We’ve had quite a busy year! Let’s get going with a couple updates.

Some of you may have already noticed, but there are some new sections available within your Authority Control profile! I just wanted to make you aware of these and give a little explanation behind them.

More options for URI Enrichment (Section 2-12): Previously shown only in the Wiki, we have now elaborated as to which fields can have URIs added and to which subfields those would be added. We also added a note in the Wiki regarding TIND’s requirements for Identifier placement as it is different than industry standard.
Subject Term Conversions, including DEI related options (Section 3-12): We’ve added an entirely new section related to various term conversions.
1. LCSH to FAST: We will take your existing LCSH and ADD any related FAST headings
2. GSAFD to LCGFT: We have created a process that will convert GSAFD into LCGFT where there is an equivalent for those who wish to consolidate their vocabularies
3. LCSH to HOMOIT: We have a crosswalk that will search for LCSH terms that have a HOMOIT equivalent. We will add the Homoit equivalent to the appropriate 6XX _7 with $2 homoit. We do also include the “broader terms” as decided after various pilot projects last year as this gives greater discoverability.
4. Indigenous people: We have created a local authority file that will change “Indians of …” to “Indigenous peoples of …” as well as swapping the term “Indian” for “people” in individual tribal names. We’ve kept it simple!
  **We realize there is SACO funnel that will likely be proposing similar changes, we will update our list as those changes are implemented by LC
5. Undocumented immigrants: Prior to LC’s change in terminology in late 2021 we had created a local authority file based on our clients’ needs to change terms to “Undocumented immigrants” and “Noncitizens”. Many institutions still prefer this change as opposed to LC’s current practice, so this is still an option!
6. Other: You’re free to suggest other term sets that you would like changed at your institution! We can incorporate lists of terms, authority records created by you, or we can create the authorities for you, just let us know how we can help.
  
  **We are currently working on developing an “Enslaved persons/Enslavement” file. We do know LC will start to address these but since we’ve had requests recently to make those changes since we really don’t know how long the process with LC will be.
Other Subject Authority Files (Section 3-13): Another brand new section! We’ve historically had other vocabularies that were available to match your existing subject terms but we’ve never had a good spot to indicate that other than hidden in the Wiki! Hopefully this section will be of use to you!

There are new Wiki entries for these options as well to give you a little more detail.

Since I briefly glossed over the DEI related options (see point 2c-2f above) I wanted to take a moment to talk about this section specifically. In 2021 Backstage and I hosted a few different webinars that included some of the initiatives we’d undertaken to help support our clients’ various DEI Initiatives. We officially launched our support processes earlier this year and have done some marketing in terms of social media posts, case studies, messaging in official marketing materials, as well as messaging at various conferences/events throughout the year. We’ve had great responses!

Some of you have already taken steps to incorporate some of these changes into your catalog and we’ve had a great time helping you get started! Others of you are just in the early stages of thinking about what you would like to do for your own DEI initiatives. If this is you, please reach out even if you just want to talk in broad terms and are not ready to pull the trigger, we’d love to discuss options available for you! We do have an FAQ available for those still reviewing options.

When thinking about retrospective changes to your subject terms we find that it’s ideal to reprocess your entire catalog, especially to capture those items related to LGBTQ issues that are not in a designated collection! We do have special pricing available based on number of records to be processed so feel free to enquire of your Sales Representative or your Project Manager!

UPCOMING

One thing that we’re working on that we’re hoping to have in place within the next few months is addressing those headings that appear in your 6XX fields but the matching authority record states it’s not valid to use as a subject. Our Authorities Librarian, Karen, has spent a considerable amount of time reviewing the authority records that have this note (or follow the same pattern) in order to determine which LCSH is appropriate in its place. In the vast majority of cases, we’ve been able to identify the heading to use. We’re building a process now that will automatically change these when they are inappropriately used in a 6XX. Once it’s live you will have the option to turn it off, but it will be on by default. We’ll announce when it’s officially live, but if you know NOW that you don’t want this automatic change, you can let us know ahead of time so we can turn off the process before the first live run.