Notes Elements and Ethical Description
There are many options open to catalogers, archivists, and metadata practitioners when it comes to the kinds of notes that can and should be included in the records they create, and these notes are a powerful tool for contextualizing, explaining, and clarifying both the materials themselves and their descriptive metadata. The kinds of notes and the rules governing them vary widely by format (books, archives, maps, A/V media), record type (bibliographic record, finding aid, digital object metadata), and/or collection type (general collections, rare materials). Regardless, though, there are many overarching themes or issues related to notes and ethical description practice that hold true no matter the format of the material or the cataloging standard.
Impartiality and Neutral Language
One such issue is the “impartial” or “neutral” language that many of us were taught for writing notes. As researchers have shown (Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia’s Anti-Racist Description Working Group, 2019; Farkas, 2017; Martin, 2021; Tai, 2022; Vaughan, 2018; see also the statement on ethical cataloging), pretending to be “neutral” as opposed to acknowledging our subjectivity as humans can perpetuate harmful viewpoints. There are various ways to mitigate this purported neutrality in writing notes, and there are also institutional decisions libraries can make to address problematic description: for example, at UCLA, we now include in UC Library Search a note about potentially harmful metadata in catalog records.
Potentially Offensive Material
Notes are also a powerful way to flag potentially offensive collection material or topics in the catalog. They can also be an important tool for helping to elaborate upon the content of a work, especially in cases where the material is created by or related to marginalized groups or topics not served well by subject headings. In these situations, notes containing additional contextual information can help to make the work and the topic more easily discoverable.
How do we ensure we are referring to people in the most mindful and respectful manner, given the complexities of people’s identities and communities? (Pronouns, dead names, preferred spellings, community or ethnic identity, etc.) How do we ensure we are using appropriate words to describe race and ethnicity, including proper capitalization?
UCLA’s Brand Guidelines has some useful resources for thinking about this kind of language.
UCLA’s Film and Television Archive also has a comprehensive style guide (only available to authorized UCLA Library Confluence users)
When referring to living people, try to use only the identities they want to claim for themselves. You may need to consult external sources to determine how someone refers to themselves (such as their personal website, interviews, etc.).
This is more complex for people who are no longer living, especially people from other eras where the vocabularies to describe some identities did not exist in the same way they do today.
See also Contributor Element, Personal names, Corporate Bodies, Subject Headings
When recording free text notes, whether a direct transcription or cataloger-supplied, are we ensuring that the language used is not offensive?
See these style guides linked for examples of how to examine your language choices and determine appropriate terminology.
How do we write notes that do not aggrandize subjects or contributors?
Stay away from offering value statements when composing original notes. Avoid statements that include descriptions of someone as “renowned,” “important,” or “genius,” for example. Instead, if providing a biographical note, stick to fact-based statements.
Example from an EAD-encoded finding aid.
| Original | Revised |
| Pall W. Bohne (1935-2017) was an eminent member of the Southern California fine press and book arts scene who was known particularly for his expertise in letterpress printing. | Pall W. Bohne (1935-2017) was a Southern California printer and bookbinder, specializing in letter press printing and miniature books. |
How do we ensure that we are being as transparent as possible about our research and knowledge about a collection? Are we telling users where our information comes from?
When external sources are used in composing biographical notes or other notes, it is important and useful to cite your research sources, where appropriate. Space can be an issue in bibliographic records and this may not always be possible. It may be more straightforward to do this in finding aids or other similar resources.
Example from FTVA record: Bracketed cast and production credits from: Film daily yearbook, 1932.
https://search.library.ucla.edu/permalink/01UCS_LAL/17p22dp/alma991121343506533
| List of citations at the end of a note: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf1g5003pv/ |
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Sources Used: * Gerry, Vance, and Rebecca Ziegler. The books of the Weather Bird Press oral history transcript, 1989 : Vance Gerry / interviewed by Rebecca Ziegler, Oral History Program, University of California, Los Angeles, 1992. Clark Library call number: Z232.W36 G3 * Gerry, Vance, et al. Vance Gerry and the Weather Bird Press / with contributions by Vance Gerry, Simon Lawrence, David Butcher, Patrick Reagh, James Lorson and John Randle and with a checklist of publications compiled by David Butcher. The Whittington Press, 2018. Clark Library call number: Press coll. Whittington F008 * Mary Palmer Gerry obituary, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, link here accessed 5 Jan 2023. * Russell Palmer obituary, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, 1940 link here , accessed 5 Jan 2023. |
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How can we use notes to better contextualize creators’ contributions to a work?
Notes can be used to explain access points that may not make sense without a note
This record for an artwork previously attributed to the incorrect creator still has a heading for that person, even though they’re not currently recognized as the creator. The work was cataloged under the incorrect name for so long that it's possible users may still be looking for it with that creator's name.
https://search.library.ucla.edu/permalink/01UCS_LAL/17p22dp/alma9987952973606533
Issuing body note (MARC field 550) for serials, see OCLC # 3079323
See bibliographic example in #4 above for examples of contributors missing from the chief source of information, but supplied in the record notes and access points from another source (which is cited in the record)
How do you write notes so that they make sense to a user who may be coming to the subject matter without specialized expertise in the subject or material?
For example, users may find shortened references to external materials (such as bibliographies) cryptic and confusing. In this case, make clear that you are referring to an external resource and use a full enough citation so that an inexperienced user can find it. Example of clarity in a citation.
Focus on clarity. In some cases you may need to be less concise in the service of overall clarity and helping researchers understand!
Short-hand citation forms should be spelled out:
510 4_ English short title catalogue, $$c T1234
NOT
510 4_ ESTC $$c T1234
What about additional content warnings or disclaimers for material or records?