These slides provide a brief overview of some of the problematic histories and legacies of the Dewey Decimal Classification System (and Dewey himself), particularly focusing on heterosexism and cissexism, but also sexism, racism, colonialism, and more discrimination. They critique the idea that libraries and librarians are neutral, discuss some of the creative and caring ways library workers and communities have challenged and continue to challenge and change these systems, and suggest ways we can all challenge discrimination in library classification (and other systems, policies and practices) too and why it is important that we do so.

This resource was initially created to help creative arts students critically engage with referencing and citation politics and celebrate in time for Eurovision in May 2021!
Five things you can learn from Eurovision about referencing include:
1. Both referencing and Eurovision are political
2. Question power and privilege and amplify diverse voices
3. Prioritise quality over quantity of sources and focus on content more than staging or style
4. Record and backup sources so you can learn from the past 
5. Inspired by this year’s Eurovision theme Open Up, support open scholarship

This book is created for, and ultimately with, students in Making History HIS3MHI. It is used heavily in this capstone history subject to harness the principles and power of open education. This is a book and subject that asks broadly what it means to ‘make history’ – in particular, what history means beyond schools and universities. We ask, what are the different forms and functions of historical knowledge in the modern and contemporary world? What does history mean in the public sphere, in parks, on webpages, in museums, and in people’s homes? What happens when historians operate in the public sphere? How is the past utilised by politicians? How does it bind us (or not) as a nation? How is it used to inform debates about the future both inside and outside universities, in schools, and in the mainstream community? How is history presented in commemorations, films, heritage sites, historical fiction, memorials, museums, re-enactments, and tours? What are the ethical and moral obligations historians have as 'gatekeepers' of the past?

In this workshop, I hope to illustrate that that library workers, academics and teachers, the systems we use, and our research practices are not neutral. This myth of neutrality perpetuates the unequal and discriminatory status quo. It introduces people to concepts of positionality and citation politics to help them query and disrupt traditional paths and understand more about the researchers behind the research.