- Traditional cataloging practices like subject headings can be outdated, inaccurate, lack specificity, and reflect 19th century biases. This limits discoverability and access. - Indigenous knowledge organization should be developed collaboratively between cultural institutions and non-dominant communities to better represent their cultural heritage. - Contemporary solutions include changing subject headings based on crowd-sourcing, using institution-specific organization, or building classification systems from the ground up according to community values.

2. Radical CatalogingIndigenous Knowledge
Organization
Queer knowledge organization
Emily Drabinski
Queering rather than working within
Seeking universal, “correct” language is
undesirable
Classification and subject language can
never be corrected once and for all
Sources:
Rawson, K. J.. Archival justice: An interview with Ben Power Alwin.
Radical History Review, 2015(122), 177–187.
https://doi.org/10.1215/01636545-2849603
Drabinski, E. (2013). Queering the Catalog: Queer Theory and the
Politics of Correction. The Library Quarterly: Information,
Community, Policy, 83(2), 94-111. doi:10.1086/669547
How traditional cataloging falls short:
- Subject headings outdated,
inaccurate, and lack specificity
- Limits discoverability and access
- Structures reflect 19th century
worldviews and biases
- Classification systems not designed by
those who are “cultural authorities”
Traditional Cataloging Falls Short
LCSH naming practices reinforce
colonial history of subjugation
Indigenous peoples lack representation
and voice in their cultural heritage
SMA purposefully uses political subject
headings to center LGBTQI experience
● Ourstory: general history
● Mental Illness System: reflects
“pathology”
School of Information
Paolo Balboa, Owen Cobey, Cassia Kisshauer,
Adrienne Lang,and Benjamin Ottenstein
LIS 653-01: Knowledge Organization
Contemporary Solutions
“Indigenous” people are not a monolith
Collaboration between non-dominant
communities and cultural institutions
Library of the Pride Community
Services Organization 4-letter
subject indication system built
from the ground up based on
their collection
Sources:
Vaughan, C. (2018). The Language of Cataloguing:
Deconstructing and Decolonizing Systems of Organization in
Libraries. Dalhousie Journal of Interdisciplinary Management,
Vol 14. https://ojs.library.dal.ca/djim/article/view/7853/7247
Changing
existing
subject
headings
Crowd-
sourcing
cataloging
Institution-
Specific
Organization
Responses

3. 2006 2007 2017201620152014201320122011201020092008
USC develops Karma SAAM begins to publish LOD
Natural Europe begins
Natural Europe wraps
AAC forms
AAC publishes bulk of dataEuropeana’s data set is now LOD
RM images enter public domain
Phrase “Linked Open Data” coined by TBL
LODLAM acronym coined
Dijkshoorn, C. et al (2018)
Knowledge Organization | Dr. C. Patuelli | Spring 2019 | Tina Chesterman, Heyrling Oropeza, & Anna Flinchbaugh
Why Use Linked Data?
●Consistent with
mandate to provide
access
●Deepens possibilities
for research and
collaboration
●Increases and expands
visitor engagement
●Reduce data storage
costs
Rijksmuseum
Natural Europe
AAC
Getty ULAN
GEMET
WordNet
How Does Linked Data Work?
CIDOC CRM
SKOS
EDM
RDF
Items are identified with URIs and
structured into RDF statements. The data
is machine-readable, easily queried, and
connected.
OWL
GEoNames
DBpedia
Uniport
Art &
Architecture
Thesaurus
Catalogue of
Life (CoL)
Case Studies Vocabulary
Ontology
Thesaurus
Vocabulary
Framework
Properties:
dc:creator
dc:title
dc:format
dc:subject
The Rijksmuseum
Collection as Linked
Data: