DESCRIPTION
Authority control has much to do with connecting people with the works they create. So what happens when people don’t want to be identified in library data, or be widely connected to their works? In this presentation, we will use the cataloging of zines, self-published works that frequently promote countercultural values, as a case study to explore the role of catalogers in creating name authority records that respect the autonomy of creators. We will discuss the challenges in balancing user needs, creator’s rights, and cataloging standards, highlighting what is at stake when we identify and label authors and creators, while closely examining the cataloger’s role in facilitating access and discovery.
Finally, we’ll consider how catalogers might reframe their approach to authority control as we all work together in developing a concept of catalogers’ judgment that’s both consistent and contextually aware.
SPEAKER BIOS
Violet Fox is a Cataloging & Metadata Librarian at Northwestern University’s Galter Health Sciences Library. She is the creator of the Cataloging Lab, a wiki designed to encourage collaboration in library metadata. Violet is passionate about critical cataloging, zine librarianship, and supporting solidarity among library workers.
Joshua Barton is Head of Cataloging & Metadata Services and Zine Librarian at Michigan State University and a 2025 Fellow in the ARL Intensive Learning Program. He is active in areas of cataloging ethics, especially with regard to zines, drawing on both areas to promote the acknowledgement of affective responsibility in cultural heritage work. An active PCC cataloger, he is MSU’s CONSER representative and NACO Coordinator.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Registration Deadline for live event: June 9th. This webinar will be recorded and made available to registrants after the webinar is completed. The last date to purchase recording: September 9th. After September 9th the recording will be made freely available.
WEBINAR RATES
FREE for NASIG Student Members. Login to NASIG website before registering
FREE for NASIG Members. Login to NASIG website before registering
$35 for NISO or SSP Members with code. Email cec@nasig.org to receive code
$60 for Non-Members
$120 for Group Registration. No size limit. One person registers and shares login details with their group.
