Canadian Subject Headings: Two Perspectives
Wednesday October 13, 2021
From 3:00pm to 4:00pm
Two presentations: Canadian Subject Headings (CSH) related to Indigenous peoples – update (LAC) and Revision of the vocabulary describing Indigenous Peoples in the Subject Headings Directory : establishment of a Working Group (Université Laval)
Canadian Subject Headings (CSH) related to Indigenous peoples – update
(presented by Annie Wolfe, Library and Archives Canada)
Canadian Subject Headings (CSH) is a subject headings directory developed by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) which contains over 2,000 English-language authority records on Canadian subjects.
The current subject headings do not reflect the modern terminology used by First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation to describe Indigenous content. LAC is working to modify the CSH to reflect more accurate and respectful vocabulary.
To date, 83% of the CSH have been revised and corrected. However, the work continues, as this list is always in flux to adapt to the ongoing discussion.
This presentation is an update of the last presentation made to CRKN in 2019. Since then, our processes and strategies have evolved largely through discussions with the Indigenous Librarians community from whom we have learned much.
Revision of the vocabulary describing Indigenous Peoples in the Répertoire de vedettes-matière: establishment of a Working Group
(presented by Susanne Brillant and Chantal St-Louis, Université Laval)
The final report of the Comité de travail pour la révision du modèle d’affaires du Répertoire de vedettes-matière (RVM) (Working Committee for the Revision of the Subject Headings Directory (SHD) Business Model) recommended the creation of a Working Group to revise the vocabulary describing Indigenous peoples, as it contains several offensive terms. For some time now, libraries using this vocabulary have been requesting that it be revised; this is especially important since the SHD is the national standard for French-language indexing in Canada.
The Working Group will advise the SHD team on the best terminology to use to describe the realities of Indigenous peoples. The work will be carried out along two lines of intervention: the evolution of generic vocabulary and the evolution of vocabulary specific to each nation, in a spirit of dialogue. The Working Group will be composed of experts, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, who have either reflected on the "language and vocabulary" aspects of First Peoples' cultures or have concrete experience in the establishment and use of controlled vocabulary.
The presentation will give an overview of the scope of the work to be done (terms to be modified, occurrences, impacts on semantic networks, translations, etc.) and will present the concerns of the SHD team on smoothly and transparently implementing any modifications.
