Did you know that even the way books are described can show historical bias? Our library catalog contains many of these examples, either through problematic descriptions of a book’s subject or the deliberate omission of historically marginalized topics, such as LGBTQIA+ themes.
Bonnie Parks(Collection Technology Librarian) recently completed a sabbatical project focused on researching and updating these terms to provide more equitable access and make our catalog more inclusive for faculty and student study and scholarship. This project has updated over 500 catalog records so far, and more are coming, to create a catalog that is truly reflective of our institution and values.