Deadnaming trans authors / name change policies

[Violet]

I've been reviewing the Librarian Manual: Author names and profiles; it looks to me that Goodreads policy is keeping an author's printed name on a book as their Goodreads display name. Is that correct?

This has been surfaced on Twitter recently as a problem, especially for transgender authors. For U.S. libraries, name authority policies state that an author's preferences should be followed in choosing the form of name established as the authorized access point (the equivalent to display name on Goodreads). Is there similar guidance for Goodreads? What steps is Goodreads taking to respect the rights of those who have changed their name?

[Emily]

Violet wrote: "What steps is Goodreads taking to respect the rights of those who have changed their name?"

You should contact Goodreads directly about the policy. The librarians do not have input into policy issues separate from the Contact Us form:

https://www.goodreads.com/about/conta...

[Violet]

Thanks Emily. I wanted to check in with the librarian community first to make sure I wasn't missing anything obvious. I also think members of the Goodreads librarian community should speak up to let Goodreads know this is a problem that urgently needs addressing. Y'all do a lot of labor for this site, and your input would be valuable in ensuring changing this policy is a priority for Goodreads admin.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Individual authors are encouraged to use the Contact Us page. Goodreads staff handles these requests on a case-by-case basis.

As these are exceptions to our general policies, these are not requests our volunteer Goodreads Librarians can assist with. Closing thread.