Whose authority?
Applying a DEI Lens to
Traditional Descriptive Practice
Laura Daniels, Jackie Magagnosc, & Liz Parker
Positionality (who we are)
Forming the Inclusive Descriptive Practices Task Force (IDPTF)
Individual metadata professionals at Cornell Library were doing work in this area, but there was no central group or coordinated workflow
Cornell DIB (Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging) Council and the Equity & Empowerment Reading Group together with the Metadata Working Group hosted a screening of Change the Subject in January 2020
After the screening, the Critical Cataloging Group was formed by interested staff members to work to locally change the “illegal aliens” subject heading and to come up with a “Rapid Response Team” and workflow to change other problematic subject headings - Winter/Spring 2020
Murder of George Floyd - May 25, 2020
BLM protests - Spring/Summer 2020
A general call to examine our descriptive practices was sent out to the general CUL listserv by archivist Marcie Farwell; interested librarians/archivists came together first via email then via zoom and formed a group to draft a charge for a task force - Summer 2020
Forming the Inclusive Descriptive Practices Task Force (IDPTF)
Charge for IDPTF (initially called Ethical Metadata Practices Task Force) was written by what was informally called the “Coordinating Group” - June/July 2020
The charge was finished and submitted for approval to the Library Executive Group - August 2020
“Overview and Scope: Descriptive practice is never objective. While performed with the best intentions, metadata for CUL’s physical and digital materials are produced by humans with their own cultural backgrounds and competencies. This is not unique to CUL; library colleagues have long discussed the subjective nature of cataloging practice in terms of depth and accuracy of description, inclusion and exclusion of communities as well as linguistic barriers. Meanwhile, the materials we collect derive from diverse communities across the world and should serve diverse users in Ithaca and internationally.”
Anticipated deliverables for the IDPTF included: draft policy statement(s); create workflow(s) and coordinate them with stakeholders; and create action plans for remediating existing descriptions
General call to join newly named IDPTF went out to CUL listserv - October 2020
First tasks: identify facilitation process for meetings, create schedule of work, create definition for “inclusive description”
Defining inclusive description
Two definitions, one brief, public facing (below), and a longer, internal one.
“Inclusive descriptive practice explicitly acknowledges that description is not neutral. It is an iterative, intentional, person-driven process through which we strive to make well-considered decisions about the language to use when describing not just materials but the people and organizations who created or who are represented within them.”
Selection of subgroup areas and focuses
Started with brainstorming and a spreadsheet
Four working areas chosen:
Each member of the Task Force selected one or more subgroup to be part of
Each subgroup meets/met separately and formed own working norms and expectations
Language
Largely concerned with �non-English names and �non-Roman script languages
Video content created explaining transliteration/Romanization for South and Southeast Asian languages
From Past Practice to Best Practice
Identified guiding principles:
Transparency, Acknowledging Limitations, Care, Respect, Inclusiveness, Acknowledging Subjectivity
Three subsections with specific guidelines for implementation:
Controlled Vocabularies
Develop strategies to promote inclusive practices in standard controlled vocabularies used by Cornell University Library, including local best practices for creating name authority records, application of subject headings, and taking action to address problematic language in extant controlled vocabularies.
Ongoing work, performed by members of this group along with any other interested staff members.
Controlled Vocabularies
Work beyond initial plans
Context Statements/Content Warning
Ensure a coordinated approach to the application of contextual statements for CUL's collections. In order to achieve this goal, the group will liaise with and maintain connections with other CUL groups tasked with creating contextual statements and keep apprised of emerging CUL policy.
Crafting our Guiding Principles
Guiding principles:
Transparency, Acknowledging Limitations, Care, Respect, Inclusiveness, Acknowledging Subjectivity
The group drafted a document in which we defined each guiding principle
Each group member was then asked to solicit comments on the document from two Cornell Library workers who were not members of the IDPTF
Then, using a tool adapted for this purpose by Dianne Dietrich, all comments were logged, reviewed, and then incorporated (or not) into the final document
Crafting our Guiding Principles
Review Tool:
Subject proposals can be intimidating…
fake by Chaiwat Ginkaew from Noun Project
…and
You are not an imposter, and you are not alone.
Making Change
Together we have the will and tools to initiate change