Changing Depictions of Persons in Library Practice Spirits, Pseudonyms, and Human Books Brian Dobreski, Doctoral Candidate Syracuse University bjdobres@syr.edu Barbara H. Kwaśnik, Professor Syracuse University bkwasnik@syr.edu

Keep These in Mind… What is the responsibility of the library with respect to information about individuals it compiles? How can libraries determine what is “bibliographically significant”? How well can library data be understood out of context?

Introduction Libraries have a long history of representing persons as information Standards have brought practices into order What is the story of how persons have been depicted? Ruby Ethel Cundiff, Peabody Visual Aids, ca. 1940

Approach When are libraries called upon to represent persons? Authority control Community information Oral history Human Libraries What standards guide these practices?

Community Information Sources Authority Control Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (1967) Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd. Ed. (1978) Resource Description and Access (2010) Community Information MARC Community Information Format (1992) Oral History Oral History Cataloging Manual (1995) Human Libraries Living Library Organiser’s Guide (2005)

Sources

Analysis 1. Identify units of analysis 2. Inductive content analysis Coded for descriptive elements 3. Semantic alignment 4. Close reading 5. Thematic development

Element Alignment

Themes What is a Person? From Name to Identity Diversity and Inclusivity Justification and Authority

What is a Person? Maxwell Memorial Library, Oral History, 2011

From Name to Identity AACR2 MARC CI RDA Book Title: A soldier with PTSD Description: Imagine going off to war and not knowing if you will ever come back and see your loved ones again. Imagine having to fight in real combat with enemies dedicated to ending your life and so you must fight to end theirs or lose your own. This is the reality of the soldier and that is why many of them come back with PTSD. Prejudices: bloodthirstiness, that they are violence prone and talks about living out childhood fantasies of combat scenarios from the computer game, in real life AACR2 MARC CI RDA

Diversity and Inclusivity English terminology Institutional preference Christian era dates Institutional preference Gregorian calendar Institutional preference English names titles Language conferred “Saints” & “Spirits” “Saints” & “Spirits”

Justification and Authority College at Brockport, Card Catalog, ca. 1980 University of California, Irvine, Oral History, 2011 Syracuse University, Human Library, 2013

What’s the Story? “Persons” range from strings of characters, to surrogates for social problems True unit of analysis is “Identity” Differing goals among practices More information, more sources – do we want it all? Local needs vs. widespread usability

Data Sharing Considerations "Linking Open Data cloud diagram 2017, by Andrejs Abele, John P. McCrae, Paul Buitelaar, Anja Jentzsch and Richard Cyganiak. http://lod-cloud.net/"

Library Data vs. The Web

Representation vs. Accuracy Principle of Accuracy “The data describing a resource should provide supplementary information to correct or clarify ambiguous, unintelligible, or misleading representations made on sources of information forming part of the resource itself” RDA 0.4.3.5 Principle of Representation “The data describing a resource should reflect the resource’s representation of itself” RDA 0.4.3.4

One vs. Many + ? SIOC-Project, 2006, http://sioc-project.org/old/node/158.html

Once Again… What is the responsibility of the library with respect to information about individuals it compiles? How can libraries determine what is “bibliographically significant”? How well can library data be understood out of context?

Thank You Brian Dobreski Syracuse University bjdobres@syr.edu Barbara H. Kwaśnik Syracuse University bkwasnik@syr.edu