Today Core shares ALA’s praise for the Library of Congress’s decision to update the cataloging subject headings “Aliens” and “Illegal aliens.”
“The Policy and Standards Division of the Library of Congress, which maintains Library of Congress Subject Headings, announced the decision to replace the terms with new subject headings ‘Noncitizens’ and ‘Illegal immigration’ at its regularly scheduled meeting on November 12.
ALA President Patty Wong said, ‘We are pleased that the Library of Congress is replacing these subject headings, which are both outdated and dehumanizing. This update better reflects common terminology and respects library users and library workers from all backgrounds. It also reflects the core value of social justice for ALA members, who have been at the vanguard of this change for years.’”
– ALA Press Release
Core President Lindsay Cronk added, “This news is cause for celebration, consideration, and acknowledgment. How do we move forward in matters of knowledge justice and respect the labor required to ensure accurate resource description when our primary system of description is subject to political forces? When will we be able to move beyond minor changes to holistic improvement? With the leadership and expertise of Core groups including the Subject Analysis Committee (SAC), Core is committed to pursuing approaches to address systemic equity issues in description are sustainable, actionable, and appropriate.”
The proposed revisions appear on Special List 21-11B. The headings will be added to the Library of Congress Subject Headings as soon as possible once approved.
