Decolonizing the Authority File

Abstract

This article examines decolonization efforts at the Indigenous Authors Collection at the University of Calgary in Canada. The 47-book collection is an example of a decolonization attempt by the University, which aligns with the institution's Indigenous strategy. This project enhanced the Indigenous collection by adding Canadian authors and providing culturally appropriate metadata to increase visibility and access in the library’s catalogue. The authors discuss the problems they faced with current metadata standards not allowing the use of special characters, enhancements made, and the implications of cataloguing policies and workflow for other collections. The authors also demonstrate how users view and access their changes and show new ways that users can interact with the collection. They also explore future possibilities that linked data practices offer to display enhanced author information from local authorities and broaden the collection’s reach even further.