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Sanford Berman
Wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanford_Berman
Resource Type: Article
Sanford Berman is a radical librarian (cataloger) known for promoting alternative viewpoints in librarianship.
Abstract:
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Excerpt:
Berman has been a leading critic of biased headings in the Library of Congress Subject Headings. His 1971 publication, Prejudices and Antipathies: A Tract on the LC Subject Heads Concerning People, sparked a movement to correct biased subject headings.
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Berman also openly criticized centrally performed cataloging and standard cataloging tools that supported bias in subject headings. He stated, "[O]ur national cataloging products and services can't be completely trusted and should not be accepted automatically nor uncritically by anyone who genuinely believes that cataloging should make material more rather than less accessible and retrievable." Cataloging that was outrightly erroneous or inadequate rendered material inaccessible even though it was in the collection. Berman thought poor cataloging was a serious form of censorship. Libraries were supposed to oppose censorship and provide the widest possible spectrum of cultural, social, economic, political, religious, and sexual information. With this in mind, Berman indicated local libraries should make a conscious effort to describe accurately all materials in the catalog for a patron. A considerable amount of conscious effort meant including "public notes" to clarify unfamiliar concepts for patrons. The public notes would let a patron know whether an item would suit the information needs. Furthermore, Berman opposed the practice of not cataloging all important aspects of works. Patrons cannot access materials when they have not been fully catalogued.
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