2 Name Authority Considerations
Overview
The approach this chapter takes to applying diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles to name authority records is to follow an ethics of care approach as proposed by Violet B. Fox and Kelly Swickard. We encourage readers to consider their responsibility to the people being described in name authority and other metadata records and to approach the act of creating metadata about people with empathy and respect. This care-based approach aligns with the values expressed in the American Library Association (ALA) in its Code of Ethics. Fox and Swickard note that point three of the code, to protect “each library user’s right to privacy and confidentiality,” can be extended to those we describe as well as those we serve directly in our institutions. This extension lines up well with the code’s ninth point, which affirms “the inherent dignity and rights of every person,” including those described in name authority records and elsewhere.
This chapter will refer to name authorities, as this is where much name work is done, but its advice is applicable to any situation where a person’s name is used in any kind of metadata, including non-MARC name elements used for access points and faceting. In addition, much of the advice is broadly applicable to metadata about people beyond their names, especially the need to treat those we describe with empathy and respect. (For more about names in uncontrolled fields and inclusivity in metadata in general, see Chapter 1.) Finally, some of the advice presented herein may conflict with the Program for Cooperative Cataloging’s (PCC) Name Authority Cooperative Program (NACO) guidelines.[1] When creating local name authorities or working with names outside of authority records, this chapter’s guidance may be followed as is. When creating authority records for NACO, we advise that catalogers consult PCC guidelines to ensure their records conform to NACO requirements.
General considerations
One question to keep in mind when considering what information to include in a name authority record is: Could this harm the person I’m identifying? Whenever the answer to that question is “yes,” the best approach is to omit the information. Considerations of discoverability, completeness, or other library values don’t outweigh the need not to harm the people we seek to highlight through our work. The people we describe when creating or updating name authority records (NARs) are real people, not a set of descriptors collected into an authority record. Treat them with the same empathy and respect all people are due.
For NACO contributors, it is also important to keep in mind the PCC’s Guiding Principles for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Metadata Creation and the Cataloguing Code of Ethics endorsed by the PCC.[2] The principles in both documents are good general guidelines for non-NACO metadata creators as well.
Privacy
Birth dates
Jennifer M. Martin notes that including birth dates in N