Join us for a screening of Change the Subject, a powerful documentary about a group of Dartmouth students who challenged anti-immigrant language in the Library of Congress subject headings. While the film focuses on library activism, it also serves as a broader meditation on how language is used to divide, marginalize, and dehumanize communities.

Following the screening, members of Arte Público Press/Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage (Recovery) will lead a facilitated discussion exploring the concept of ethical metadata—a framework for describing archival materials in ways that resist bias, acknowledge historical context, and honor community self-identification. We'll reflect on how traditional taxonomies and controlled vocabularies have excluded or misrepresented marginalized communities, and how these systems continue to shape what is remembered, discovered, and valued in archives. Recovery staff will share how they train students to recognize these issues and apply ethical metadata practices in their work, underscoring the responsibility of archivists to challenge structural inequities in description and access.

Featured Guest Speakers: 

Mikaela Selley, Archivist & Program Manager, Arte Público Press/Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage, University of Houston

Lorena Gauthereau, PhD,  Digital Programs Manager, Arte Público Press/Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage, University of Houston

This event will take place at the Julia Ideson Building (Meldrum Room) on Saturday, September 06, 2025, at 1:00pm 

This event is free and open to the public. Parking in the garage under the Central Library is free. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come first serve basis.  

Be sure to check out the rest of the day’s events—including a charla (community discussion) and exhibit walkthroughs —to continue the conversation and inspire collective action and reflection.

More info here.

About Change the Subject:

Change the Subject (2019) is a 54-minute documentary film about a group of Dartmouth students who challenged anti-immigrant language in the Library of Congress subject headings. Their advocacy took them all the way from Baker-Berry Library to the halls of Congress, showing how an instance of campus activism entered the national spotlight, and how a cataloging term became a flashpoint in the immigration debate on Capitol Hill. In partnership with staff at Dartmouth, these students – now alumni – produced a film to document this story. The impact of the film has been wide-ranging, inspiring librarians around the country and the world to examine the ways that systemic racism pervades the institution of the library, particularly in its controlled vocabularies. 

D: Jill Baron & Sawyer Broadley '08, US, 2019, 1hr 

About Arte Público Press/Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage (Recovery): 

Arte Público Press is the oldest and largest Latino publishing house in the United States. Its mission is to publish, promote, and make available Latino literature with the goal of reshaping the national narrative to more accurately reflect the historical, cultural, and literary contributions of Hispanic communities. In addition to publishing new works, Arte Público Press houses the Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Program (Recovery)—a groundbreaking national research initiative dedicated to locating, preserving, and making available the written legacy of Latinas and Latinos in the United States from the colonial period through 1980. Recovery rescues previously overlooked or forgotten texts—such as newspapers, manuscripts, books, and personal papers—thereby restoring a fuller, more inclusive literary and historical record.

This public program is presented in support of Raquel Natalicchio's exhibit at HPL, Al Otro Lado | The Other Side. This exhibition will be on view June 14, 2025–February 28, 2026 at the Houston Public Library's Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room in the Julia Ideson Building and is free and open to the public during regular hours. 

To learn more about the exhibit and upcoming related programs, visit: https://houstonlibrary.org/blogs/exhibits/exhibits/al-otro-lado

At the heart of Al Otro Lado/The Other Side lies the convergence of individual stories and geographical context. This exhibition features the work of photojournalist Raquel Natalicchio, focusing on her portraits and interviews of people who have migrated to the United States. Their personal narratives, highlighting their diverse experiences and journeys, are paired with historical maps highlighting regions along the U.S.-Mexico border, sourced from the Houston History Research Center (HHRC). These maps not only chart physical landscapes but also document the history leading up to the establishment of the border and the socio-political complexities surrounding immigration.