Teaching cataloguing ethics: an exploration of an ethics-infused knowledge organization curriculum

Abstract

This article contemplates how cataloguing ethics might be taught within knowledge organization (KO). This exploration of cataloguing education considers the teaching of cataloguing ethics within an example Library and Information Studies programme. The first part focuses on how cataloguing ethics fits into the structure of KO teaching, including questions about whether it is a standalone topic or an integral part of the whole curriculum. The second part outlines three example activities with cataloguing ethics contents. Six pedagogical points are elicited, including ideas around the power held by the cataloguer, the relationship of cataloguing ethics to the wider library ecosystem and beyond, and the competing needs of library user/librarian/knowledge creator.