critcat

#critcat is short for critical cataloging, a group of people interested in discussing the ethical implications of library metadata, cataloging, and classification standards, practice, and infrastructure.

This resource guide was compiled by Treshani Perera and is updated by Violet Fox. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list; instead, it is a valuable starting point to learn more about the ethics of library cataloging and classification.

classification alternatives to LCSH/LCC/DDC

selected readings and resources

  • Drabinski, Emily. “Queering the Catalog: Queer Theory and the Politics of Correction.” The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy 83, no. 2 (2013): 94-111. doi:10.1086/669547.
  • Willey, Eric, “Using Captions and Controlled Vocabulary to Describe Visual Materials as an Alternative to Digitization,” Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists 36 no. 1 (2020). Available at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/provenance/vol36/iss1/5
  • Littletree, Sandra and Metoyer, Cheryl A. “Knowledge Organization from an Indigenous Perspective: The Mashantucket Pequot Thesaurus of American Indian Terminology Project.” Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 53, no. 5-6 (2015): 640-657, doi: 10.1080/01639374.2015.1010113
  • Duarte, Marisa Elena and Belarde-Lewis, Miranda “Imagining: Creating Spaces for Indigenous Ontologies.” Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 53 no. 5-6, (2015): 677-702, doi:10.1080/01639374.2015.1018396
  • The Cataloging Ethics Steering Committee website and January 2021 version of the Cataloguing Code of Ethics
  • The Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia’s “Anti-Racist Description Resources” provides anti-oppressive recommendations for creating and remediating metadata

zine-specific resources

additional resources

other lists of critical cataloging resources

The bibliography of the Cataloging Ethics Steering Committee, used in the creation of the 2021 Cataloguing Code of Ethics, can be found via their website, sites.google.com/view/cataloging-ethics.

A similar list which includes both archival and library description, the Sunshine State Digital Network’s Inclusive Metadata & Conscious Editing Resources, can be found at tinyurl.com/ssdninclusive.

A more archives-oriented resource list, “Archives for Black Lives Philadelphia Anti-Racist Description Resources”, can be found at archivesforblacklives.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/ardr_final.pdf.