[DCRM-L] Cataloging American songsters, and other racist material

[Bychowski, Brenna]

I’ve got two responses to this conversation, wearing two different hats.

First, as a cataloger: I’ve also cataloged a lot of songsters; many dime novel publishers issued songsters, as well, so they were included in the collection at the American Antiquarian Society. I fully agree that we need expanded terms for materials that make actively racist arguments, but also to materials that are representing the biases, racism, and stereotypes present at the times they were created. In the dime novels, not only were there stereotypical portrayals of Native Americans and Blacks, but also German and Irish immigrants (which is not surprising for the time). I wish it had occurred to me to use the subject heading for Stereotypes mentioned earlier in this thread! And, as many have pointed out, this is a bigger question than just textual materials.

Second, as co-chair of the Controlled Vocabularies Editorial Group: As I imagine most people know, we instituted a moratorium on new terms while we work on thesaurus integration and linked data publication. However, there is a pressing and timely need for a reevaluation of our terms relating to material of prejudice. So, we’re going to start a project now to reevaluate our existing Literature of prejudice terms (including Francis’ suggestion to replace “literature” with “works” as well as look at areas where we can expand. Ryan Hildebrand has offered to take charge of this project, and we will share out more concrete information on that work as soon as we have it. I can promise that we will be soliciting feedback and suggestions from the broader community. Lauren and I have had many conversation lately about working to address the historical biases in the vocabulary, and this work will be a first step in that direction. I also hope everyone feels free to reach out to Lauren and I with thoughts and suggestions about the vocabularies!

Best,
Brenna

--
Brenna Bychowski
Catalog/Metadata Librarian
Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Yale University
brenna.bychowski at yale.edu<mailto:brenna.bychowski at yale.edu> | 203.432.4850
she/her/hers



From: DCRM-L <dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu<mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu>> On Behalf Of Lapka, Francis
Sent: Thursday, July 9, 2020 9:23 AM
To: DCRM Users' Group <dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu<mailto:dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu>>
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] Cataloging American songsters, and other racist material

Almost every word of Erin’s message below echoes recent discussions among staff in my department. It’s a large issue for us, since many works in our collection reflect British imperialism of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Here’s<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Flistserver.lib.byu.edu%2Fpipermail%2Fdcrm-l%2F2016-July%2F__%3B!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBFK9IVJlg%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753470837&sdata=YWz0gT9Byq9UC3SPGsoPacgZyQ9ZKOjCSwVa%2BBfynVs%3D&reserved=0> the similar DCRM-L thread from 2016 (an offspring of CV updates …). I’ll repeat a comment I made at that time: I’d find the RBMS CV terms much more useful if they were broadened beyond the scope of “literature.” Racist works can take form as graphics, music, realia (e.g. games), etc. In the CV, could we replace “literature” with “works” (or something like it)?

On the evidence of the RBMS CV, there is utility in narrower terms such as “Anti-Semitic literature” and “Anti-homosexual literature.” If we devise terms based on strong warrant, I’d suggest it could be useful to have something like “Anti-Black works” (though I don’t know if that would be the precisely the appropriate expression).

Francis

PS. To Erin’s comment related to archives, Anti-racist description resources<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Farchivesforblacklives.files.wordpress.com%2F2019%2F10%2Fardr_final.pdf__%3B!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBF-4FKWpA%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753480837&sdata=fEgquWYYLfsDIHlX%2FKwqBHW8zbF%2BGlgkSrg5sRii6X4%3D&reserved=0>, by Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia, is a useful read.


Francis Lapka
Senior Catalogue Librarian
Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts
Yale Center for British Art
203-432-9672  ·  francis.lapka at yale.edu<mailto:francis.lapka at yale.edu>




From: DCRM-L <dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu<mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu>> On Behalf Of Jeff Barton
Sent: Wednesday, July 8, 2020 9:15 PM
To: DCRM Users' Group <dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu<mailto:dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu>>
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] Cataloging American songsters, and other racist material

As I recall, there was a similar discussion a few years back about a Form/Genre term for what came to be defined as “Hate Literature” based on a similar cataloger’s conundrum about terms to use for hateful literature, and a discussion of what term(s) to use on this list?  And the decision then was to use a neutral “descriptive” term – Literature of prejudice -- rather than a term like Anti-Semitic literature?  (See below for cut-and-paste from the rbgenr thesaurus.)

I wonder if this term might be used in the context Erin points up, in addition to the 650 “Stereotypes” term Bob mentions?  (I myself have found these both useful in cataloging some Cotsen materials – containing either racist terms -- and especially imagery or illustrations – or jingoistic nationalistic stereotypes – British depictions of the French, as well as of other peoples encountered via empire and imperialism.)

Looking now at the other “Used For” and “Narrower” terms from the current listing for Literature of Prejudice, I think that we might want to add to the list of other terms to specifically mention racist literatire, based on more recent developments and warrant?

***
RBMS Controlled Vocabularies<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Findex.shtml%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161264565%26sdata%3DemwK768A3vuvyUEp376vP42U3bCRZ52r9lIKMCIfRJs*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBGd9DM2qg%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753490831&sdata=azOmT2YZ1kZhN3wIqhvsimQwcDpih40OHaw%2FNu4OkzI%3D&reserved=0>: Genre Terms<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Falphabetical_list.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161264565%26sdata%3DN0zJsJQAWsaZ2phPSQga5uHJkHFm83dlt*2FlsBPleluA*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBHwrb6PRQ%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753500824&sdata=wX3Jg3be%2FSQXuniRbNNyK4ommCG73eQk0BO7D0TgnLI%3D&reserved=0>
Alphabetical List<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Falphabetical_list.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161274557%26sdata%3DN6nv9L8fF4DpeYJfuyJyBdC8efGDMpoy6Jsbi3ejmIY*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBG29IPsAg%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753500824&sdata=8PUtdgu47UKWhuzGkABN%2B4OgyNDhmf%2BR3WL7JIt%2Balc%3D&reserved=0> | Hierarchical List<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Fhierarchical_list.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161274557%26sdata%3DuQL9o9YbKaUG82D*2BgGm6xoOE*2BhlORzydJgmMwmGkUpQ*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBFMV7rFDg%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753510822&sdata=nsvUDWOErLJEifAlxxHo1ytIsg5Sb%2BI7aYld38vlD7s%3D&reserved=0>
<< Literary miscellanies<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr599.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161284559%26sdata%3DcAqBD1oHpbmamAU447E2UZOO3r6d1wcbMzrgXqyQoyc*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBE_zyuH3A%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753520817&sdata=QSNFvbqXiZWxHiwSIAbBXjMbl0Ezk75EZ%2FbPQFmLlYQ%3D&reserved=0> | Literature of prejudice | Hierarchical View<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Fth111.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161284559%26sdata%3DQ4eZu315OqUdu4yEhRltc4bsjmLSM7IPy3dU*2FVAiVK8*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBERc90Sfg%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753520817&sdata=NW9%2BujeXNB23oix4nsHZe0ErX5ACk0mPlsQtJGfLw50%3D&reserved=0> | Literature of protest >><https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr603.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161294554%26sdata%3DvdO5I*2BiVonQbl6WOOeW*2BCX*2FAqqRdA7QQpmMmwP8zO40*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBGksTYNIw%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753530811&sdata=6JurdvdOwnenqmAKyfeZRtT8DqN5e%2B4KDVqMhXLy3M8%3D&reserved=0>
Back to: "L"<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr_idx76.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161294554%26sdata%3DzWs*2FOLb35IaxV4ewEVGW1swviYoXSov6qsTtHEmdTac*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBEYtRFMtw%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753540809&sdata=CHlpc5VsIIg4mElKsOxzmzKMtobRpQ7nowrXH5iykEo%3D&reserved=0>

Literature of prejudice
Scope Note
Use for literature that expresses a negative sentiment toward a particular group of society, especially for reasons based on religion, race, gender, creed, or national origin.

Used For
Hate literature<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr541.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161294554%26sdata%3Dq9AdQFl10cRxrrnfhUfd9DQDGMRxuD0MQ78Xkh4JGw8*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBFpo2tYDQ%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753550803&sdata=mycR0IaJqS%2B2yNhG8OXthguWsymL32PaivhmzJSWpvM%3D&reserved=0>
Used For
Prejudice, literature of<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr600.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161304540%26sdata%3D0cGz9pnz7jUlS*2Fs7nzsHcBo*2BRCHauF7Ji0Lpj3C4UtA*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBGFYrwg1Q%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753550803&sdata=F5XJYdJoVYjmc%2BL%2FlPmffWK9MNL2GMdImiiSY2QlFS8%3D&reserved=0>
Broader Term
Political works<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr88.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161304540%26sdata%3DDB6e*2FZ7Qn27RKk1O6AcfIwrFmP8xsKQIhMUjiEzttFE*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBGC_oBtTQ%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753560806&sdata=G9W75fis1md7kUvHXrtoEEjahuOQgLZ1w5kJTMUG8b0%3D&reserved=0>
Narrower Term
Anti-Catholic literature<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr110.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161314536%26sdata%3DHLICnD*2FCTzGjIeFaqGY*2BcZPtPLoKhvXMm7Ryu3ykT7g*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBEhMssbSQ%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753570798&sdata=ZHJ3d9aJ3wuKzH4o26c7UiOB7jKZ65EfP0kEBQYG%2BIE%3D&reserved=0>
Narrower Term
Anti-clerical literature<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr112.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161314536%26sdata%3DrlabYXBHyG0pV7AuN*2F12du2*2BmWJ1jh5COZWZbIbHRyQ*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBEda-FciA%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753580789&sdata=kmSdM7p1fbmfcHq%2FydBSeGdBvh3LU0iGPyEQJiWoIiY%3D&reserved=0>
Narrower Term
Anti-communist literature<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr113.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161324529%26sdata%3D6mDsYxpIWCzbq41FSfofqnx8YVZaQU7iVEZmwsYKO*2FI*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBFbg99O0w%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753580789&sdata=yFA81vIL21WDKvF7zjg9BufujpkpLGTUHSyNGhbG3FM%3D&reserved=0>
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Anti-homosexual literature<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr114.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161324529%26sdata%3DCWmFJ4pjHwCVRO86XfPTrfTMu2CLpRfgtq*2FAzKiWi0k*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBER0pAvTw%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753590797&sdata=uCU3hWKXL68nmhnHcVLO4CS0d2jvQxmVKJ6fByleO4Q%3D&reserved=0>
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Anti-immigrant literature<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr115.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161324529%26sdata%3DGdEqqIIwrbGyxrET18WuJEycq*2FzUtVn7Xxm*2FNTR*2BNrM*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBFpPGFqvw%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753600791&sdata=smRfpAKF0aPncUrEJKAWwicjcfizkbXvuC4VcV%2BRhTQ%3D&reserved=0>
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Anti-Masonic literature<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr116.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161334522%26sdata%3D9RSvNjywnw5tqboy7jqH1xN7*2BZQ2*2BqMbZYgJs*2FNmTaM*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBG5GjqyBQ%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753600791&sdata=UFfVX1%2Bhkqtsv%2B5SNExUHPAWVoKTYpjksX1sUVdbcHQ%3D&reserved=0>
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Anti-Semitic literature<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr117.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161334522%26sdata%3DyVZ75lhmQuVhxopYyArhnT7FNX6doihRDOGtpUqSPyM*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBEPUCtTdg%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753610777&sdata=WMl9nb7eTQkHCBSY0ppWIBrAE3qWvhvjMG6mTKNLNN4%3D&reserved=0>
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White supremacist literature<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr601.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161344519%26sdata%3Ds5ACL55p*2F8*2B6Ddd*2Ft64Tu*2F7Z56Ha7hbnrry6dHmZVCg*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBGzun8Y5Q%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753620773&sdata=yZNp5L%2Be1y9u2d%2Bt%2BXUfKlmKRdBOliD3oziLQxtMhj8%3D&reserved=0>
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Xenophobic literature<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr602.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161344519%26sdata%3DhAsHx0Pp0Hsb1kM8bqmbptNBm0gMUe1idzSfnCl*2Fz8Y*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBH36zrdkw%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753630775&sdata=pJMSbg2NezP%2BcJm6MKWraNg0CDiAxZjvgUiDBgoX4uo%3D&reserved=0>

https://rbms.info/vocabularies/genre/tr111.htm<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Frbms.info*2Fvocabularies*2Fgenre*2Ftr111.htm%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161354510%26sdata%3DLA6rP3wd*2F6j96h4BCNnRh78FU2DiCe*2FspJSdzN*2BpZw0*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBF-Id7Aag%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753630775&sdata=td6YCGgjrjuifGjTouPxVeCAfzvl3W4wTrWEtclysdA%3D&reserved=0>


JB

Jeff Barton
Cotsen Children's Library Cataloger
Rare Books & Special Collections Department
Princeton University Library
jpbarton[at]princeton.edu<mailto:jpbarton at princeton.edu>



From: DCRM-L <dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu<mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu>> On Behalf Of Bob Kosovsky
Sent: Wednesday, July 8, 2020 6:59 PM
To: DCRM Users' Group <dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu<mailto:dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu>>
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] Cataloging American songsters, and other racist material

Hi Erin,

It's a problem that I and many others have wrestled with for years. There's no LCSH term for racist material - or even one that comes close.  And even what you find is sometimes inappropriate.  Example:  portrayals of performers in blackface.  We know that until the end the 19th century, blackface performers were white.  Yet you'll often find the heading:  African Americans $x Songs and Music.  I feel it's incorrect to apply this heading to racist, demeaning or negative content.

What I've done in the past is have one heading for African Americans and another heading for Stereotypes (Social psychology) $z United States. At times I think I've added a third heading (which I can't recall at the moment). Clumsy yes, but I've yet to find something better.

More recently (for this songster project), I've been able to use Minstrel music $z Texts - both the subject and genre headings indicate that this is work performed by people in blackface.  Those headings avoid the issue of whether the content is problematic, perhaps leaving us to suggest that *all* minstrel music is problematic (I believe it is, even if it's instrumental music parodying or fantasizing about how African American might have played - no texts needed).

When it gets to images, that's also something that makes me feel uncomfortable.  Fortunately there's a heading Blackface entertainers. The heading for Blackface itself provides a good number of scope notes explaining the social context of blackface and minstrelsy.   Another heading would appear to be African Americans $s Caricatures and cartoons.  I add the stereotype heading to that too.

[Excursis:  Having done a digital project involving over 1,000 pieces of sheet music of the 1890s, I was always very puzzled why suddenly beginning in 1895 there is an explosion of racists covers.  Then recently someone suggested a possible explanation:  The Supreme Court's Dred Scott case<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Fen.wikipedia.org*2Fwiki*2FDred_Scott%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161354510%26sdata%3DgqzsBOC0wkeDVeWiShXreVWUwnGsd5wW8Moz1GtwKqA*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBHERfHCPQ%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753640768&sdata=5gWrSS7g54Skn7KtwVD13DktMLSRk%2Ba%2Fiuv279BCp48%3D&reserved=0> was decided in 1896, so the arguments would have occurred in 1895.  I've yet to hear a better explanation.]


Bob Kosovsky, Ph.D. -- Librarian, Rare Books and Manuscripts,
Music & Recorded Sound Division
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts - Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center

40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023
www.nypl.org<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttp*3A*2F*2Fwww.nypl.org*2F%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161364504%26sdata%3DQNDVs0O751ChNkE*2BYQByrwny4VGAwg5AJ4pk7FmXhF4*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBF8xt76kg%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753650761&sdata=60YfLP4foq0vRRioKolPOSwvrrjckOChpRchWoMJJwQ%3D&reserved=0>


On Wed, Jul 8, 2020 at 6:14 PM Erin Blake <erin.blake.folger at gmail.com<mailto:erin.blake.folger at gmail.com>> wrote:
This is a follow-up on Bob Kosovsky's description of the American songsters he's cataloging in the "Machine-press special collections" thread, where he wrote "if anyone doubts the racism rampant in the second half of the 19th century, one need not go further than a typical American songster."

I'd love to learn more about how catalogers are surfacing racist content as a genre in special collections. Most of the resources I'm finding relate to archives or to subject headings, but the items I have in mind aren't technically "about race" they're simply "racist."

With songsters, you can get pretty far in surfacing racist content by transcribing all the titles into the table of contents: researchers can search for well-known derogatory keywords in direct quotes. But I'd love to have a genre term that would convey something along the lines of  "655 _4 $a Deeply disturbing racist material that would have been considered perfectly ordinary by most middle-class white Americans at the time" when the ostensible subject is simply "650_0 $a Country life."

I'm particularly interested in how to bring racist content in prints and figurines to light, given that there's usually nothing to transcribe, so keyword searching for directly-quoted derogatory terms won't help. There are also times where the racist content is technically just a minor part of a generic "background" ... but I don't want to omit mentioning the background racism when summarizing the visual content in the 520. Not only is it currently a topic of great interest to researchers, but ignoring it would make me complicit in treating it as unremarkable.

Thanks for any thoughts and ideas....

Erin.

______________________
Erin Blake, Ph.D.  |  Senior Cataloger  |  Folger Shakespeare Library  |  201 E. Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC, 20003  |  eblake at folger.edu<mailto:eblake at folger.edu>  |  www.folger.edu<https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fnam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps*3A*2F*2Fprotect-us.mimecast.com*2Fs*2F-t5RCjRgpBtArRXC7R7_2*3Fdomain*3Durldefense.com%26data%3D02*7C01*7Cfrancis.lapka*40yale.edu*7C17eec6d2fc574dd82f5508d823a5885c*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C637298541161364504%26sdata%3Di0JANDO6f1xk1ePz9aRhsOYBwYyudPvI3QrFj1ViBrg*3D%26reserved%3D0__%3BJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!OToaGQ!7U6BiiKxvhPzBkQ5cKMh2dkom77L-vCBZz2TD0rHB3ok3nUPzQ2bt9zzhBG8PzY4Ow%24&data=02%7C01%7Cbrenna.bychowski%40yale.edu%7Ca080c0b21a9e442932d708d824110163%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637299002753660760&sdata=aypYVNcwo4S1Oiy2WEnGRAxDoFQtFmKZkBZgUYDoKV0%3D&reserved=0>   |  Pronouns: she/her/hers

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