Ways of Knowing Oral Histories on the Worlds Words Creat

The book "Ways of Knowing: An Oral History of the Worlds of Words" is at the heart of the library project, as it defines how materials are described, organized, and retrieved. This field has long recognized that standard systems, such as the Dewey Decimal System and the Library of Congress, do not perform this role optimally. Worse still, they use language and classifications rooted in white supremacy, patriarchy, and American imperialism.The book "Ways of Knowing" presents unique and timely oral histories of alternative dictionaries created in response to the shortcomings and biases inherent in widely adopted library standards. These oral accounts tell the stories of these dictionaries through the narratives of the people who created them, revealing aspects of dictionary work that are usually overlooked or ignored.The collection of oral histories in this volume includes documentation of the "Chicano Dictionary," the "Women's Dictionary," and the "Homo Dictionary." The authors recorded one-hour oral histories with two representatives from each project, documenting the origins of each dictionary, the political and social context in which it emerged, and the processes involved in its development and implementation.The introductory articles provide context for each glossary in the history of information and library activity. The book and the digital files accompanying it constitute the first primary source of its kind, and a unique contribution to the history of work on metadata in libraries. Recording these stories in audio format offers new ways to understand the field of critical cataloging and classification, as we listen to the joy, frustration, urgency, and seriousness involved in working with critical metadata.