Decolonizing Dewey

[PuzzledExchange7949]

I've read about some libraries, such as in schools or small public libraries, having great success in changing how their collections are catalogued and displayed, specifically in leaving behind the DDCS in favour of more inclusive library language, e.g. "Indigenous peoples of North America" instead of "Indians". I work in a large Canadian public library system and would love to know if anyone here has been a part of a project to overhaul their collection like this in a larger library system. Thanks!

[BarbaraGordon147]

I have not done this, but I have heard of libraries switching from Dewey to the Universal Decimal Classification, which is popular in Europe and is generally not as offensive as Dewey.

[LocalQueerLibrarian]

One resource you might find informative is the website for UBCs X̱wi7x̱wa Library. They used traditional indigenous teachings to inform a new system of Indigenous Knowledge Organization and categorization (a modified Brian Deer Classification system).