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As the University of Denver (DU) has begun to accept and wrestle with its history, the DU Libraries have looked for ways it may be perpetuating the harms done to Indigenous populations. An example of this work can be seen in the libraries' work on changing the displayed terminology used in the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) to more current and appropriate headings that respect and correspond to the terminology used by the populations they are meant to represent. This article provides background for this work through a literature review and a more detailed account of how this topic is directly related to the institutional history of DU. A discussion of the specific steps and procedures taken to implement this change is followed by the obstacles encountered along the way and how they were overcome., The University of Denver (DU) has an institutional history that dates back to the late nineteenth century and includes one of the most egregious atrocities committed by the United States [...]

In 2014, the Library of Congress (LC) rejected a proposal to change headings in the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) that refer to undocumented immigrants as 'Illegal aliens. ' Two years later, a Subject Analysis Committee (SAC) working group submitted recommendations regarding how and why LC should change the LCSH 'Illegal aliens.' (1) That same year, LC decided to cancel the 'Illegal aliens' subject heading, which Congress subsequently sought to block. (2) Congress eventually required LC 'to make publicly available its process for changing or adding subject headings ... [and use] a process to change or add subject headings that are clearly defined, transparent, and allows input from stakeholders including those in the congressional community.' (3) In response, LC paused their plan to change 'Illegal aliens.' In June 2019, a new SAC Working Group on Alternatives to LCSH 'Illegal aliens' was convened to survey local institutions implementing changes to the subject heading and to chart a path for librarians to address the subject heading at the organizational level. At the 2020 ALA Annual Conference, the working group presented their report. This paper builds upon that report and details next steps both for the working group and library professionals who plan to implement changes at their own organizations., In June 2019, representatives from the American Library Association (ALA), the former Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), and representatives from the Library of Congress (LC) met before [...]