Long time readers of this blog know that I am a huge fan and past guest of Circulating Ideas. Listen every week because Steve Thomas always has something new for me to learn. He is a curious librarian who goes out of his way to have conversations with library people about what they are doing, writing about, thinking about, etc...
With this knowledge, that I am already a fan of the podcast, I need you to understand when I say this that I am NOT exaggerating-- the current episode (277) is one of his best and most important ever.
Thomas interviews the three editors (Billey Albina, Elizabeth Nelson, and Rebecca Uhl) of the new book from ALA Editions (also my publisher), Inclusive Cataloging: Histories, Context, and Reparative Approaches.
Listening to Albina, Nelson, and Uhl talk about the book on the podcast had me shouting for joy and cheering in multiple places. These three editors talk about inclusive cataloging in ways that Robin and I do in our anti-racist service training programs, with one big difference-- they are the catalogers we are not.
But they still say the same things we do. For example, you cannot wait for subject headings to be officially changed, rather, you can do the work at your own library no matter how big or small, as long as you do the back end work to create authority links. I have been advocating for this for years, but I was told, "Oh Becky, you don't understand how important subject headings (no matter how harmful they are) work; You can't just change them." Catalogers talked down to me all the time. But here's the thing. Albina, Nelson, and Uhl agree with me and they are not only acting, they have gathered others to share their actions, libraries big, small, public, academic, everyone.
There is so much in the book (I am getting a copy for myself) yes, but there is also A LOT here in the podcast for you to listen to.
There are days Robin and I are tired and defeated. People come to us with their stories all of the time. We are thankful that they know they can trust us. As a result, we also know how hard it is out there. We know that sometimes you are battling more than your patrons; you are also fighting against your administration, bosses, even other larger library entities. The weight of these stories, on top of one an other, is heavy. And there are days it feels like there is no signs of improvement. However, it is invigorating to hear about others who are on the same journey as us. Who are fighting for inclusivity, fighting against systemic oppression, and seeking a place where everyone belongs.
Please listen to the podcast, get the link and more information below and consider buying the book-- even if you are not a cataloger. There is much for you to learn here. In fact, I am adding this post, the book, and an excerpt that was also published in American Libraries-- all of it to my portion of the upcoming program Robin and I are doing with ALA eCourses (sign up here). I want to make sure I let as many people know about this as possible. I want the great work of Albina, Nelson, and Uhl to reach as many people as possible.
Thanks again to Steve Thomas for all of the work he does on Circulating Ideas always and with this episode in particular. Use this link to subscribe to his newsletter as well.
277: Inclusive Cataloging: Histories, Context, and Reparative Approaches
Filling a gap in the literature, this volume provides librarians and catalogers with practical approaches to reparative cataloging as well as a broader understanding of the topic and its place in the technical services landscape.
As part of the profession’s ongoing EDISJ efforts to redress librarianship’s problematic past, practitioners from across the field are questioning long-held library authorities and standards. They’re undertaking a critical and rigorous re-examination of so-called “best” practices and the decisionmakers behind them, pointing out heretofore unscrutinized injustices within our library systems of organization and making concrete steps towards progressive change. This collection from Core details the efforts of some of the many librarians who are working to improve our systems and collections, in the process inspiring those who have yet to enact change by demonstrating that this work is scalable, possible, and necessary. From this book, readers will
- gain an understanding of the theoretical underpinning for the actions that create our history and be challenged to reconsider their perspectives;
- learn about the important role of the library catalog in real-world EDISJ initiatives through examples ranging from accessibility metadata and gendered information to inclusive comics cataloging and revising LC call numbers for Black people and Indigenous people;
- discover more than a dozen case studies drawn from a variety of contexts including archives, academic and public libraries, and research institutions; and
- see ways to incorporate these ideas into their own work, with a variety of sample policies, “how to” documents, and other helpful tools provided in the text.
Billey Albina (née Amber Billey) served as the Chair of the Leadership Team for the Core Metadata & Collection Section and Co-Chair of the Core Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She is a member of the PCC Advisory Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and was Chair of the PCC Ad Hoc Task Group on Gender in Name Authority Records. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Digital Transgender Archive, and the editorial board for the Homosaurus – a linked data thesaurus for the LGBTQ+ community. Previously, she was the Associate Director for Bibliographic Services at Bard College.
Elizabeth Nelson is the Cataloging and Collection Development Librarian and Library Department Chair at McHenry County College, where she has worked since 2008. Prior to working in academic libraries, she started her career in public libraries and then spent seven years in special libraries. She is also the current editor of Library Leadership & Management.
Rebecca Uhl has over 30 years’ experience as a catalog and authority control librarian at Arizona State University. Currently serving as the Principal on the Acquisitions and Metadata Services team, she has experience as a manager, supervisor and department head, in addition to copy and original cataloging in all formats.
SHOW NOTES:
Inclusive Cataloging: Histories, Context, and Reparative Approaches
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[This is Becky again. Normally you have to subscribe to the substack to get the show notes, but these are too important to my readers to not include for this episode. Use the link to subscribe for free for future episodes.
Ready Reference
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