Adopting Critical Cataloging Practices Post Diversity Audit: Connecting the Community to Your Collection

Abstract

To increase patrons’ ability to find resources, it is imperative to investigate barriers and biases in the
descriptive catalog data for inclusive collection management and development standards. This study
used a specially designed descriptive approach to gather quantitative data from 101 public librarians
in Connecticut via a Qualtrics survey to identify the key variables that influence the successful
enhancement of online public access catalog (OPAC) metadata after a diversity audit of the library
materials. The results revealed factors that promote or impede the integration of inclusive cataloging
that reflects the diversity of the community: (1) appreciating the benefits of audit methods that are
focused on bibliographic records, (2) recognizing the need for buy-in and participation from the
entire organization, and (3) stressing the useful integration of institutional and community feedback
to improve the collection’s accessibility and representation. The findings provide practical advice
to public libraries that want to satisfy the diverse demands of their user base by integrating critical
cataloging frameworks into their diversity and inclusion objectives.