Title Element and Ethical Description
The cataloger has the responsibility to create and/or transcribe this element. People in this position will come across situations where resources require transcription, or the title will need to be devised by the cataloger. In the case of transcription, the resource may have outdated and harmful language in the title. A cataloger can transcribe this language directly; in many cases the description standards/guidelines will require direct transcription without the practice of omission. However, a cataloger may also choose to omit content that is offensive. As Archives for Black Lives states “Consider your audience and the potential for harm when making decisions about whether to preserve problematic creator-supplied language.” Providing historical context is important, but a content warning may also be necessary. There is room to create the title with an ethical lens – by providing access to the material through discoverable and inoffensive means. Thinking about these elements in ethically descriptive terms (such as terms affirmed by the described community) can help to ensure that there are no “invisible norms” to describing people/cultures, and that no histories are erased or inaccessible.
More issues to consider:
Depending on your departmental process, you may choose to omit or preserve offensive titles. There are ramifications for either practice. The consequences of omitting language in a title erases the history of the resource and alters the discoverability for patrons.
At UNC (as noted in their A Guide to Conscious Editing at Wilson Special Collections Library), the archivists decided to omit racist slurs in transcriptions of titles and finding aids, but the changes are documented in a processing note. The unedited titles are still available in the original documents and digital copies. A processing note may not be sufficient, however, and it is important to remain transparent for users.
While Archives for Black Lives recommends preserving the transcription, it is important to also contextualize the language in the title to acknowledge the harmful effects of language.
Providing a General Note regarding the title could include a link to a feedback form.
Transcribe the title directly from the resource
Questions to consider for transcribed titles
When titles contain offensive or outdated terms, are we supplying contextual information to assist users in understanding the source of content?
Also, when titles contain such terms, will a broad content warning help if contextual information can’t be included?
Create a devised title
Some projects do not have to rely on transcribing the title, and the cataloger can sometimes hold the power to create a title that accurately represents the material. For the Los Angeles Times Photographic Digital Library, the photograph may be used within an article that has a problematic title. While the title of the article is mentioned in the photograph’s notes, the title used for the photograph is devised.
| LA Times Article Title | Devised Photograph Title |
| Seattle Indians are Massacred by Angels in Opener, 12 to 3 | Outfielder Wally Hood and pitcher Buck Ramsey of the Los Angeles Angels smile for the camera, Los Angeles, 1925 |
| Hobo's Can Stove Blamed for $20,000 Bridge Blaze | Fire burns the Compton Avenue wooden bridge, Los Angeles, circa 1939 |
| Nothing Slow About the 'Babe' on the Links | Grantland Rice, Paul Gallico, J. Westbrook Pegler, Babe Didrikson, and Braven Dyer, playing golf, Brentwood, 1933 |
Questions to consider for Devised Titles
Is the content still accurately and ethically described?
Does the title refer to an “invisible norm” to describe a person/religion/culture?
Are you ensuring that histories aren’t erased or inaccessible with chosen terms?
Add processing note to provide historical context
In the case of devising titles, there is the risk of omitting the history of harmful language. The Collection of Cuban slavery documents is an example of omitting harmful language in the title elements but also adding a processing note to provide more context for this action.
|
Collection Title |
Folder Title |
Processing Note |
|
Identification documents and enslaved bills of sale circa 1860s |
Original description by Libros Latinos in 2016. Stub record created by Jasmine Jones and materials rehoused by Alex Adame in 2019. Final description by Kelly Besser with assistance from Tess Livesley-O'Neill in 2020 utilizing guidelines outlined in "Anti-racist Description Resources" by Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia and "Writing About Slavery/Teaching about Slavery: This Might Help" by P. Gabrielle Foreman, et al. Description decisions were made to avoid neutral or euphemistic language, lay bare the brutality and violence of the institution of slavery, and humanize the subjects of the records in this collection. For example, instead of "slave" we use "enslaved", instead of "owner" we use "enslaver", and instead of "runaway" we use "self-emancipated." |
Create an alternative title in 246 field with display text “Formerly titled:”
When encountering already described resources, there is the option for redescription. An example from UCLA is the redescription of the Japanese American Incarceration archival collection from the 2019 UCLA Library Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT) Redescription Project. This redescription practice preserved the history of the title by moving it to the 246 Varying Form of Title element, and devising a new title in the main 245 Title Statement element. This way, the former title and redescribed title are indexed and discoverable in title searches.
|
Metadata Standard/Element |
Original Title |
Title Redescription |
|
MARC21 245/246 |
246 1_ |i Formerly titled: |a Collection of material about Japanese relocation |
245 00 |a Collection of material about Japanese American incarceration. |
|
MARC21 245/246 |
246 1_ |i Formerly titled: |a Japanese American Research Project collection of material about Japanese in the United States |
Questions to consider for transcribed and devised titles
When titles contain harmful language, should the offensive words be replaced (i.e. [racist slur])?
If terms are omitted from a title, is the material still discoverable?
Choosing to omit or preserve offensive content from titles
Below are examples found in our catalog with offensive titles. In addition to the options in the examples mentioned above, the cataloger can choose to preserve the title, and rely on a context note to explain the use of the offending language, or the cataloger can choose to omit the offensive content and include a processing note indicating the choice; below is a mock-up of potential solutions for offending materials in titles.
| Preserving titles (found in UCLA catalog) |
Omitting offensive content from titles (not implemented) |
| Prisoner of the Japs | Prisoner of the [racist slur] |
| Report of the Association for the Care of [racist slur] embracing an account of "The Shelter for [racist slur]" |