Article Summary for Lecture # 8 - Knowlton

Three Decades Since

Prejudices and Antipathies:

A Study of Changes in the Library of Congress Subject Headings

              The Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) have been criticized for containing biased subject headings. Knowlton, in his study, reviews critiques of the LCSH, and performs a study to see the extent of which they have changed since suggested edits have been proposed. 

        Since the first publication in 1909, critics have questioned the choice of terms, the subject structure, and the inconsistency with which subject headings are formulated. However, regardless of the critiques or objections, the LCSH has solidified itself as the primary thesaurus for controlled vocabulary searching in libraries. The first of these critiques was raised in the late 1960s, and critics since contend that certain subject headings (i.e. those identifying groups of people) "perpetuate the exclusionary cultural supremacy of the mainstream patriarchal, Euro-settler culture. 

       Professional LoC catalogers stand by the idea that "subject headings assigned to works in the catalog should be what a particular type of library patron would be most likely to search under - regardless of the notion of universal bibliographic control, to which the LoC is also committed." However, critics main objection lies in the identity of the "average" reader, who has been identified as American/Western European, Christian, white, heterosexual, and male - which does not accurately reflect the melting pot we live in. By using the language/perspective of a particular group of readers, instead of seeking neutral terms, LCSH can make materials hard to find for "minority" users and/or give the impression that certain points of view are normal, which makes others unusual. 

       In 1980, the LoC created a Racism and Sexism in Subject Analysis Subcommittee, which turned in a number of recommendations. Fortunately, the implementations of computerized catalogs in 1986 have made the process of changing headings much simpler, and thus the pace at which biased headings were changed quickened. Sanford Berman is recognized as the pioneer of updated LoC terminology. In his work Prejudices and Antipathies: A Tract on the LC Subject Heads Concerning People (P&A), he addressed these perceived biases and proposed alterations/deletions. Of course, there were those who expressed doubt/reservations stating that "the subject catalog is only an auxiliary tool to the much more sophisticated subject bibliographies" or that "the biased language of the headings merely reflects based on literature being cataloged."

       Knowlton examines the influence of Berman, and tries to calculate the changes to the LCSH since the publication of P&A. Berman himself estimates that no more than half of his suggestions have been adopted. The process of examination Knowlton follows is thus:

1. The current LCSH were searched, and any changes that have occurred were noted.
2. The volumes of Cataloging Service Bulletin since 1971 were skimmed to locate the date that changes were made. 

Knowlton found that out of the 225 suggested changes, 88 (39%) have been changed almost exactly as he suggested, an additional 54 (24%) have been changed in ways that partially reflect Berman's suggestion, and 80 (36%) of the items remain unchanged. Knowlton notes that most of those unchanged are subject headings pertaining to the Christian religion. However, the fact that since P&A it seems subject heading bias has been taken into serious consideration my LCSH compilers, and Knowlton says that should be seen as hopeful milestones towards providing equal access to all users.

       Knowlton's article and research are very interesting. If you are interested in minority/inequality studies this is a great article for you. It should also be relevant to any person working within the information organization field.  I'll reiterate a point I've made in several posts - our jobs as information organizers is to get information into the hands of patrons with little effort on their part. If we tailor organization to suit a populus that doesn't reflect our patron, something is wrong. The system should be tailored to help get quality information to the user regardless of orientation, gender, race, or religion. We still have a long way to go, but I'm with Knowlton on the idea that the progress we have seen is indicative on the ability and willingness to make things right, and with that kind of attitude we can do anything.

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For more information or to see charts from Knowlton's research see the full article (citation below)!

Knowlton, S.A. (2005). Three decades since prejudices and antipathies: A study of changes in the Library of Congress Subject Headings. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 40(2):123-45.