9 minute read
Let’s Get Technical
Network-Level Replacements of Problematic Library of Congress Subject Headings in Sierra
By Rebecca Saunders (Cataloging and Metadata Librarian, Western Carolina University) <rlsaunders@wcu.edu>and Benjamin Shirley (Network Librarian, Western North Carolina Library Network) <shirleybd@appstate.edu> and Barbara Svenson (Technical Services & Resource Management Librarian, University of North Carolina at Asheville) <bsvenson@unca.edu>
Column Editors: Kyle Banerjee (Sr. Implementation Consultant, FOLIO Services) <kbanerjee@ebsco.com> www.ebsco.com www.folio.org and Susan J. Martin (Chair, Collection Development and Management, Associate Professor, Middle Tennessee State University) <Susan.Martin@mtsu.edu>
The Western North Carolina Library Network (WNCLN) is a small academic consortium made up of the three westernmost state university libraries in North Carolina: Western Carolina University (WCU), University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA), and Appalachian State University (App State). Our consortium administers a single Sierra system with shared bibliographic records. In 2019, the WNCLN Technical Services Committee, which manages network-level cataloging policies and workflows, raised the idea of changing the unethical Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) Illegal aliens based on the 2016 ALA Resolution. 1 From there, our work toward building a more inclusive catalog began.
Disruptions from COVID-19 and staffing shortages delayed the project until the summer of 2020, when a small group of WNCLN librarians began investigating how other libraries were updating and maintaining replacements for unethical and inaccurate headings that the Library of Congress was slow to change. Work began with an article review, consultation with vendors, and emails with colleagues at other institutions about their methods for changing and maintaining headings. The working group brainstormed about the process, and the Network Librarian began to explore feasible workflows in Sierra.
To coordinate subject heading replacements with similar work being done in other libraries, we use the Cataloging Lab project as a resource for identifying problematic subject headings and proposed replacement terms. 2 We began to seek input from library faculty at our institutions and affected members of our broader communities, and we explored alternative vocabularies, such as the Homosaurus, the Disability Language Style Guide, among others. 3, 4 We have found that with the multitude of problematic headings that are in use, it can become difficult to choose which terms to prioritize for replacement. We decided to prioritize terms for replacement based on their frequency of use in our shared catalog, including the number of additional entries that each subject has, such as related headings and See Also tracings.
Our workflow was initially drafted by the WNCLN Network Librarian and has continually undergone refinement with input from the WCU Cataloging and Metadata Librarian and other members of the working group. The workflow for replacing a problematic subject heading with local terms includes three main facets: authority record replacement, global updates for holdover headings, and global updates for See Also tracings. In addition to these three processes that must be run for each term that is replaced, strategies for ongoing review and maintenance must be budgeted into the overarching project plan.
The first and most essential step of the replacement workflow is to replace the subject authority record. In Sierra, we do this by first duplicating the authority record for the problematic subject heading in our system and then suppressing the original problematic record. This action removes the authority record from display in the public catalog. It is important to have the ability to trace suppressed problematic records with their replacement records, and one way that we do this is by adding a 590 note to the suppressed record with standardized language that references the new replacement record number.
Once the original record is suppressed and its 590 note is added, we save and close it and move on to editing the new authority record for the replacement term. In the replacement record, we first enter the original problematic heading into a 450 See From tracing so that catalog searches for this offensive heading will direct users to the new preferred term. Next, we edit the topical term in the record’s 150 field to the desired replacement heading so that the preferred term is active in our system. Finally, we edit the control number in the replacement record’s 001 and 010 fields with a note using a specific convention. This update prevents a duplicated control number from overlaying the authority records in our authority record updates from MARCIVE and traces the new replacement record back to the original suppressed record.
Once the 150 field is updated in the replacement record, the system will begin the overnight authority process of replacing 650 subject fields that contained the original problematic headings in bibliographic records. The authority record changes do not replace all instances of the problematic heading in bibliographic records, however. From the authority record replacements that we have made so far, an average of 4.4% of the problematic headings remain in bibliographic records after the overnight authority record process has made its changes. Some remaining headings are easy to explain–for example, the authority record changes often do not apply to anything that does not use the second indicator 0 in a 650, such as juvenile and FAST headings. Furthermore, subject headings that are used heavily as topical subdivisions will not be replaced by the authority record changes, either.
Mysteriously, some LCSH headings that are coded normally as 650_0 |a also remain after authority record changes. These stragglers, along with the remaining juvenile and FAST headings and topical subdivisions, require the second step of the replacement workflow in Sierra: global updates for holdover headings. We first run a list in Sierra to find all the lingering problematic headings. The parameters for this list query are bibliographic records that have the exact problematic heading phrase in their 650_0|a or |x, 650_1|a or |x, or 650_7|a or |x subfields. Depending on the semantics of a given subject heading, these parameters may need to be adjusted, and you can always expand the search on second and further passes.
Once we have our set list of remaining problematic headings in bibliographic records, we search this list in the Global Updates function of Sierra and load a command input template that we have reserved for this project. There are command inputs to change variable-length fields in 650s from the problematic heading to the replacement heading and add a placeholder indicator, to add a local |2 source statement using the placeholder indicator, and then to remove the placeholder indicator. Running the global updates is a straightforward process, but list parameters, input commands, and change previews must be reviewed carefully at every step to ensure that unwanted changes are not implemented.
The final phase of our LCSH replacement workflow in Sierra requires running a second global update to replace the problematic heading in 550 See Also tracings. This step ensures that tracings to related headings are carried over to replacement headings. This process is like the global updates for replacing holdovers from the authority record replacement, except it is more straightforward since there are fewer parameters to set. First, we create a list of authority records that exactly match the problematic heading in their 550 fields, review the returns on that search, and run a global update with a command update that changes the problematic heading to the replacement heading in the 550.
Just like that, after working through these three processes in the workflow, the catalog no longer returns anything for a search for the problematic heading except “See [replacement heading]” ... that is, not until the next time a large eBook record load is performed. Periodic global updates do have to be run to catch the small percentage of headings that are not incorporated into the automatic authority record changes. We have also found that there are a few manual fixes that will have to be made for some headings that are misspelled or that have MARC encoding errors that do not get incorporated even into global updates, and these types of errors are more readily found when searching the OPAC instead of within the ILS. Currently, we are exploring more streamlined options that will minimize ongoing maintenance of replacement terms, such as adjusting our load table profile with Innovative. Additionally, we have explored the option of using MARCIVE services to achieve these ends but found that their services are still too limited for effectively replacing these problematic headings.
Outside the mechanics of this workflow, one of our biggest takeaways from delving into problematic LCSH replacement work is that documentation and communication are paramount. Careful internal documentation enables you to walk back any missteps, keep statistics, and undo changes to authority records when appropriate. Different approaches to communicating with your consortium, your colleagues, and your broader community are essential for getting approval and feedback for the changes you wish to undertake in your catalog. It is also crucial to keep librarians who work in research support and bibliographic instruction apprised of changes to the authorized headings that they are accustomed to using.
Looking to the future, we plan to contribute to advocacy for changes to LCSHs at the national level and undo our replacement work when authorized subject headings are eventually replaced with ones that are more modern, equitable, and representative. We will continue to refine our replacement workflow so that it can be implemented and maintained efficiently. Our other concerns moving forward include a planned migration from Sierra, more exploration of how these changes can affect our discovery layer, and the potential for advocacy among vendors.
References
“Disability Language Style Guide.” National Center on Disability and Journalism. Accessed March 9, 2022. https:// ncdj.org/style-guide/
Fiels, Keith Michael. “Resolution on Replacing the Library of Congress Subject Heading ‘Illegal Aliens’ with ‘Undocumented Immigrants.’” 2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting. American Library Association. https://www.ala.org/aboutala/sites/ ala.org.aboutala/files/content/governance/council/council_ documents/2016_mw_council_documents/cd_34_Resol_on_LC_ Headings_11216_FINAL.pdf
Homosaurus: An International LGBTQ+ Linked Data Vocabulary. Accessed March 9, 2022. https://homosaurus.org/
“Problem LCSH.” Cataloging Lab. Accessed March 9, 2022. https://cataloginglab.org/problem-lcsh/
Endnotes
1. Keith Michael Fiels, “Resolution on Replacing the Library of Congress Subject Heading ‘Illegal Aliens’ with ‘Undocumented Immigrants,’” 2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting, American Library Association.
2. “Problem LCSH,” Cataloging Lab, accessed March 9, 2022, https://cataloginglab.org/problem-lcsh/
3. Homosaurus: An International LGBTQ+ Linked Data Vocabulary, accessed March 9, 2022, https://homosaurus.org/
4. “Disability Language Style Guide,” National Center on Disability and Journalism, accessed March 9, 2022, https:// ncdj.org/style-guide/