmates" dehumanize those confined in institutions. For more information about alternate options, see: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/04/12/what-words-we-use-and-avoid-when-covering-people-and-incarceration. Note that this heading includes both people in prisons and in health care facilities. | |
| Invalids | People with disabilities; Sick | Imprecise, potentially offensive term that may refer to people with illnesses (potentially covered by the LCSH "Sick") or people with disabilities. For more information, see https://www.acedisability.org.au/information-for-providers/language-disability.php |
| Juvenile delinquents | Youth in custody | Some states' department of corrections prefer the term "youth in custody" to juvenile delinquents |
| Kings and rulers | Sovereigns | Gender-neutral form is available; "Kings and rulers" implies rulers are not female (because the LCSH "Queens" is a separate heading) |
| Lebanon--History--Israeli intervention, 1982-1985 | 1982 Lebanon War or Lebanon--History--Israeli invasion, 1982-1985 | See March 2022 presentation from Middle East Librarians Association for details on this heading: https://youtu.be/eSNW2gQVJXc?t=1824 |
| Leprosy | Hansen's disease | The terms leprosy and lepers have frequently been associated with stigma. A 2020 opinion piece in The Lancet suggests renaming to the bacterium responsible for the disease: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30526-0/fulltext |
| Mogul Empire | Mughal Empire | Mogul is a British rendering of the original "Mughal" which reminiscent of colonialism, whereas "Mughal" reflects the original name and how it is written in Persian, Urdu and Hindi. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_Empire |
| Mongoloid race | Mongols ; Asians - depending on subject | "Mongoloid" is not a race. It's an antiquated term which comes from a narrow understanding of a group of people. |
| Navajo | Diné | Diné is the preferred term for the indigenous group in the southwest United States.The term Navajo, originally derived from Spanish, has been translated/interpreted to mean "thief." For more information, see https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-16-mn-2405-story.html |
| Oriental literature | Asian literature | "Oriental" is an outdated term with Eurocentric underpinnings. For more information, see http://reappropriate.co/2014/04/what-is-orientalism-and-how-is-it-also-racism/ |
| Orientalism | Catalogers should be cautious in applying this heading to works and might consider reviewing its prior application in their catalogs. For more information on Orientalism, see http://reappropriate.co/2014/04/what-is-orientalism-and-how-is-it-also-racism/ | |
| Palestinian Arabs | Palestinians | From Wikipedia: "Due to the legacy of the Ottoman period, the ethnic origins of some rural and urban Palestinians are either Albanian, Circassian or from other non-Arab populations." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinians#Arabization_of_Palestine |
| Parolees | People on parole | Some argue that terms like "parolees" dehumanize people who have served time in prison. For more information about alternate options, see: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/04/12/what-words-we-use-and-avoid-when-covering-people-and-incarceration |
| People with mental disabilities | People with intellectual disabilities and People with developmental disabilities | "People with mental disabilities" was originally added to LCSH as "Mentally handicapped". While the literature and popular understanding of this group of people has grown into several areas, such as "intellectual disabilities" and "developmental disabilities," this subject heading has remained trapped in time, becoming less intelligible to users. This area needs a complete overhaul. |
| People with social disabilities | Socially disadvantaged people or Socially marginalized people | "People with social disabilities" was originally added to LCSH as "Socially handicapped." There is no scope note, but a review of the UF terms shows this heading is about cultural deprivation. This heading should be removed from the disability hierarchy and renamed. |
| Poor | Poor people | For more information about this heading, see https://cataloginglab.org/kb/poor-revision/ |
| Popular music--South Korea--2011-2020 | K-pop (Music) | For more information about this heading, see the proposal rejection from LC https://www.loc.gov/aba/pcc/saco/cpsoed/psd-200120.html |
| Pregnant women | Pregnant people | Not all pregnant people are women; current term doesn’t provide subject access to work discussing pregnancy as experienced by nonbinary or transgender people. |
| Primitive art | Tribal art / Indigenous art | Per Getty AAT "An outdated designation formerly used for the art of certain people considered to be outside the spheres of influence of other, politically dominant cultural groups; was used especially concerning communities in sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, and native tribal groups throughout the Americas. Use instead "tribal art" or the most specific name known for the culture of origin." http://www.getty.edu/vow/AATFullDisplay?find=primitive+art&logic=AND¬e=&english=N&prev_page=1&subjectid=300056500 |
| Prisoners | Adults in custody | Some states' department of corrections prefer the term "adults in custody" to prisoners or inmates. For more information on potential alternatives, see https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/04/12/what-words-we-use-and-avoid-when-covering-people-and-incarceration |
| Problem children | Children with behavioral problems | Authorized form is considered derogatory and can be unclear. For further information on the origins of this term, see https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/problem-child/ |
| Psychic trauma | Psychological trauma | There are many different types of trauma, and 'psychic' is an outdated term. In general there needs to be a bigger discussion around the way trauma is described in LCSH and whether it is adequate in describing concepts like long-term trauma. |
| Race | Ethnicity | "Even though there is a broad scientific agreement that essentialist and typological conceptions of race are untenable, scientists around the world continue to conceptualize race in widely differing ways. While some researchers continue to use the concept of race to make distinctions among fuzzy sets of traits or observable differences in behavior, others in the scientific community suggest that the idea of race is inherently naíve or simplistic. Still others argue that, among humans, race has no taxonomic significance because all living humans belong to the same subspecies, Homo sapiens sapiens."--Wikipedia article on Race (human categorization). Viewed Feb. 2, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_(human_categorization) |
| Race relations | Racial oppression | This may be a sanitized term that reflect discredited ideas of categorization; see https://racismnoway.com.au/about-racism/understanding-racism/glossary/ |
| Race riots | In some cases this may be a sanitized term for racialized violence; careful review of this heading is suggested, including for specific events named as "race riots." | |
| Racially mixed people | Multiracial people | "Racially mixed" is outdated terminology, and is also vague compared to the preferable terms "biracial people" or "multiracial people" |
| Rasatfarian | Rasta or Rastafari | Rastafarian (and Rastafarianism) are considered pejorative to that religious group. For more information, see http://www.brinsleyforde.co.uk/rasta/ |
| Schizophrenics | People with schizophrenia | Some disabled people prefer person-centered language, and LCSH uses it for other headings. For more information about person-centered language, see: https://www.mhanational.org/person-centered-language |
| Sex role | Gender role | The term "sex role" conflates biological sex and gender. The LCSH description is currently "Here are entered works on the role or behavior learned by a person as appropriate to masculinity or femininity as determined by prevailing cultural norms". However, this pertains to gender and not sex. |
| Sexual minorities | LGBTQ people | The authorized heading does not reflect predominant usage of how LGBTQ people are referred to. The authority also has the UF Gender minorities, which deserves its own heading and is in fact a separate term in LCDGT. |
| Sexual reorientation programs | Sexual conversion programs | Authorized form is sanitized and not most commonly used form |
| Social disabilities | Marginality, Social | LC uses this to refer to social and/or economic marginalization. It's not clear and it conflates disability with socioeconomic marginalization. |
| Substance abuse | Substance use disorders | Substance abuse should not be the preferred term, as is currently the case. "Substance abuse" stigmatizes the condition and gives a negative connotation to those battling the disorder. For more information, see NIH's Words Matter: https://nida.nih.gov/nidamed-medical-health-professionals/health-professions-education/words-matter-terms-to-use-avoid-when-talking-about-addiction |
| Tenth of Muḥarram | Ashūrā | LCSH's "Tenth of Muharram" language is not widely used. See March 2022 presentation from Middle East Librarians Association for details on this heading: https://youtu.be/eSNW2gQVJXc?t=1769 |
| Theology | Christian theology | The LCSH "Theology" has broader and related terms that make it clear it was originally created to assign to Christian works alone. New headings need to be proposed such as "Christian theology," "Islamic theology," etc. |
| Tramps | Transient person | Authorized form conflates these terms, which may have distinct meanings. Other terms, such as itinerant worker, may be more appropriate |
| Triangles (Interpersonal relations) | Love triangles | "Love triangles" is a clear and widely understood term, while the authorized heading is... not. |
| Unskilled labor | Low-wage work or Low-wage employment | Low-wage employees often perform skilled or complex jobs such as eldercare, child-care, carpentry, factory-work, painting, food preparation, and cleaning. Women perform most care-work. Employers underpay and undervalue women's work. |
| Victims | Survivors | The "victims" terminology is troubling and inaccurate for some. For more information on headings with this terminology, see https://cataloginglab.org/kb/rape-victims-revision/ |
| Word recognition | Flash cards | Currently flash cards have a See reference to Word recognition. They are not the same. Flash cards need their own heading. And their own genre heading. |
| Jewish question | Antisemitism | Jewish question is an outdated term that questions the rights of Jews to human rights. It is associated with justifying the Holocaust. It falls under the umbrella term Antisemitism. |
| B.C. and A.D. | BCE and CE | BC/AD are Christian-centric and BCE/CE are widely accepted secular alternatives. (This really jumped out at me as problematic when looking at the chronological subdivisions used under Jews--History) |
| Prostitution | Sex Work | The term "prostitution" is outdated and still commonly associated with dishonor. |
| Obsession | LCSH currently redirects to Obsessive-compulsive disorder, which has an entirely different meaning to general "obsessing" over a person, object, or ideal. | |
| Obsession (Psychology) | LCSH currently redirects to Sex addiction, but obsessive behavior isn't always sexual in nature | |
| Discrimination against overweight persons | Fatphobia, Size discrimination, Discrimination against plus size persons | Fatphobia is becoming a more normalized term to refer to size-based discrimination. Size discrimination is an alternative to account for the aversion towards the word 'fat', though the term 'overweight' is also disputed for many people. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3986347/) Plus size is a fairly neutral alternative, though has some gendered connotation. |
| Multiple personality disorder | Dissociative identity disorder | Multiple personality disorder is an outdated term, and the DSM-5 now calls it Dissociative Identity Disorder |
| World music | This term reduces all music outside of the Western music traditions into a broad category. Given the placement of Western music throughout history, and the disparaging of other music traditions in Western scholarship, this term that essentializes and reduces non-Western music to a single group is problematic. Instead, actual music genres and forms can be used to represent music, as well as subject headings for music of specific regions and music traditions. | |
| Leprosy | Mycobacterial neurodermatosis | A previous suggestion posed Hansen's Disease as a possible alternative- the term mycobacterial neurodermatosis dissociates the condition from Hansen, who practiced medical malpractice on patients with the condition. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30526-0/fulltext |
| Pacifists | It's currently the UF for "Peace activists" and "Anti-war activists" is not a term that exists in LCSH. But activists who are for peace and against war will still sometimes use violent tactics, so the venn diagram of pacifists and peace activists is not a circle. | |
| Child pornography | Child sexual abuse materials | This term suggest that children have are responsible for this abuse |
| Landlord and tenant | Tenants | LC has established "Landlords" but not "Tenants;" instead of "Tenants," LC instructs catalogers to use "Landlord and tenant." Without "Tenants" as a standalone heading, cannot apply class-of-person subdivisions with clear literary warrant, e.g., "--Civil rights" "--Economic conditions" "--Political activity" "--Social conditions" |
| Ultra-Orthodox | Haredi | ultra-orthodox is widely considered a pejorative term with negative connotations for religiously observant and visibly orthodox Jews. https://forward.com/opinion/193209/dont-call-us-ultra-orthodox/ |
| Deviant behavior | Antisocial behavior | There's not a clear replacement for Deviant behavior in the literature. See this page for more research: https://cataloginglab.org/kb/deviant-behavior/ |
| Mythology, Aboriginal Australian | Using "mythology" insinuates that the narratives merely outdated myths or legends rather than an integral aspect of continuous cultural practices and traditions. Dreaming stories or histories hold great significance beyond just being stories. They are integral to Indigenous knowledge, spirituality, and cultural practices, intricately linked to the land and environment. Please read more at Guidelines for First Nations collection description / Tui Raven. Current practice at most Australian libraries is to avoid and instead use: https://www1.aiatsis.gov.au/subject/subject.html | |
| Indian cooking | Indigenous American cooking | "Indian cooking" is unnecessarily vague and easily confused with "Cooking, Indic." This (and similar headings) should be updated or replaced in concert with other headings related to "Indians of North America." The addition of prescribed subdivisions for style based on geographic region or individual nations, using indigenous-preferred terminology, would be even better. |
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