About a month ago, I contributed a long—perhaps overlong—diary to DK, called Now They’re Coming After the Librarians. It detailed (eventually… I’m not journalist, I confess) a rather unfortunate series of events taking place in the United States Congress, regarding their Library. Specifically, their Library’s subject headings, even more specifically, the subject heading “Illegal aliens”, the removal (or really, modification) of which, incredible as this sound, had become a Fiat justitia ruat caelum for one Rep. Black of Tennessee.
At the time I opined (wrongly, as it turned out), that
I don’t really think this bill will pass, even through our insane House. It’s just another example of Republican show boating at others expense.
And so I made the rookie mistake of underestimating the lengths some members of the House will go in the name of “political correctness”. As Kerry Eleveld chronicled yesterday, House Republicans have sought to force the Library of Congress to preserve the term “Illegal aliens”.
This is not over, by any means. The ALA (an organization of which I am member, but I don’t work for) vows to keep up the fight in the other chamber. And well, who knows with this Congress if the appropriations bill will go anywhere.
In the meantime, the Policy and Standards Division of the Library of Congress, the people at the quiet heart of this particular hurricano, are doing some of the things that librarians do best. Simply asking folks, other librarians and the public at large, what they think.
LC is soliciting comments from the public. So, if this is a matter of interest to you, please feel encouraged to answer the survey. But before you do, I want to ask you a favor. Please read the introductory slides carefully before you answer the question. (And there is only one question, though you will be given the opportunity to explain yourself at length). And answer honestly.
It should be made clear that this is not a binding poll, in any way. It is an effort to gather evidence. Anyone who has read my previous effort knows where I stand on the issue of the term. Not every person, every librarian or cataloging librarian for that matter, has reached the same conclusion. But I’m not posting this to try and “freep the poll” as it were, or to get my opinion to “win”. Just to widen the conversation to those outside the walls of Congress.
UPDATE: Fixed links. Sorry about that.
(p.s., I am not affiliated with the Library of Congress. I am posting this as a private citizen.)