Author ORCID Identifier
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
9-30-2025
Keywords
Reproductive health, sexual health, abortion, birth control, reproductive rights, abortion rights, human rights, intersectionality, Library of Congress classification, Library of Congress subject headings
Abstract
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, the author saw a need for an assessment of her institutional library’s collection of resources about reproductive and sexual health, especially on topics related to abortion and birth control. The author worked as a cataloging librarian in Texas at the time and anticipated that patrons would turn to the library for information about reproductive matters and thought a project concerning the reproductive and sexual health collection was vital for her library. Ensuring that the library catalog provided adequate subject access to the reproductive health resources that library users need, as well as offering a broad collection from which they can choose, was paramount. These were the main objectives of the project: 1) Identify subjects that are used in the library catalog for reproductive and sexual health resources. 2) Identify classification numbers commonly used with these resources. 3) Improve associated subject headings and add more as necessary to improve access. 4) Identify gaps in the library collection. 5) Recommend new resource purchases for the library. Additionally, the author discusses biases and sex negativity in the hierarchy of classification numbers for these resources and issues with subjects relating to religious aspects of abortion and birth control. In looking at subjects and classifications, the author made an effort to add more resources to the library’s collection that address the intersectionality across information, reproductive health, power, gender, race, class, and sexuality.
Publisher Attribution
Litwin Books & Library Juice Press
Recommended Citation
King, Tanesa G., "Taking Control of Reproductive Health Information: Behind the Scenes with a Cataloging Librarian" (2025). Library Scholarship. 118.
https://orb.binghamton.edu/librarian_fac/118
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Included in
Cataloging and Metadata Commons, Collection Development and Management Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons
Comments
Title of the book where chapter appears: Information, Power, and Reproductive Health.
Book website: https://litwinbooks.com/books/information-power-and-reproductive-health/