How to use the Cataloguing Code Ethics at your day job : a hands-on workshop / Jane Daniels (Cardiff Metropolitan University [retired]) and Diane Rasmussen McAdie (Edinburgh Napier University).
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How to use the Cataloguing Code Ethics at your day job : a hands-on workshop / Jane Daniels (Cardiff Metropolitan University [retired]) and Diane Rasmussen McAdie (Edinburgh Napier University).
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In 2021, the joint USA, Canada and UK Cataloguing Ethics Steering Committee published the Cataloguing Code of Ethics. The document is a community response to clearly articulated needs for a code of ethics addressing the specific responsibilities of cataloguers and metadata managers engaged in creating, sharing, enriching, and preserving metadata in an increasingly global and technology dominated cataloguing ecosystem. The Code was created using the work of volunteers drawn from the cataloguing community of practice in the USA, Canada, and the UK but also from Australia, Mexico, and Israel. It is a concise practical tool for reviewing cataloguing policy and practice through an ethical lens and is intended for use by practitioners (regardless of where they are on their career journey and whether they work for the cultural and heritage sector or for the companies that sell systems, content, or metadata); standards developers; students; and educators. The ten statements of ethical principles embody a commitment to: understanding and meeting user needs; ensuring access to resources and metadata; promoting collaborative partnerships; critically applying standards; acknowledging bias; respecting the privacy and preferences of those who create and publish information resources; advocating for the value of cataloguing work and access to appropriate education and training to build a robust and sustainable workforce; promoting diversity, equity and inclusion; taking responsibility for decision-making and ensuring transparency in working practices. It is intended that the Code will provide agency and empowerment for cataloguers and metadata managers, both now and in the future, as they seek to deliver solutions to ethical dilemmas that are part and parcel of day-to-day cataloguing work. The session will include a short introduction to the Code followed by group work that will allow attendees to learn how to use the Code to devise practical solutions. Each of the ten statements will be examined under the broader topic headings of; audiences, tasks, and hurdles; collaboration; and education, jobs and advocacy. The presenters will provide practical examples of ethical issues applying to each principle and invite attendees to contribute their own experiences and questions. Feedback will be gathered and shared for mutual benefit. Paper presented at the CILIP Metadata and Discovery Group (MDG) Conference & UKCoR RDA Day (6th - 8th Sept 2023 at IET Austin Court, Birmingham).
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How to use the Cataloguing Code Ethics at your day job : a hands-on workshop / Jane Daniels (Cardiff Metropolitan University [retired]) and Diane Rasmussen McAdie (Edinburgh Napier University).
- 1. How to use the Cataloguing Code of Ethics in your day job: a hands-on workshop Jane Daniels & Diane Rasmussen McAdie Cataloguing Ethics Steering Committee members UK CILIP MDG Conference Birmingham Wednesday 6th September 2023
- 2. Agenda • 13.30 Welcome & introductions • 13.40 The Code – a brief intro • Group work • 14.00 - 14.25 Theme 1 Audiences, tasks & hurdles • 14.30 – 15.00 Break & Poster Session • 15.00 – 15.25 Theme 2 Collaboration • 15.30 – 15.55 Theme 3 Education, jobs and advocacy • Next steps – sharing ideas and feedback
- 3. The Code 2018 - 2023 • Inspired by Critical Cataloguing movement, DEI and Decolonisation discourses • Recognises special responsibilities of cataloguers and metadata managers • Complements professional codes of ethics. • International community initiative • Inclusive and open • Endorsed by ALA 2021, CILIP 2022, Canadian consultation ends Dec 2023 Cataloging Ethics Steering Committee website https://sites.google.com/view/cataloging- ethics/home?pli=1
- 4. Common ethical concerns • Access to resources and metadata • Acknowledging bias • Advocacy • Collaboration • Critically applying standards • Diversity, equity, and inclusion • Education and training • Respect for agent privacy and preferences • Responsibility and transparency • Understanding and meeting user needs
- 5. The Code – Purpose An ethical lens to examine cataloguing and metadata management policy and practice. Advocates for the essential work of cataloguers in facilitating Search; Discovery; Collection creation, development & management Ten high level statements – Not a checklist – Standards neutral – You are already applying the Principles! Provides agency & empowerment for the workforce and by extension our user communities Intended for ALL stakeholders in the cataloguing ecosystem
- 7. Audiences, tasks, barriers 1. We catalogue resources in our collections with the end-user in mind to facilitate access and promote discovery. Who are your users? 3. We acknowledge that we bring our biases to the workplace; therefore, we strive to overcome personal, institutional, and societal prejudices in our work. Examining institutional policies, procedures? Self-education? 2. We commit to describing resources without discrimination whilst respecting the privacy and preferences of their associated agents. Enhanced discoverability: FAIR & OPEN v CARE?
- 8. Group work Audiences, Tasks & Barriers (15 mins) Please discuss: • Q1 How are you already applying these principles? • Q2 Any perceived barriers? Please record comments, suggestions, ideas on post its and add them to the flipchart.
- 9. Collaborations 7. We collaborate widely to support the creation, distribution, maintenance, and enrichment of metadata in various environments and jurisdictions. What can we do better together – locally, regionally, nationally, internationally? 4. We recognise that interoperability and consistent application of standards help our users find and access materials. However, all standards are biased; we will approach them critically and advocate to make cataloguing more inclusive. How can you instigate and support change? 5. We support efforts to make standards and tools financially, intellectually, and technologically accessible to all cataloguers, and developed with evidence-based research and stakeholder input. Can we bridge the accessibility gap by exploring open metadata standards? 10. We work with our user communities to understand their needs in order to provide relevant and timely services. How do we make and sustain partnerships with user groups?
- 10. Group work Collaborations (15 minutes) Please discuss: • Q1 How are you already applying these principles? • Q2 Any perceived barriers? Please record comments, suggestions, ideas on post its and add them to the flipchart.
- 11. Education, jobs, advocacy 8. We insist on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. We promote education, training, equitable pay, and a fair work environment for everyone who catalogues so that they can continue to support search and discovery. Does your employer have a public statement on DEI? What are your training CPD needs as service provider or service receiver? 6. We take responsibility for our cataloguing decisions and advocate for transparency in our institutional practices and policies. Are your cataloguing policies front-facing? 9. We advocate for the value of cataloguing work within our organisations and with external partners. Who are your internal cataloguing champions and commercial partners?
- 12. Group work Education, jobs and advocacy (15 minutes) Please discuss: • Q1 How are you already applying these principles? • Q2 Any perceived barriers? Please record comments, suggestions, ideas on post its and add them to the flipchart.
Editor's Notes
- Critical cataloguing understanding how knowledge organisation codifies systems of oppression. E.g. by the language used in subject cataloguing and the hierarchies imposed by classification systems. How we catalogue, classify and describe peoples, places, cultures and resources can elevate or demote them leading to over or under representation.
- The 10 ethical statements are a robust response to these widely expressed concerns.
- Let’s take a look at the wider cataloguing ecosystem. What we do and how we do it is largely dictated by our place in this ecosystem but the diagram also shows our spheres of influence and the capacity for collaboration.
- I have grouped the 10 ethical statements under 3 themes. The first being Audiences, tasks and barriers. Practical examples Prin. 1 Artists’ books – creation of WHELF cataloguing template. Conference link – Bengali cataloguing challenges: making the undiscovered discoverable. Prin 3. Perhaps reviewing the Code provides an excellent way to initiate discussions regarding identifying, acknowledging and reducing bias in the organisation as a whole? I’m lobbying for the newly formed Museums Association Ethics Committee to factor in the Code as they review the existing professional Code Ethics. Conference link – Prin 2 – With increased drive to digitisation in Museums I do have concerns about what we are cataloguing and why. It’s why I am glad to see groups like the Queer Metadata Collective and the Cultural Heritage Terminology Network working to fill the enormous gaps in my knowledge. Conference link – UK NACO Funnel: progress, obstacles and solutions. FAIR = Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reusability. CARE = Collective benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics https://www.gida-global.org/care
- There is power in unity – we can share costs, staffing expertise and cataloguing outputs. We can also influence the development of systems, standards and services. The key here is to ensure that we advocate for change and ensure that standards are reflective of our global society. In Practice Prin 7 – WHELF involvement with the Jisc NBK project. NBK for discovery, copy cataloguing and collections management. Conference link –MarcEdit task lists and vendor-supplied metadata : revisiting the subscriber-publisher relationship at the University of Leeds Prin 4 – GLAM terminology – a new area for me but so lucky to be able to learn from Carissa Chew and the wonderful Glossary of Inclusive Terminology. Conference link – Updating the Wessex Classification Scheme for UK Health Libraries: a case study in improving inclusion and diversity. Prin 5 – My experience of trying to select the least expensive but most effective means of sharing the museums collections. Conference link – Community Forward: developing descriptive cataloging of rare materials (RDA edition) as an open access standard. Prin 10. My work in 2013 identifying gaps in metadata provision for Welsh language resources. Conference link – ISNI: an identifier for researchers, research sector organizations and beyond!
- We need a diverse, valued, supported workforce and a sustainable model for recruiting, retaining and developing staff to carry out the essential work of creating, sharing, enriching and preserving the metadata to service search, discovery and collection development and management. In Practice Prin 8 – Cataloguing is not just data entry, it’s an intellectual activity. In libraries I was successful in making the case for extra cataloguing hours which were paid commensurate with skills and knowledge of the cataloguer. Conference link – Pick any paper, lightning talk and you get the gist of how much intellectual application is required to catalogue or manipulate metadata! Prin 6 – With the increased emphasis now on collection management and development, and in particular the impact of DEI and decolonisation initiatives, I am seeing more policies appearing on webpages that provide declarations of intent regarding acquisitions and cataloguing policies. It’s good to acknowledge the challenges and share the work. Conference link – Prin 9 – Cataloguers don’t just work in libraries. They work in GLAM and for the companies that sell or licence us systems, resources or metadata. I spent a lot of time advocating for the value of quality metadata and the need for all parties involved in it’s creation, dissemination, enrichment and preservation to work more productively together e.g. I was on the EX Libris CZ Management Group. Conference Link -