(2021) Just Description Convening Report
Preparing the ground for an international movement to radically reimagine descriptive workflows that promote equitable and inclusive practices and representation in central information systems
This report, prepared by Shift Collective, synthesizes the activities, findings, and outcomes of the Reimagine Descriptive Workflows convening held in June 2021 by OCLC, with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The project seeks to better understand and address harm caused by cultural institutions’ collection descriptions.
The report provides a snapshot of a moment in time, and points towards a possible collaborative future that can help us rebuild the foundations of knowledge systems in inclusive and equitable ways. In the Evaluation Findings and Recommendations, we highlight what we heard from participants about how OCLC and other centers of power within the library and cultural heritage sector can move toward change. In the Activity Outputs, we look closely at five design challenges in the space, and how these specific design opportunities and network strengthening can be immediately bolstered and built upon with further financial investment.
Preparing the ground for an international movement to radically reimagine descriptive workflows that promote equitable and inclusive practices and representation in central information systems
This report, prepared by Shift Collective, synthesizes the activities, findings, and outcomes of the Reimagine Descriptive Workflows convening held in June 2021 by OCLC, with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The project seeks to better understand and address harm caused by cultural institutions’ collection descriptions.
The report provides a snapshot of a moment in time, and points towards a possible collaborative future that can help us rebuild the foundations of knowledge systems in inclusive and equitable ways. In the Evaluation Findings and Recommendations, we highlight what we heard from participants about how OCLC and other centers of power within the library and cultural heritage sector can move toward change. In the Activity Outputs, we look closely at five design challenges in the space, and how these specific design opportunities and network strengthening can be immediately bolstered and built upon with further financial investment.
Preparing the ground for an international movement to radically reimagine descriptive workflows that promote equitable and inclusive practices and representation in central information systems
This report, prepared by Shift Collective, synthesizes the activities, findings, and outcomes of the Reimagine Descriptive Workflows convening held in June 2021 by OCLC, with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The project seeks to better understand and address harm caused by cultural institutions’ collection descriptions.
The report provides a snapshot of a moment in time, and points towards a possible collaborative future that can help us rebuild the foundations of knowledge systems in inclusive and equitable ways. In the Evaluation Findings and Recommendations, we highlight what we heard from participants about how OCLC and other centers of power within the library and cultural heritage sector can move toward change. In the Activity Outputs, we look closely at five design challenges in the space, and how these specific design opportunities and network strengthening can be immediately bolstered and built upon with further financial investment.