“There was Sex but no Sexuality*:” Critical Cataloging and the Classification of Asexuality in LCSH

Abstract

This paper examines the addition of “asexuality” to the Library of Congress Subject Headings as a case study from which to examine the critical cataloging movement. Beginning with a review of some of the theoretical and practical issues around subject access for minoritized and marginalized sexualities, this paper then contextualizes, historicizes, and introduces the critical cataloging movement to the literature, situating it within a larger and longer history of radical cataloging. It will define critical cataloging as a social justice-oriented style of radical cataloging that places an emphasis on radical empathy, outreach work, and recognizes the importance of information maintenance and care. This paper introduces the concept of “catalogic warrant” to characterize the process of “reading” the catalog to examine the harm or benefit of terms on users and the wider library community.     

SACO: Past,Present, and Future

Abstract

This article discusses the history and development of the SACO (Subject Authority Cooperative) Program of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC). The current proposal process is examined. The University of California, Davis Library is presented as a participating institution, with some forward-looking utilization of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).     

Genre Terms for Chemistry and Engineering: Not Just for Literature Anymore

ABSTRACT

We developed a project utilizing the local form/genre heading, “property data,” and specific subheadings to help chemists, engineers, and those librarians assisting them to more easily locate library resources containing chemical and physical properties of substances. This article describes the project and examines possibilities for improving access to physical sciences literature in relation to Library of Congress Subject Headings and ongoing developments in authority records for form/genre terms. It also introduces functionality of such headings in the new “next generation” catalogs.     

The Anglo-American Authority File: A PCC Story

Abstract

This article examines the motivations for the collaboration between the British Library and Library of Congress to develop a joint (Anglo-American) authority file. It describes the obstacles that had to be overcome for the British Library to become a Name Authority Cooperative (NACO) “copy holder”, or node. It considers the contribution the British Library made to NACO, the benefits it has derived from participation in Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC), and concludes by looking ahead to the next 25?years.     

“Aliens” vs. Catalogers: Bias in the Library of Congress Subject Heading

Abstract

Aliens: It is the subject of conspiracy theories and nightmares, the name of a blockbuster science fiction/horror movie franchise, and also how the de facto national library of the United States refers to “persons who are not citizens of the country in which they reside.” In 2016, the Library of Congress announced that it would reconsider the usage of “Aliens” and its related terms in the Library of Congress Subject Headings, following a student-led movement to change the pejorative term “Illegal Aliens.” Yet, three years on, these terms remain in the LCSH. Using the “Illegal Aliens” controversy as a case study, this article explores how the LCSH works, its role in research, and its vulnerabilities to bias, and offers proposals for how librarians can help improve the situation.     

LCSH in the Southern Levant*

Abstract

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) geographic headings for the Southern Levant mirror the political investment of Congress and the American public in Middle East politics over the last thirty years. These LCSH headings contrast markedly with those established in other national libraries and independent value vocabularies, and global opinion regarding the legal status of the occupied territories. The author offers ways that libraries can “decolonize” their metadata in service of Sanford Berman's “access and equity.”     

Iudin’s “Second Library,” 1907–1912: Current Status of Research

The paper explains the history and contents of the book collection assembled by Gennadii Vasil’evich Iudin (1840–1912) between 1906, when he sold his 80,000-volume “first” library to the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, and his death in 1912. The paper also examines efforts in both Russia and the United States to reconstruct the contents of the second library.     

Chronology in Cataloging Chinese Archaeological Reports: An Investigation of Cultural Bias in the Library of Congress Classification

This article first examines cultural limitations embedded in the Eurocentric Library of Congress Classification and calls for catalogers' sensitivity to authors' cultural background while cataloging the Bronze China archaeological materials. It then discusses the ambiguity in Library of Congress Subject Headings Manual H1225 and presents a debate on the necessity of including Chinese dynastic information in constructing subject headings through comparing facets extracted from this manual and title patterns of Chinese archaeological reports. Furthermore, this article elaborates the significance of the chronological issue from three different perspectives: Faceted Application of Subject Terminology headings, local library users' need, and next-generation catalogs.     

Emerging Issues in Academic Library Cataloging & Technical Services

This article responds to Jonathan Tuttle's article “The Aphasia of Modern Subject Access” in which Roman Jakobson's semiology of “shared codes” consisting of preexisting signs is offered as the explanation for two redundant linguistic tools associated with cataloging: LCSH and LCC. The article criticizes Tuttle's terminology, his semiology, and his argument that selection and combination are both necessary for the operation of language but each are associated with only one of these tools.

“The Aphasia of Modern Subject Access” by Jonathan Tuttle appears in Cataloging &; Classification Quarterly, Vol. 50, Issue 4, 2012, pp. 263—275. doi: 10.1080/01639374.2011.641199. Jonathan Tuttle's “Jakobsonian Library Science? A Response to David Bade” appears in Cataloging &; Classification Quarterly, Vol. 51, Issue 4, 2013, pp. 439—440. doi: 10.1080/01639374.2013.763321.     

One for Nine Ten: Cataloging for Consortia Collections,a UC model

ABSTRACT

In January 2000, the University of California created the Shared Cataloging Program (SCP). Based at the University of California, San Diego, the SCP is a “centralized cataloging model” for the California Digital Library consortium collections. This article will take an evolutionary look at the perpetual challenges of sustaining a consortial cataloging model and highlight the efforts of the SCP in the ongoing quest to eliminate the redundancy of efforts by centralizing the optimization of cataloging efficiency.     

The Program for Cooperative Cataloging: Backstory and Future Potential

Abstract

In 1988 the Library of Congress and eight library participants undertook a two-year pilot known as the National Coordinated Cataloging Program (NCCP) to increase the number of quality bibliographic records. Subsequently the Bibliographic Services Study Committee reviewed the pilot. Discussions held at the Library of Congress (LC) and in other fora resulted in the creation of the Cooperative Cataloging Council, and, ultimately, the establishment of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) in 1994. The conditions that contributed to a successful approach to shared cataloging are described. The article concludes with considerations for expanding the future effectiveness of the PCC.     

Rooted in the Past: Use of “East Indians” in Library of Congress Subject Headings

This article argues that the use of the Library of Congress subject heading “East Indians” in reference to individuals from India represents not only a problematic vestige of colonialism, but also a failure of the principle of literary warrant. It provides an overview of the term's historical roots and then examines whether the term is still widely used in published resources. Although assigning a subject heading is not easy and can involve a choice between contested realities of diverse peoples, the author contends that a rejection of outdated terminology is central to providing any culturally sensitive tool for resource organization.     

Evaluation of a Program for Assigning Subject Headings to Local Theses and Dissertations

The assignment of subject headings to local theses and dissertations can be a time-consuming and costly activity in libraries where catalogers lack subject specialties. However, for many libraries subject analysis for theses and dissertations is a worthwhile task. At the Sterling C. Evans Library at Texas A&M University a program was instituted to remedy this situation by asking the student to suggest Library of Congress subject headings that accurately reflect the content of his or her work. This article reports the findings of an evaluation of this program and some considerations for its improvement. The authors believe that the use of such a program could speed the cataloging process as well as provide improved subject access to local theses and dissertations.     

Defining Cataloging Ethics: Practitioner Perspectives

ABSTRACT

Catalogers often need to make ethical decisions about their daily work. What is the starting point for defining cataloging ethics and how do practitioners define the concept? In this paper, the authors explore definitions of ethics and cataloging ethics in the literature, and subsequently analyze responses to a question asking respondents to define cataloging ethics. Set against the existing backdrop of the American Library Association “Code of Ethics,” the authors propose that shared values create a framework for discussing cataloging ethics, rather than a single articulated definition.     

文献编目的第三条道路--MODS的简介与分析

对美国国会图书馆正在研制的一种元数据格式MODS(无数据对象描述模式)的语义和句法特点作了详细的阐述，并将其与传统MARC格式作了比较，以期对我国数字图书馆中的信息资源编目工作有所启示。