KNKX Public Radio, July 2024
Marika Cifor, a professor at the University of Washington’s Information School, is searching the library’s online catalog using Spanish terms. She types in “Lesbiana” and hits enter. The results are messy. “And really, what you’re finding is, there’s a good amount of material, but that’s only because it’s in the title of a number of things or in the kind of description provided by the publisher and the author,” Cifor said.
During Pride month, it can be easy to find books on LGBTQIA+ topics displayed prominently in libraries. But searching in Spanish for those books is difficult. That’s because Spanish search terms for relevant topics aren’t in the catalog. Cifor is working with a professor at Northeastern University in Boston to create a Spanish Homosaurus. It’s like a glossary for Spanish terms that libraries can integrate into their subject catalog. The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center and the Arizona Queer Archives will also help with the project.
