Libraries rely on standardized systems to catalogue and describe materials in their collections and to enhance cross-institutional sharing. However, these systems can contain biased and offensive language reflective of the time in which they originated and the views of their creators.
Recognizing the harms caused by this language is one way that libraries may start to address and engage in the ongoing work to create more inclusive and respectful bibliographic records and procedures.
OCUL encourages academic libraries to develop harmful language statements as a first step in publicly acknowledging the biases embedded in library cataloguing and descriptions.
Visit OCUL member libraries’ websites for examples of statements on problematic language: