Pathways to Change: Proposing and Approving Revisions to Library of Congress Authority Files

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and Library of Congress Demographic Genre Terms (LCDGT) have received increased attention as libraries investigate ways to make catalog metadata more diverse, equitable and inclusive. Cataloging Policy Specialists in the Policy, Training, and Cooperative Programs Division (PTCP) at the Library of Congress maintain LCSH, review thousands of proposals every year and determine whether each should be accepted and incorporated into LCSH. This session will explore the LCSH and the LCDGT approval process, providing attendees with a deeper understanding of how new headings are proposed by libraries and approved for use by Subject Authority Cooperative Program (SACO). This session will give attendees the skills to craft more diverse, equitable and inclusive LCSHs and LCDGTs to transform policies, structures and residual biases. Demystifying this process will equip attendees with more tools to address unconscious bias, power dynamics, microaggressions, privilege, and other topics related to equity, diversity and inclusion.

In the first presentation, Adam Schiff, Principal Cataloger, Cataloging and Metadata Services Division at the University of Washington Libraries will describe the steps involved in adding new terms into the Library of Congress Demographic and Genre Terms (LCDGT). LCDGT is a controlled vocabulary specific to demographic groups. A demographic group may be defined as a subset of the general population, and refers to the group’s age, occupation, nationality, ethnic background, medical condition, etc. These are used in authority records and bibliographic records to describe creators, audiences, and more. More information about LCDGT can be found here: https://www.loc.gov/aba/publications/FreeLCDGT/freelcdgt.html

In the second presentation, Judith Cannan, Chief of the Policy, Training and Cooperative Programs Division at the Library of Congress will review how Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) are proposed and give a behind-the-scenes look at how SACO approves new subject headings for use.