Cultural Frames of Ethics, a Challenge for Information and Knowledge Organization

Abstract

Purpose/Thesis: Culture is the common frame that can embrace the other facets like social and political aspects of classification that are at play when we talk about ethical dimensions. This article explores the cultural frames of ethics by identifying fundamental characteristic of biases of KOSs, namely classifications and indexing languages as variants of KOSs. These biases are examined through the lenses of ethics. The main focus is on structural biases generated by mainstream classification and indexing schemes. Conceptual issues, some examples of cultural and racial biases and some directions for future work are discussed.Approach/Methods: Based on a literature review of methods used in detecting biases, two inde­xing languages are chosen: subject authority file RAMEAU and LCSH. To show how knowledge organization systems contribute to marginalization, exclusion and stigmatization of a category of the population, and/or of a culture with reference to the French context a comparison between RAMEAU and LCSH was conducted.Results and conclusions: In order to deal effectively with the ethical issues they face, library professio­nals and institutions providing knowledge must have a good working knowledge of information ethics.Originality/Value: The author defines the cultural frame of ethics and demonstrates that a bias is hard to shift. The research conducted by the author and her students to verify the range of biases in RAMEAU showed that the efforts made to fight biases in KOSs brought positive results when it comes to LCSH, but it showed that the other systems based on this indexing language have main­tained their initial biases. The author calls for solid and sustainable actions to fight against KOSs inherited persistent biases.