On Friday March 14, 2025, Library of Congress published changes to subject headings for “Gulf of Mexico” and “Mount Denali” with new official subject headings as follows:
- McKinley, Mount (Alaska)
- America, Gulf of
- All related subject headings were also changed, for example “America, Gulf of, Watershed” and “Mid-ocean ridges—America, Gulf of”
These changes now appear in official Library of Congress subject authority files, and have been processed by OCLC, and from OCLC synced to the catalogs of other libraries using Library of Congress subject headings, including our LSP Program’s Alma institutions.
Both changes are controversial. Below you will find additional background information on the subject heading change as well as information about steps you can take at your Alma institution if you prefer not to use the Library of Congress’ new subject headings.
Background information: How and why the change happened
On January 20, 2025, Executive Order 14172 was issued. This order called for the renaming of Mount Denali and Gulf of Mexico by federal government agencies. For geographic features such as mountains and seas, the Library of Congress typically follows naming conventions in use by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) (H 690, Subject Headings Manual). As such, when BGN changed terminology in early February, Library of Congress did too, despite the controversy and politics involved in the decision, and despite the harm caused to library users when Indigenous and Mexican place names are erased and supplanted with names meant to celebrate “America” (meaning the “United States of America”) which is also arguably part of greater rhetoric meant to center and preserve whiteness and white culture in the United States. This has now become part of our authoritative subject headings as a result of the Executive Order, and subsequent follow through by BGN as the office who standardizes geographic terminology in use across federal agencies including Library of Congress.
Once BGN officially made their changes, the Library of Congress began their process to implement changes immediately thereafter as part of an off-cycle public review process. Tuesday, February 18, 2025, just after President's Day holiday, the Policy, Training, and Cooperative Programs (PTCP) Division of Library of Congress published the off-cycle list of tentative subject heading changes (the list used the naming convention associated with December 2024, despite a February 13, 2025 backdated publication date). The community was invited to submit comments by the same day, Tuesday, February 18, 2025. Others have written about this short timeline. The new proposed changes have been announced and updated in the Library of Congress authority file as of March 14, 2025, can be found on the ClassWeb website, and appear in our local catalogs. It is unclear exactly when the changes were approved as the quarterly editorial meeting where the Summaries of Decisions from Subject Editorial Meetings is not meeting until April 18, 2025. Additional content posted on their Subject Editorial Meetings webpage from February office hours does not include relevant information.
Visit the Library of Congress website for more information about their process to add or revise a Library of Congress subject heading.
What this means for your records
As of Wednesday March 19, 2025, the first records with the new subject headings have been noticeable in your catalogs and Primo VE. See the examples pictured below. In addition to the main subject heading, they may appear in a variety of 6XX MARC Library of Congress subject fields with geographic subdivisions.
Example 1: The pirates Laffite
Example 2: Minus 148 degrees
Record Syncing and Some Issues Reported
Full bib record syncing from OCLC and indexing had not yet occurred by March 19, 2025, but individual records were present. Additional record updates have come into our Network Zone in subsequent loads. MARC records will include a note in field 995 $$c indicating that the 65X has been updated during the load, as pictured below.
Notably, some colleges have reported search issues on these topics since the updates were made as terminology and indexing have likely been out of sync. It is expected to resolve as additional Network Zone jobs run. Our Network Zone Administrator has been alerted and is monitoring the situation.
Want to use “Gulf of Mexico” and “Mount Denali” Subjects? Here's how
We recommend use of a Primo VE display normalization rule for the subject field if you don't want to use LC’s new subject headings. Essentially it is an automatic find and replace function in Primo VE, that allows you to replace non preferred terminology with preferred terminology.
To edit display of the subject field in Primo VE, go to: Configuration Menu > Discovery > Display Configuration > Manage Display and Local Fields
Here is how to do it and instructions from Ex Libris.
This example Primo VE normalization rule from San Mateo County Community College District updates the terminology for both terms as follows, displaying in full record details LC subject line (600, 650, 651, 655, 662):
- “Denali, Mount (Alaska)”
- “Mexico, Gulf of”
Additionally, the normalization rule does the following:
- Changes Library of Congress subject “Illegal immigration” to “Unauthorized immigration”
- Limits display to primarily Library of Congress Subjects by hiding display of any subjects with 650 second indicator 1-8
- Limits display of uncontrolled vocabulary terms found in 653 by hiding any with second indicator 0-6, and 8
- Changes various uncontrolled vocabulary terms found in 653 including Gulf of Mexico, Mount Denali, Unauthorized immigration, and other terminology related to Change the Subject project previously approved by the LSP Governance Committee
Of note, when using a Primo VE normalization rule for subjects
- Only full record details display in Primo VE is changed (brief search results subject list in filters is not changed)
- All Primo VE views in the institution are updated
- MARC records are not changed
- Authority records are not changed
- Central Discovery Index (CDI) records are not changed
Resources
- Approved subject change lists (Monthly List 12 LCSH 2 (2025))
- Subject Editorial meetings
- SACO calendar with meeting schedule (next Subject Editorial meeting April 18th)
- RSS feeds Library of Congress Vocabularies
- Subscribe to “Library of Congress Vocabularies Announcements” to receive tentative lists, approved lists, and summaries of decisions.
- Process for Adding and Revising Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Evaluating Process Proposals (PDF)
- ALA Subject Analysis Committee response to subject change proposal (PDF)
- Anticipatory Obedience at the Library of Congress by Violet Fox.
Special thanks to Yvonne Reed and the Harmful Language Review Subgroup. Updated April 2, 2025 4:50pm to correct the publication timeline of the tentative list from Library of Congress.
Recent federal actions-including the U.S. Department of Education’s February 14, 2025, “Dear Colleague” letter-have raised urgent questions for educational institutions, including libraries, and their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion activities. The letter, and accompanying guidance, reflect an unprecedented expansion of federal scrutiny over DEI activities in educational institutions, suggesting that many such initiatives may violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and threaten potential revocation of federal funds for noncompliance. In this climate, it was announced at the LSP Governance Committee meeting on March 28 that according to legal advice the League may need to “remove low hanging fruit” in its public-facing DEI language, including the name of the DEIAA workgroup, to avoid potential federal scrutiny.
This announcement raised alarm bells among members of our workgroup. We invited Amy Beadle in her capacity as Senior Director of the Library & Technology Resources unit of the League to our workgroup meeting on April 8 to get a better understanding of the situation. Emphasizing support for the work of the work group, Amy opened a conversation during that meeting about the potential need to consider changes to DEI language, but ultimately, the workgroup remained unclear as to whether it was officially being asked to make changes to the name of the workgroup and to content on the workgroup webpages. We therefore asked for clarification on this matter at the Governance Committee meeting on May 2, as well as clarification as to who is ultimately authorized to both request and approve changes to LSP workgroup names and the content of their respective webpages. In both a letter from Amy Beadle on May 2 and verbally at the meeting, we are gratified to hear that the League and the CCL affirm that it is the LSP Governance Committee alone that has the authority to request and authorize such changes.
As representatives of the DEIAA workgroup, we wish to address these discussions and reaffirm our commitment to our shared values and professional responsibilities.
Commitment to Free Speech and Academic Freedom
Our workgroup is steadfast in its commitment to the principles of free speech and academic freedom, as outlined in the American Library Association’s Code of Ethics. These principles are foundational to librarianship and higher education, ensuring that libraries remain spaces for the free exchange of ideas and the pursuit of knowledge without fear of censorship or political interference. Upholding these values is especially critical in times of political uncertainty.
Risk, Ethics, and “Anticipatory Obedience”
We recognize and appreciate the concerns raised regarding potential risks in the current political environment. The recent guidance from the Department of Education, while sweeping in its language, does not carry the force of law and cannot, by itself, serve as an enforcement mechanism. As the California Department of Education has clarified, any attempt to revoke federal funds must follow a legally mandated process, including notification, voluntary compliance efforts, hearings, and congressional reporting.
We believe that preemptively altering our workgroup’s name or sanitizing our language in response to vague or ethically questionable demands constitutes “anticipatory obedience”-a response that undermines our professional ethics and the mission of the LSP program. As professionals, we must not sacrifice our commitment to equity, inclusion, and intellectual freedom for the sake of avoiding hypothetical scrutiny. This stance is also in alignment with the recently approved ASCCC Resolution 111.06 S25 Unapologetic Commitment to IDEAA and Academic Freedom.
Collective Action and Institutional Support
We are heartened by the leadership shown by Gregg Atkins, Executive Director of the Council of Chief Librarians (CCL), who at the recent Governance Committee meeting reaffirmed that the CCL is actively working to clarify the Governance Committee and LSP’s relationship with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) regarding liability coverage for CCL activities. This step, along with efforts to build solidarity and mutual defense pacts with like-minded institutions, represents a prudent and principled approach to navigating federal threats. By standing together, we strengthen our collective ability to defend our values and protect our members.
Governance and Decision-Making
We thank Amy Beadle and Gregg Atkins for confirming that decisions regarding changes to workgroup names or website content rest with the Governance Committee. This structure ensures that any such decisions are made transparently, democratically, and in alignment with the LSP program’s mission and values. In the Governance Committee’s DEIAA Statement, the Governance Committee has “committed to intentionally creating and maintaining safe, equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist environments and actively challenging systems of oppression.” As part of that, there is a pledge to “hold ourselves accountable as a model of diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism and accessibility.” There is also flexibility to “adjust our goals as needed,” while maintaining our commitment to the core values of DEIAA.
Conclusion
The DEIAA workgroup remains committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and anti-racism in our libraries and communities, as articulated in our charge. We believe that our professional ethics require us to resist vague, overreaching, or politically motivated demands that would compromise our mission or the rights of our members. We urge our colleagues across the California community colleges and LSP program to join us in upholding these principles, supporting one another, and ensuring that our libraries remain beacons of intellectual freedom and equitable access for all.
We welcome continued dialogue and collaboration as we navigate these challenges together.
Resources
Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, 2025. “Resolution 111.06 S25 Unapologetic Commitment to IDEAA and Academic Freedom” in 2025 Spring Plenary Session Adopted Resolutions, (Word file, p. 18). Available on the Resolutions Process webpage.
American Association of University Professors (January 2025). Against anticipatory obedience.
American Library Association, (adopted 1939, most recently amended June 29, 2021). Code of Ethics. (See also International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, 2012. Professional Codes of Ethics for Librarians.)
California Department of Education, (April 25, 2025). “Update Regarding Trump Administration’s Anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Directives and California’s Title VI Compliance.” Available from the Responses to 2025 Federal Actions and Communications webpage. (See also CDE updates from February 21, 2025, March 21, 2025.)
LSP Governance Committee (adopted July 27, 2022, revised November 15, 2024). Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism, and Accessibility (DEIAA) Statement.
LSP Governance Committee (revised November 19, 2024). LSP Program DEIAA Focus Areas.
LSP Governance Committee (March 28, 2025 and May 2, 2025). Meeting Agendas and Minutes.
Snyder, Timothy (April 28, 2017). Resist Authoritarianism by Refusing to Obey in Advance: Timothy Snyder Take Us From Nazism in Austria to the Milgram Experiment. Available on the Literary Hub website.
U.S. Department of Education (February 14, 2025). Dear Colleague Letter.
Commenting on blog posts requires an account.
Login is required to interact with this comment. Please and try again.
If you do not have an account, Register Now.