Mobilizing records: re-framing archival description to support human rights / Stacy Wood, Kathy Carbone, Marika Cifor, Anne Gilliland, and Ricardo Punzalan.
This article seeks to raise consciousness within the field of archival studies in order to foster a generative discussion about how descriptive practices might be expanded, approached differently, or completely rethought. It brings together crosscutting theoretical issues and provides practical examples of mediation in order to mobilize these records in support of human rights work.…
Read MoreImagining: Creating Spaces for Indigenous Ontologies / Marisa Elena Duarte and Miranda Belarde-Lewis
For at least half a century, catalogers have struggled with how to catalog and classify Native American and Indigenous peoples materials in library, archive, and museum collections. Understanding how colonialism works can help those in the field of knowledge organization appreciate the power dynamics embedded in the marginalization of Native American and Indigenous peoples materials…
Read MorePrototype Theory: An Alternative Concept Theory for Categorizing Sex and Gender? / Melodie J. Fox
This article explores prototype theory as an alternative to classical theories of classification. This article points to other, more fine-grained methods for classification than traditional systems with rigid boundaries and hierarchies. While this article does not delve into the technical systems needed to implement prototype theory, it is a very useful foundation for discussions on…
Read MoreCataloging Lab – experiment with controlled vocabularies
This working group is focused on discussing new Library of Congress Subject Headings in a collaborative platform. Cataloging Lab provides a space for catalogers and other interested folks to discuss and navigate the complex process of proposing new subject headings, and tracking proposed changes already in progress. Fox, V. (2018). Cataloging Lab – experiment with…
Read MoreZine Librarians Code of Ethics Zine
Created by librarians and archivists with a history of handling, cataloging, and preserving zines in an effort to help other do the same. Serves as a guide and a platform to discuss this relatively new form of media very often created by historically silenced groups, and how libraries and archives can form more ethical partnerships…
Read MoreThe (De-)Universalization of the United States: Inscribing Maori History in the Library of Congress Classification
This chapter demonstrates how the University of Waikato in New Zealand adapted a global standard (the Library of Congress Classification) for local use by inscribing topics related to and about Māori history and people. The University of Waikato’s classification simultaneously uses and implicitly critiques a universal system written from a U.S. vantage point. It seems…
Read MoreDigitizing and Enhancing Description Across Collections to Make African American Materials More Discoverable on Umbra Search African American History / Dorothy Berry
This case study describes a project undertaken at the University of Minnesota Libraries to digitize materials related to African American materials across the Universities holdings, and to highlight materials that are otherwise undiscoverable in existing archival collections. It explores how historical and current archival practices marginalize material relevant to African American history and culture, and…
Read MoreRepresenting Normal: The Problem of the Unmarked in Library Organization Systems / Emily Drabinski
This case study analyzes the status of marked and unmarked binaries related to social identities in Library of Congress Subject Headings. The problem of bias in library classification and cataloging structures has been well documented and analyzed. Efforts to intervene in these systems have largely taken the form of advocating for different language or additional…
Read MoreTerp Talks: Designing a Schema to Describe Interpretive Sign Language Videos / Sarah Sweeney
This case study describes the development of a custom metadata schema to support the description of 65 educational videos used to help teach sign language. The creators of this special collection had specific access and discovery needs that were not served by standard vocabularies, and the custom schema developed methods to describe information like the…
Read MoreImagining: Creating Spaces for Indigenous Ontologies
For at least half a century, catalogers have struggled with how to catalog and classify Native American and Indigenous peoples materials in library, archive, and museum collections. Understanding how colonialism works can help those in the field of knowledge organization appreciate the power dynamics embedded in the marginalization of Native American and Indigenous peoples materials…
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