The UWM Libraries strongly support the decision by the Library of Congress to replace the Library of Congress subject headings “Aliens” and “Illegal aliens” with “Noncitizens” and “Illegal immigration.”
The change was announced at the November 12, 2021 meeting of the Policy and Standards Division of the Library of Congress, which maintains Library of Congress Subject Headings.
The replacement of the outdated and pejorative terms was planned in 2016, but the U.S. Congress blocked the change.
Previous to the official announcement, the UWM Libraries along with the other UW System libraries were planning a local response and are happy that this is no longer necessary.
Changes to catalog records with these subject headings are in process.