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Issue 134

Term 3, 2025

Charting a course for inclusive cataloguing

By Article by the Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS)

Cataloguing Inclusion Diversity Community SCIS Education
A pile of books, they are different editions of the SCIS Subject headings

During National Reconciliation Week 2025, Australians were asked to reflect on how the past shapes the future under the theme Bridging Now to Next. It was a call to step forward together, drawing on lessons learnt to continue the work of reconciliation.

It was a positive call that many across the country embraced. Yet, as the week drew to a close, it was clear that the work of reconciliation was far from complete.

Reconciliation requires an ongoing commitment to moving forward together, even when the path seems steep and progress uneven.

For the SCIS team, addressing injustice and striving for an inclusive future is a commitment we make within and beyond Australia’s borders. Our catalogue records are downloaded and used by school libraries around the world, which makes it essential that our actions reflect respect for diverse cultures, viewpoints and histories worldwide.

The power of words on the path to inclusion

In the ongoing journey of respect and inclusivity, the role of language cannot be understated. Patrick Rothfuss (2007) writes, ‘As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.’ In the realm of school libraries, words do more than convey information. They define, they label, they categorise. They can either affirm or diminish, include or exclude.

Every entry in a library catalogue serves a dual purpose. It both describes resources and identifies related people, groups and languages. In these acts of naming and describing lies the kind of power Rothfuss evokes, the ability to ignite understanding or extinguish it, to honour or to overlook.

At SCIS, we recognise the power of words and are re-examining our data to foster cultural respect through its language.

Turning words into actions

At SCIS, we recognise the power of words and are re-examining our data to foster cultural respect through its language. The first stages of this have been shaped by our parent company, ESA’s, Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This involves aligning our cataloguing practices and language use with the principles of reconciliation and cultural respect within Australia by enhancing SCIS data through respectful, culturally appropriate subject headings, descriptive cataloguing, and data presentation.

We view this work as an ongoing practice rather than a finite project. It’s a commitment to always examine our records, our subject headings, and all our practices through the lens of inclusion and cultural sensitivity. This practice is guided by a set of core objectives:

  • Cataloguing an inclusive range of materials.
  • Managing standards and data to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Indigenous peoples internationally, and all equity-deserving groups are represented accurately and respectfully.
  • Supporting schools as they review their own collections, offering guidance on how to identify and address language that may perpetuate harm or exclusion.
  • Engaging in ongoing review and consultation, seeking input from representatives of equity-deserving groups on how SCIS can strengthen its practices and where further change is needed.

Our reconciliation work is about small, deliberate steps. Each step is a choice to use language with care and to honour the histories and identities behind every record.

Actions underway

The work of cultivating respect through language is already well underway. Our process involves identifying where language can be more inclusive, where records can be more accurate, and where terminology can better reflect contemporary understandings.

It began with building relationships with First Nations peoples and publishers and seeking guidance on how to respectfully represent diverse voices within catalogue records. From there, we turned our attention to our Subject Headings List (SCISSHL), where terminology has been updated to remove outdated or offensive language:

  • ‘Discovery and exploration’ has been changed to ‘Exploration’, a shift that moves away from colonial framing.
  • Terms like ‘Asperger’s syndrome’, ‘Cretinism’ and ‘Dwarfism’ have been removed, replaced by more current and inclusive language.
  • ‘Brothers and sisters’ is now simply ‘Siblings’.
  • ‘Aboriginal peoples – Dreaming’ has been separated into ‘Dreaming (Religion)’ and ‘Dreamtime stories’ to provide greater clarity and respect.

Beyond individual subject headings, the key change SCIS has made is to align our terminology to conform with AustLang standards, the national database of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and peoples, ensuring accurate and respectful representation of these.

Alongside this, we’ve revised our cataloguing standards to allow for inclusion of both Indigenous and common place names in the Place of publication element. Now, records can include names such as Naarm Melbourne or Gadigal Country Sydney, which recognise both the traditional and commonly used names for places.

We’ve also been using articles in our publications, Connections school library journal and the SCIS Blog, to guide library staff in creating more inclusive and culturally respectful collections. These articles include practical advice on supporting minority groups and neurodiverse students and explore how library practices can shape collections that reflect diverse voices and promote inclusivity. See the end of the article for a selection of resources.

Actions ahead

The next phase of SCIS’s work centres on the inclusion of Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori Subject Headings in SCIS records.

In response to requests from New Zealand school library staff, SCIS surveyed library staff in 2024 to explore how Māori subject headings could enrich catalogue records and support more inclusive collections, particularly in bilingual and immersion settings. With more schools in New Zealand incorporating Te Reo Māori into their curricula, survey responses indicated that Māori headings were seen as vital to reflecting the cultural context of students and promoting greater inclusion.

Respondents noted how the inclusion of Māori subject headings could:

  • honour Tiriti o Waitangi, the founding document of New Zealand that guides the relationship between Māori and the government, promoting partnership, participation and protection
  • give students more opportunities to encounter and engage with Te Reo Māori in everyday library use
  • help Māori students feel recognised, included and seen in library spaces
  • provide a search tool that reflects the cultural context of students in full immersion programs, where instruction is delivered entirely in Te Reo Māori
  • create stronger connections between knowledge and culture, help to bridge gaps and support learning through a Te Ao Māori lens, a worldview that encompasses Māori perspectives, values, and connections to land, ancestors and community.

As a result, SCIS is now working on a project to incorporate Ngā upoko tukutuku/ Māori Subject Headings into SCIS records for resources that are by or about Māori.

Actions emerging

As SCIS continues to evolve, so too does our commitment to fostering inclusion and respect in cataloguing practices. While progress has been made, the work is ongoing, and the next steps are focused on refining and expanding our approach to cultural representation across SCIS records.

  • SCIS is investigating how non-Roman scripts can be incorporated into our records, allowing for greater inclusivity for languages with writing systems beyond the Latin alphabet.
  • SCIS is also considering the introduction of warning notes for content that may be sensitive to specific groups. This would help users navigate collections with greater awareness and respect for cultural contexts, particularly when resources relate to marginalised communities.
  • We are also reviewing headings that represent different cultural groups within countries to avoid overgeneralisation or colonial framing and better reflect modern, nuanced understandings of identity and cultural diversity.

Actions you can influence

A link is being added to records in SCIS data, enabling SCIS customers to immediately flag concerns with a record, including potential harmful and disrespectful cataloguing practices as well as errors or enhancements. As we move forward, customer feedback will play a vital role in refining and expanding our practices to better serve the needs of diverse communities globally. We’d love to hear from you on how we can continue enhancing SCIS data to cultivate respect and bridge the now to the next. Email [email protected] with your feedback or suggestions for a more inclusive cataloguing approach.

References

Rothfuss, P. (2007). The name of the wind. New York: DAW Books.

Further reading from SCIS

Article by the Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS)