Adam Cohen and Jules de Guzman | Posted July 10, 2024
Libraries around the world are trying to find solutions to deal with a catalogue of materials that have historically been described using outdated and problematic terms. This is compounded by the difficulties of utilising subject vocabularies, like Library of Congress Subject Headings (an internationally accepted subject vocabulary) which has been maintained by predominantly white, cisgender, and heterosexual people. Between these factors and the glacial pace with which changes can be made to the vocabulary, it has become outdated in subject areas that deal with such topics as Indigenous Peoples, disability, and the focus of this article, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
As an example of how Library of Congress Subject Headings are out of step with the vocabulary used by 2SLGBTQIA+ community members, we just need to look at the umbrella term used: “Sexual minorities.” This term is problematic in a number of ways. First, it conflates sexuality with gender, erasing gender-diverse and trans identities. So even though “LGBTQ people '' is a variant term of “sexual minorities” in the vocabulary, the “T” is being erased by said terminology. Furthermore, “sexual minorities'' is not a term that members of the community would typically use to describe themselves. Why then would a member of the community who is looking for materials by and about queer people choose to search “sexual minorities?” Outdated terminologies like these are a massive problem relating to accessibility for researchers and patrons, and one that we hope to fix with the implementation of the Homosaurus Project.
In order to increase the accessibility of materials by and about queer and trans people, MRU Library has undertaken a project to implement the Homosaurus vocabulary – an international vocabulary of 2SLGBTQIA+ terminology – meant to supplement the existing subject headings already used by libraries and related institutions with respectful terms that describe and affirm the full spectrum of the community’s experience. For example, the Library of Congress has some subject headings that narrow down on queer people from different cultural backgrounds (ie. “Jewish sexual minorities” or “Muslim sexual minorities”) but there are many groups of people that are left out. The implementation of Homosaurus would add new, more specific and accurate terms like “Afro-Latin American LGBTQ+ people '' or “Asian American LGBTQ+ people'' which allows for the Library to create more specific access points to assist those looking for resources.
Implementing a new subject vocabulary is no easy feat. The MRU Library identified over 1000 print books that were either by or about 2SLGBTQIA+ people. The time and effort required to carefully sort through these books and apply the correct terminology is immense and the books identified are certainly not the only books in need of remediation in our catalogue. The MRU Library was able to hire a student, Jules de Guzman, to assist with the implementation of this project.
Jules de Guzman (they/them) started with the library as a student, and is now a recent graduate of Mount Royal University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, minoring in Creative Writing. They plan to apply for a Master of Information Studies to continue working in libraries and archives, driven by their passion to advocate for the preservation and accessibility of lost and marginalised narratives as a queer/trans second generation Filipinx immigrant.
Jules began their role reading and researching queer cataloguing practices and applying these theories to their approach. Over the past six months, they updated over 1000 books’ descriptions in the collection. In this process, they noticed many gaps in accessing queer and trans knowledge due to lack of updated and inclusive language. They bridged these gaps by applying Homosaurus terminology used by queer and trans communities today while also considering the use of reclaimed terminology and historical contexts. Now, hundreds of books embodying queer and trans research and knowledge are more easily accessible. Jules also compiled a list of terms to suggest Homosaurus add to their vocabulary such as terms like “queer kinship,” contributing to the “living” document that Homosaurus is, much like the individuals within queer and trans communities and libraries themselves.
Now that Homosaurus terms have made their way into the LibrarySearch, prospective researchers will begin seeing specifically labelled Homosaurus terms in the catalogue records of relevant materials.
Clicking on those terms will then search the catalogue for all resources that mention that term as well. This allows patrons to find more information on a specific topic and will also serve to expose patrons to more materials about their topic of interest. Homosaurus will also act as a useful resource to provide researchers with more terminology they can use in their library searches.
Homosaurus: An International LGBTQ+ Linked Data Vocabulary
MRU Library’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Collection
Mount Royal Library Takes on Homosaurus Project
Drabinski, E. (2013). Queering the Catalog: Queer Theory and the Politics of Correction.The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, 83(2), 94-111. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/669547
The Trans Metadata Collective, Burns, J., Cronquist, M., Huang, J., Murphy, D., Rawson, K. J., Schaefer, B., Simons, J., Watson, B. M., & Williams, A. (2022). Metadata Best Practices for Trans and Gender Diverse Resources (1.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6686841
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