Name
Romanization Practice in North American Libraries: Critical Reflections on the History and Future of Romanization in the case of the Chinese Language
Date & Time
Wednesday, July 17, 2024, 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
IDEAL Locations
Sheraton E
Session Type
Poster
Description

Materials in non-Latin scripts have posed a great challenge to all aspects of library work and services. For more than half a century, romanization of non-Latin characters has been considered a necessary and inevitable solution. However, phonologization of ideographic writing, e.g. Chinese, is bound to cause many problems and difficulties. In addition, technological developments and international geopolitical changes have both influenced libraries' choice of romanization rules. With further advances in technology, especially the advent of AI tools, would there be alternative solutions arising to replace the existing library practice of Romanizing non-Latin script, such as Chinese? Guided by the Library's strategic direction of equity, diversity, and inclusion, where do Romanization and the treatment of non-Latin script materials go from here? Through a critical librarianship approach, this poster examines the evolution of Romanization practices in North American libraries in the case of the Chinese language. It will reflect on how Romanization practices have influenced the construction of the intellectual world and whether they are aligned with the value of diversity, equity and inclusion. By this exercise, we want to open up the question concerning the future of Romanization practice in the context of technology advancement, and thus stimulate discussion and reflection on long-standing practices inherent in libraries.

Track
Poster
Keywords
Romanization practice, Non-Latin script, Chinese language