The construction of silence

Moorcroft, Heather

doi:10.1080/00049670.1993.10755624

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…This might be uncomfortable for some readers, especially those who have yet to engage with the fields of critical librarianship (Accardi et al 2010;Cope 2017;Drabinski 2019;Nicholson and Seale 2018), critical theory, and Native and Indigenous studies. For decades, scholars and practitioners have exposed how knowledge organization systems have upheld colonialism for Indigenous topics and for Indigenous users (Berman 1995;Green 2015;Lawson 2004;Webster and Doyle 2008;Young and Doolittle 1994;Lee 2011;Moorcroft 1993). Indeed, as Svenonius (2000, 2) asserts, "to be so condemned would not be all bad, since reinventing what has been done in different time and circumstances reinvigorates a disci-pline, rids it of routinized procedures and ways of thinking, and energizes it by the influx of new ideas and new terminology."…”

Section: Upholding Colonialismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, as Svenonius (2000, 2) asserts, "to be so condemned would not be all bad, since reinventing what has been done in different time and circumstances reinvigorates a disci-pline, rids it of routinized procedures and ways of thinking, and energizes it by the influx of new ideas and new terminology." Critiques have included use of biased terminology in classification systems (Berman 1995 and1971;Olson and Schlegl 2001), stereotyping (Young and Doolittle 1994) the silencing of Indigenous perspectives (Moorcroft 1993), and historicizing Native people (Webster and Doyle 2008), among other problems. Scholars and practitioners have introduced critiques and modifications to existing mainstream systems, such as the Dewey Decimal Classification and the Library of Congress Subject Headings (Green 2015;Furner 2007;Lee 2011;Olson 1998;Pacey 1989 (Moorcroft 1994(Moorcroft , 1997, the Māori Subject Headings (Simpson 2005;Szekely 1997), and the Mashantucket Pequot Thesaurus of American Indian Terminology (Littletree and Metoyer 2015).…”

Section: Upholding Colonialismmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Centering Relationality: A Conceptual Model to Advance Indigenous Knowledge Organization Practices

Littletree

and

Duarte³

2020

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Scholars and practitioners have exposed the limitations of traditional Euro-American approaches to knowledge organization (KO) when it comes to Indigenous topics. To develop more effective KO practices, there is a need for KO practitioners to understand Indigenous perspectives at an epistemological level. A theoretically-informed model of Indigenous systems of knowledge serves as a pedagogical tool to support the labor of boundary-spanning and code-switching between Euro-American KO practices and Indigenous KO practices.

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Section: Upholding Colonialismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Upholding Colonialismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Centering Relationality: A Conceptual Model to Advance Indigenous Knowledge Organization Practices

Littletree

and

Duarte³

2020

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“…In order to fix the ideological and colonial stories that classifications tell, Adler (2016) argues that information professionals must be held accountable and find other ways of organizing information to mitigate the marginalization of oppressed peoples. Heather Moorcroft (1993) explains that "institutional racism . .…”

Section: Making Subject Headings More Inclusivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…words, but also the absence of words, and therefore the absence of experiences of marginalized peoples (Moorcroft, 1993).…”

Section: Language Choice Does Not Always Involvementioning

confidence: 99%

The Language of Cataloguing: Deconstructing and Decolonizing Systems of Organization in Libraries

Vaughan¹

2018

DJIM

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This paper analyzes the language of cataloguing because the information that librarians and other information professionals provide to others has a huge impact both on how others are viewed and how others view themselves. This ultimately comes down to the way in which words are given meaning and interpreted according to the socio-political climate of the time. As society, politics, and economies change, so too does the language of representation. Therefore, the Library of Congress subject headings (LCSH) as a system of categorization is only as effective as the language that is used to define what is and what is not. Moreover, those who control the language of categorization control access to the information categorized within that system. Consequently, librarians must always be critical of the language they are using in their information organization systems. Language is continuously evolving according to societal discourse and politics; therefore, if libraries are to maintain their social responsibility to provide information to all, including socially disadvantaged and marginalized peoples, then librarians must continuously advocate for changes to subject headings. Librarians must also recognize and reflect on their own internal biases when cataloguing and make it their job to deconstruct language and decolonize the systems that perpetuate the continued marginalization of others. To remain neutral about these systems is the very opposite of what it means to be a librarian in the twenty-first century.

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“…They do so through their selection of resources, their choice of language to provide access points (as with thesauri) and their approach to and use of subject headings. Through their practices in these arenas, critics contend, libraries have contributed to the “self‐serving forgetfulness” that constructs a pervasive silence regarding the experiences of indigenous people in the history of any given area [10]. For this reason, incorporation of an indigenous perspective into the knowledge organization approaches of libraries is fundamental in fostering dialogue between Native and non‐Native populations as part of national reconciliation and indigenous empowerment.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous knowledge in a post‐apology era: Steps toward healing and bridge building

Ghaddar¹,

Caidi

2014

Bull of the Asso Info Sci

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EDITOR'S SUMMARY An important aspect of ASIS&T's international outreach is service to indigenous populations, a need that has received greater recognition since Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's public apology in 2008 for past disruption of Native families. The emerging field of indigenous librarianship can contribute significantly to the process of reconciliation in Canada and other countries with similar colonial legacies. Indigenous librarianship requires reconsidering the organization, classification and representation of library materials from a perspective free of culture‐ and language‐based assumptions. Key themes in indigenous librarianship include removing barriers to access, providing culturally relevant materials and services and departing from widely used knowledge organization systems such as the Dewey Decimal System to create classifications that reflect the Native worldview and epistemology. Successful examples include Australia's Pathways thesaurus project, the Māori Subject Headings from Aotearoa/New Zealand and the British Columbia First Nations Names Authority. Increased involvement by Indigenous people in information studies will enhance accurate representation of their cultures.

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The construction of silence

Cited by 12 publications

References 5 publications

Centering Relationality: A Conceptual Model to Advance Indigenous Knowledge Organization Practices

Centering Relationality: A Conceptual Model to Advance Indigenous Knowledge Organization Practices

The Language of Cataloguing: Deconstructing and Decolonizing Systems of Organization in Libraries

Indigenous knowledge in a post‐apology era: Steps toward healing and bridge building

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