Metadata in the Disciplines: Social Justice Through Infrastructural Literacy
Abstract
Lynne Stahl, PresenterMichelle Colquitt, Recorder At a time when academic libraries face pressure to compete for limited funding and status in both the public and institutional eyes, one thing every discipline has in common is metadata. It is through the information infrastructures within academia, which are often underexamined by non-librarians, where inequities exist: troublesome subject headings and taxonomic practices, dubious data privacy practices, and the ongoing insinuation and commoditization of generative artificial intelligence (AI). Library workers are uniquely positioned to call out the political aspects of inequitable information infrastructures. Many librarians in the classroom attempt to address information inequality but are limited by time constraints and competing priorities associated with one-shot information literacy sessions. Drawing on examples from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, this talk illuminates how collaborations across public services, technical services, and departmental faculty can promote a deeper understanding of the component pieces of research and scholarship while combating structural biases.
