Offensive Language in Bibliographic Records
The Jerome Hall Law Library's bibliographic records in IUCAT may contain words that offend. Although our staff strives to use inclusive and appropriate language to describe library materials, researchers may nonetheless encounter offensive language when searching the catalog. Such language might appear in subject headings as well as titles, subtitles, or other information transcribed directly from library materials.
Offensive language may appear for several reasons:
- National and international cataloging standards are slow to change, and some still use dated terminology.
- Many of the catalog records within IUCAT were created many years ago and use language that is now considered harmful.
- At times, catalogers may choose not to censor harmful words because they provide historical context for understanding the era, attitudes, and opinions of their creators.
If you encounter harmful or offensive language in the bibliographic records of items in the Jerome Hall Law Library collections, please let us know about your concerns by emailing liblaw@iu.edu.
