[Libs-Or] Fwd: [srrtac-l] FW: [ACAT] Some thoughts on books about Wikileaks

Mon Jul 25 12:36:19 PDT 2011

I thought even those of us who are not catalogers might find this
interesting.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Twiss, Thomas Marshall <ttwiss at pitt.edu>
Date: Mon, Jul 25, 2011 at 12:27 PM
Subject: [srrtac-l] FW: [ACAT] Some thoughts on books about Wikileaks
To: SRRTAC-L <srrtac-l at ala.org>

People might be interested in the message below and the linked article on a
subject heading used for a book on WikiLeaks. One of the intiators of the
campaign to get the "Extremist we sites" subject heading changed is an
Australian librarian, Cassie Findlay. She and some other Australian
librarians were very interested in our Ellsberg programs and our resolutions
this year.

Although the LoC has now changed the subject heading, people might want to
consider contacting their own catalogers to get the heading changed in
records in their collections. I've contacted our catalogers at Pitt, and
they have changed the records for 2 titles:

Inside Wikileaks : my time with Julian Assange at the world's most dangerous
website / Daniel Domscheit-Berg with Tina Klopp ; translated into English by
Jefferson Chase.

U.S. strategy for countering jihadist Web sites [electronic resource]
:hearing before the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives,
One Hundred Eleventh Congress, second session.

Tom

-----Original Message-----
From: AUTOCAT [mailto:AUTOCAT at LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of James
Weinheimer
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2011 2:09 PM
To: AUTOCAT at LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: [ACAT] Some thoughts on books about Wikileaks

"How WikiLeaks Books Came to Be Liberated & No Longer Categorized Under
'Extremist Websites'"
http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2011/07/23/library-of-congress-no-longer-classifies-wikileaks-books-under-extremist-websites/

"The Library of Congress (LOC) and the National Library of Australia
(NLA) have, in the past week, reviewed their categorization for
WikiLeaks books that were on file. A bottom-up movement of WikiLeaks
supporters and writers on Twitter going back and forth on how WikiLeaks
books were being categorized led the LOC and NLA to mount this review.
And, reviews by the LOC and NLA led to a change in categorization,
meaning no longer will WikiLeaks books be categorized under the subject
header "Extremist Websites."" [by the way, it is "web sites"]

I suggest that all catalogers read this very interesting article, but
even more interesting is the authority record:

150 __ |a Extremist Web sites
550 __ |w g |a Web sites
670 __ |a Work cat.: Hate on the net : extremist sites, neo-fascism
on-line, eletronic jihad, 2008.
670 __ |a Oxford handbook of Internet psychology, 2007: |b p. 191
(extremist websites; review of 150 extremist websites revealed large
percentage had links to similar sites)
670 __ |a Community in the digital age, 2004: |b p. 191 (extremist
websites; HBO documentary "Hate on the Internet" provided number of
disturbing examples of how extremist websites influenced disaffected
youth to commit hate crimes)
670 __ |a Counterterrorism, 2009: |b p. 152 (increasingly important role
played by Internet and extremist websites in radicalizing immigrants,
citizens in Western countries)
670 __ |a Internet Watchfoundation WWW site, Mar. 30, 2009 |b (extremist
websites; extremist web sites)
952 __ |a 0 bib. record(s) to be changed
952 __ |a LC pattern: Government Web sites

Even after reading this, I still don't really understand what is an
"extremist web site". I could understand "Neo-fascist web sites" (I am
purposely ignoring capitalization) or "Hate--Computer network
resources". Additionally, the subjects in the LC record for the work
cataloged in the authority record, "Hate on the net" are:

Racism --Computer network resources.
Race discrimination --Computer network resources.
Antisemitism --Computer network resources.
Internet.
World Wide Web.
Cyberspace --Social aspects.
Technology --Social aspects.

These subjects are clear to me and I think they are well done.

After a search, the dictionary definitions of "extremism" leave me
unsatisfied (e.g. Merriam Webster's "the quality or state of being
extreme") and I prefer the Wikipedia definition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremism:
"Extremism is any ideology or political act far outside the perceived
political center of a society; or otherwise claimed to violate common
moral standards. In democratic societies, individuals or groups that
advocate the replacement of democracy with an authoritarian regime are
usually branded extremists, in authoritarian societies the opposite applies.
The term is invariably, or almost invariably, used pejoratively.
Extremism is usually contrasted with moderation, and extremists with
moderates. (For example, in contemporary discussions in Western
countries of Islam, or of Islamic political movements, it is common for
there to be a heavy stress on the distinction between extremist and
moderate Muslims. It is also not uncommon to necessarily define
distinctions regarding extremist Christians as opposed to moderate
Christians, as in countries such as the United States)."

It goes on to discuss how difficult it is to define "extremism". I
confess that what pops into my own mind is the Barry Goldwater quote:
"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice".

So, whether someone likes Wikileaks or not, according to the Wikipedia
definition (and the others I have seen) "Extremist web sites" should not
apply to Wikileaks and I applaud the popular movement to change the
subjects on that book. Continuing the same line of thought however: I
don't know if I like the subject itself "Extremist web Sites" since it
does not appear to have a clear meaning, and is invariably pejorative,
as Wikipedia points out.

I think this is a great illustration of how the public can get involved,
and would like to get involved, in some of the issues of cataloging.
Naturally, some more negative examples can be given as well, and I could
provide some myself.

--
James Weinheimer  weinheimer.jim.l at gmail.com
First Thus: http://catalogingmatters.blogspot.com/
Cooperative Cataloging Rules:
http://sites.google.com/site/opencatalogingrules/

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