Webinar: Centering LGBTQ+ Voices in Catalog Research: Insights from the Inclusive Catalog Use Lab
In recent years, libraries and other cultural heritage institutions have shown an increasing awareness of the barriers faced by members of marginalized communities when accessing information, resulting in a number of projects and initiatives designed to aid these users. A frequent site of intervention in libraries has been the catalog and its metadata, where work has focused on improving current systems for subject representation or developing alternatives. However, user-based research and assessment of such solutions has been slow to catch up. This presentation covers work being done by the Inclusive Catalog Use Lab (ICUL) to address this gap. Since 2021, this multi-institutional research group has been focused on inductive, user-based approaches to better understanding and meeting the needs of members of the diverse LGBTQ+ community. Lab members Dr. Karen Snow (Dominican University) and Dr. Brian Dobreski (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) will provide an overview of work conducted by the ICUL and share details of the lab’s current, multi-year research project based around user studies and focus groups with members of the LGBTQ+ community. Through this webinar, the presenters hope to share insights and foster discussions about user-based research and supporting marginalized users.
-Webinar participants will learn about user-based research and assessment of library catalogs and metadata - Webinar participants will better understand the needs of library catalog users who are members of the diverse LGBTQ+ community - Webinar participants will have the opportunity to learn about and discuss supporting marginalized users of library catalogs.
Presenter
Brian Dobreski is an Assistant Professor in the School of Information Sciences at University of Tennessee-Knoxville. His research focuses on the practices and implications of knowledge and information organization, as well as the concepts of personhood and personal identity in information. Brian received his Ph.D. in information science from Syracuse University. He has authored works in publications including Journal of Documentation, Knowledge Organization, Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, Social Media + Society, Journal of Information Ethics, and Journal of Education for Library and Information Science. He is a founding member of the Inclusive Catalog Use Lab, which in 2024 received a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to further their work in supporting the needs of LGBTQ+ library users.
Karen Snow is a Professor and the Ph.D. Program Director in the School of Information Studies at Dominican University in River Forest, IL. She teaches in the areas of cataloging, classification, and metadata, and her main areas of research interest are library cataloging ethics, competencies, and education. In addition to numerous journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Snow has published three books with Rowman & Littlefield, A Practical Guide to Library of Congress Classification (2017), A Practical Guide to Library of Congress Subject Headings (2021), and A Practical Guide to Dewey Decimal Classification (2024), and co-authored the Core Competencies for Cataloging and Metadata Professional Librarians (2017 and 2023 revision) and the Cataloguing Code of Ethics (2021). She is a founding member of the Inclusive Catalog Use Lab, which in 2024 received a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to further their work in supporting the needs of LGBTQ+ library users.
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