Slides from a presentation given October 20, 2021 for the North Carolina Library Association Biennial Conference, SEE the Future (Support. Educate. Empower.), online. Library cataloging has traditionally been directed by standards and structures that have not necessarily reflected--or even included--perspectives from or respectful descriptors for many marginalized individuals and groups. How can library cataloging and metadata personnel educate themselves on ways to address these inequities, while also helping to empower users to see--and find--accurate representations of themselves, their communities, and their areas of research in library collections? Ongoing events and conversations at the national and international levels, in the library profession at large, and within the UNC Greensboro University Libraries have led members of the Technical Services department at UNCG to look for ways to start to address and answer these questions in their own work. This presentation will offer an introduction to the origins of critical cataloging, discuss its relationship to critical librarianship, and demonstrate its relevance to libraries and library workers in and beyond metadata and cataloging fields. Presenters will offer perspectives as learners in this area--not experts--and will discuss the ongoing conversations around critical cataloging in their department and the process and progress associated with the new and developing explorations of critical cataloging practice in their institution. The session will offer resources and potential starting points to help empower attendees to think critically about their own metadata and cataloging work, as well as guidance about incorporating critical cataloging practices and concepts into the workplace.
Henry et al. (Fri,) studied this question.