[DCRM-L] statements on harmful language or catalog remediation

[Maria Oldal]

Francis,

The Morgan's statement on critical cataloging
<https://www.themorgan.org/about/statement-on-cataloging> includes the
following paragraph:

To distinguish content created by Morgan staff from harmful content in
collection items, we use quotation marks to denote language present in the
item or originating from collector or dealer descriptions. We also seek to
add contextual information about the creator, collector, period, and
culture of such items to address their harmful, insensitive, or inaccurate
content.

Maria

--
Maria Oldal
Manager of Collections Information and Library Systems
The Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-590-0382
Email: oldalm at themorgan.org


On Thu, Dec 10, 2020 at 3:23 PM Matthew C. Haugen <mch2167 at columbia.edu>
wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Violet Fox has compiled a helpful list of institutional statements of this
> sort, here:
>
>
> http://cataloginglab.org/list-of-statements-on-bias-in-library-and-archives-description/
>
> Matthew
>
> On Thu, Dec 10, 2020 at 3:13 PM Gabriela Zoller <gzoller at history.pcusa.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> We haven’t addressed this for published materials in our OPAC yet, though
>> we have toyed with the idea of a footer or some boilerplate on every record
>> display page that notes the presence of racist/offensive materials in our
>> library collection (missionaries! They say terrible things!).  We have
>> developed a policy for our digital repository (which is mostly archival
>> material), which you can read here:
>> https://digital.history.pcusa.org/dig_collection_offensive_lang_policy
>>
>>
>>
>> Best,
>> Gabriela
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Gabriela Zoller
>>
>> Cataloging and Metadata Librarian
>>
>> Presbyterian Historical Society
>>
>> 425 Lombard Street
>>
>> Philadelphia PA 19147
>>
>> Ph: 215.928.3881
>>
>> Fax:215.928.3870
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* DCRM-L <dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu> *On Behalf Of *Ryan
>> Hildebrand
>> *Sent:* Thursday, December 10, 2020 2:01 PM
>> *To:* 'dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu' <dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu>
>> *Subject:* Re: [DCRM-L] statements on harmful language or catalog
>> remediation
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi Francis,
>>
>>
>>
>> At UO we selectively add the following statement in catalog records (590)
>> and finding aids.
>>
>>
>>
>> “The University of Oregon Libraries Special Collections and University
>> Archives serves as a historical repository of materials, some of which may
>> be considered prejudiced, stereotyped or offensive. Historical data is an
>> important resource in the study of contemporary and past cultures. As such,
>> we take our responsibilities in preserving and cataloging such material
>> seriously and provide access for the purpose of scholarly research and
>> study.”
>>
>>
>>
>> -Ryan
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Ryan Hildebrand
>>
>> Authorities & Special Collections Cataloging Librarian
>>
>> University of Oregon Libraries
>>
>> 1299 University of Oregon
>>
>> Eugene OR 97403-1299
>>
>> (541) 346-1844
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* DCRM-L <dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu> *On Behalf Of *Lapka, Francis
>> *Sent:* Thursday, December 10, 2020 10:42 AM
>> *To:* 'dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu' <dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu>
>> *Subject:* [DCRM-L] statements on harmful language or catalog remediation
>>
>>
>>
>> A colleague has brought my attention to this admirable statement on
>> cataloging
>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/clarklibrary.ucla.edu/research/statementoncataloging/__;!!C5qS4YX3!SQhB9sLdUkZfTaTCG9YprF3sWhobXaARDG_m66ukWZFaZsR_5pvA-pI3w10DEIFP$>
>> at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library. I believe this is the
>> central idea (but I encourage folks to read the entirety):
>>
>>
>>
>> The Clark Library is revising our cataloging practices, checking records
>> for accuracy and to eliminate, whenever possible, language that is biased
>> or racist. We are updating metadata especially in instances when the
>> historical narrative needs to be challenged or when greater social context
>> needs to be included.
>>
>>
>>
>> I believe a lot of institution are drafting similar language. At Yale, we
>> have (so far) a Statement on Harmful Language in Archival Description
>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/guides.library.yale.edu/specialcollections/statementondescription__;!!C5qS4YX3!SQhB9sLdUkZfTaTCG9YprF3sWhobXaARDG_m66ukWZFaZsR_5pvA-pI3w5jX-z0J$>,
>> which includes mention of our efforts in reparative work.
>>
>>
>>
>> In light of statements such as this, I wonder:
>>
>>
>>
>>    1. Has anyone undertaken a statement that acknowledges the difficulty
>>    presented by harmful language in *transcribed* fields, especially in
>>    historical special collections material?
>>
>>
>>
>>    1. The statements that I’ve encountered so far all exist outside of
>>    the catalog proper. Are there any such statements within a catalog
>>    interface, e.g. in a footer or other boilerplate? Has anyone considered
>>    adding explanatory statements directly to a catalog record that has
>>    particularly harmful language (presumably transcribed)?
>>
>>
>>
>> Francis
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Francis Lapka
>>
>> *Senior Catalogue Librarian*
>>
>> Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts
>>
>> Yale Center for British Art
>>
>> 203-432-9672  ·  francis.lapka at yale.edu
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Matthew C. Haugen
> Rare Book Cataloger | Columbia University Libraries
> matthew.haugen at columbia.edu | 212-851-2451 | he/him/his
>
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