Narrowing the diversity gap

LGBTQ+ zines, metadata and discovery at the University for the Creative Arts

Abstract

The Zine Collections at the University for the Creative Arts are experiencing significant growth, particularly in the areas of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. Given that many of these zines are handmade and independently published, they are seldom purchased as “shelf-ready” items. Consequently, new acquisitions have presented a valuable opportunity to assess metadata requirements and subject categorisation as they are catalogued in-house. This article will outline our cataloguing and metadata initiatives, with a particular focus on the description of our LGBTQ+ zine collection, addressing subject headings, summary provision, challenges faced, and the overall impact of our efforts.