The process of resource cataloging metadata creation is one of the most important tools that enable access to information and its retrieval. Librarians (especially catalogers) as well as end-users, all expect metadata to perform multiple and diverse purposes and functions: to act as a link between users and resources and at the same time to showcase their relation to other resources within specific, historical, and contemporary, social context. However, a resource or an event often requires complex reasoning and decision-making that operates in the ethical realm. Guidance on these decisions can be sought in various ethics codes presented through various library organizations (ALA, CILIP, etc.)
In light of the various Social Movements regarding Inclusion and Equity, we would argue that metadata does not only represent the resources, but, as the powerful mechanism it is, also represents ourselves, and our organizational and professional values. However, the increased demands on metadata and the roles we expect it to play raise questions about whether evaluation and quality assessment are consistent with the ethics of cataloging.
This paper presents the framework according to which the concepts of 'ethics' and 'cataloging ethics' are defined within literature. It then discusses the need to establish one, common definition for this complex concept and provides examples of the phenomenon through bibliographic records of several catalogs. Finally, it discusses how defining this concept reveals more information about the values of cataloguers, it suggests the need to increase user-centered research by introducing a new ethical dimension to conventional frameworks and extending existing definitions for existing metadata evaluation criteria.