The Critical Catalog: Giving Voice to Diverse Library Materials through Provocative Design

Authors

  • Rachel Ivy Clarke Saracuse University
  • Sayward Schoonmaker Syracuse University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7152/acro.v29i1.15461

Keywords:

Diversity, Metadata, Knowledge Organization

Abstract

Although laudable strides have been made to highlight and provide access to diverse library materials about and made by traditionally marginalized communities, current approaches are curatorial, non-scalable, and non-systematic. Using a critical design approach, we address how libraries might move beyond curatorial practices with the proposal of a “Critical Catalog” that advocates for diverse materials and discusses the problems and challenges of categorizing identity. The proposed provocative catalog offers the possibility to raise awareness of diverse library materials; expose readers to new and different resources, ideas and cultures; alter reading habits; and ultimately provide more equitable representation by preventing the inadvertent and unintentional erasure of diverse library materials, thus giving a stronger voice to marginalized communities.

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Published

2019-06-28