Ut ur garderoben och in i katalogen : Ämnesordsindexering av HBTQI-litteratur i databasen Queerlit

Sammanfattning: Introduction. This thesis seeks to investigate the construction and application of subject headings within Queerlit; a database designed to collocate Swedish works of fiction containing LGBTQI motifs. The aim of the study is to identify which principles guide the use of subject headings within Queerlit. The findings of this study can in turn provide insights as to the practical and epistemological challenges that can arise in the subject indexing of LGBTQI materials in general.  Theory & Method. The theoretical underpinnings of the study are social constructionism and queer theory. A Foucauldian understanding of the concept of discourse has been applied during analysis. The study also makes use of theories concerning categorization of sexuality and gender as described by Sedgwick and Halberstam, along with the LIS concepts of aboutness and meaning. The method used is discourse analysis, which has been applied to Queerlit’s subject heading list, as well as the indexing of two novels included in Queerlit.  Results & Analysis. The analysis has shown that the subject heading list contains several discourses pertaining to LGBTQI. In identifying these discourses, it is shown that Queerlit emphasizes sex and sexuality, while expressing ambivalence concerning temporality and intersectionalism. As for the analysis of the indexing of the two novels, the study has demonstrated that subjective interpretation is a vital part of identifying LGBTQI motifs, and that the indexing of older literature is influenced by presentism.  Conclusion. The findings prove that LGBTQI materials provide a particular set of challenges for the practice of subject heading indexing. This is largely due to the fact that LGBTQI concepts tend to be fluid, unstable, and heavily dependent on context, both within literature and intellectual thought, whereas thesauri by necessity treat documents and the language within them as stable and definitive.  This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.