Lakehead University Libraries provide access to a diverse range of materials held within our collections, as well as providing access to materials held at other libraries. These collections, which are discoverable in Omni, use national and international controlled vocabularies and bibliographic standards to describe the library materials such as Library of Congress Subject Headings, which include some headings that are offensive or inappropriate.

These metadata standards have been developed over a long period of time and include outdated language to describe racial, ethnic, cultural, and minority groups. We acknowledge that these outdated terms contain language that is considered inequitable, offensive, or harmful.  We are committed to implementing the principles of decolonization, diversity, equity, and inclusion in our cataloguing practices, and creating bibliographic descriptions that represent marginalized groups accurately and respectfully. 

To ensure these attitudes and viewpoints are not erased from the historical record, and to preserve and accurately present historical materials, we acknowledge the value of historic terminologies in tandem with today's user discovery standards.

Our library is participating in decolonization, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) involving descriptive practices across all partner institutions.

Please navigate to Omni and then search for the resource you wish to refer to.  On the actual Omni page for the resource, select the “Report a Problem” button to share your concerns and provide feedback.