NOTSL

Virtual via Zoom
Program: 9:30 am – 4:35 pm
Please note the change in meeting format & time from previous meetings!
Friday, December 1, 2023

Deadline to register is November  24, 2023
Registration & Payment through Eventbrite here.

NOTSL is pleased to welcome the following speakers and their presentations:

A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Toolkit for Technical Services, Presented by Treshani Perera, Head of Fine Arts Technical Services, Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts Library, University of Kentucky Libraries

The keynote session will review real-world examples to emphasize the importance of DEI in cataloging and draw on findings from Perera’s 2022 research study looking at areas of description that are often prioritized (and sometimes missed!) in inclusive cataloging.

In recent years, many libraries have identified equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) as a critical and strategic value. Some may have created inclusive metadata and hiring priorities to center EDI in library collections and services. As a result, technical services units may be called to set priorities for increasing access to diverse collections and hiring practices. 

This keynote will introduce a DEI toolkit for Library Technical Services operations. Presentation content will focus on challenges impacting DEI work, identifying biases in cataloging systems and standards, inclusion and advocacy in cataloging, tools and strategies for equitable access to collections, hiring practices supporting a diverse workforce in technical services, and fostering a technical services workforce adept in cultural concepts. Attendees will develop an understanding of the importance of DEI work in library technical services, and acquire skills and strategies to implement in their home institutions.

Treshani Perera (she/her) is the Head of Fine Arts Library Technical Services Unit at the University of Kentucky Libraries. Treshani provides original and complex copy cataloging for all formats and subject areas in the Fine Arts Library; oversees operations in cataloging, physical processing, binding, and preservation; and manages several special projects in the Fine Arts Library. Treshani has presented various critical cataloging webinars and workshops for We Here LLC, the Summer Educational Institute Workshop (SEI), the Association of Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC), and the American Theological Library Association (ATLA). Treshani has presented findings from research in inclusive description at Art Librarians Society of North America (ARLIS), Visual Resources Association (VRA), and Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) annual conferences. Treshani is the founding convener of the University of Kentucky Libraries Subject Headings Interest Group, an informal group addressing display decisions and alternatives to problematic subject headings.

Additional speakers and topics will include: 

Dolores Yilibuw and Katherine Wolsky, Lexington Theological Seminary
“The process of infusing DEI into collections & services of an extra-small library” 

The infusion of DEI into any library is a never-ending process, reflective of the greater societal change. Generally, the end-result of infusing something into something else is to make the latter more versatile. This presentation will show how an extra-small library, with only two librarians’ staff, has begun the process of incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion into its collections and services for the sake of its clientele. Presenters will show how the incorporation of DEI in the strategic plan initiatives of the school has affected the library collection policy and management, as well as technical and public services.

Carissa Thatcher, University of Cincinnati, and Cara Calabrese, Miami University
“A tale of two workflows: Streamlining and automating acquisitions” 

The ordering workflows of Miami University and the University of Cincinnati beyond the vendor environment were lacking consistency, transparency and efficiency due to the process being driven by email communications between selectors and the department.  Both institutions found the current environment outside of Edifact ordering through vendors not supportive of automated acquisitions workflows and the path from selecting a library resource or materials to receiving them without Edifact can be fraught with long email strings, misinterpretations of the ordering process, as well as, lack of clarity concerning where a resource might be within the ordering process for both Acquisition Teams and Selectors. 

A Tale of Two Workflows will explore how Acquisitions Librarians from Miami University and the University of Cincinnati have implemented different Automated Workflow applications, TeamDynamix and Microsoft Power Automate, to manage the acquisitions workflow within an academic library. This session will show how the applications promoted transparency of the acquisitions process and better communication between selectors and acquisitions staff throughout the ordering workflow.  The presenters will cover the decision process for choosing the application, the creation of the automation and how the automation has transformed the management of ordering materials for their institutions.

Sasha Frizzell, Catalog/Metadata Management Librarian, Binghamton University
“Assessing subject analysis with MarcEdit and spreadsheets”

This session will discuss how to assess the subject analysis in bibliographic records using MarcEdit and spreadsheet software. By utilizing MarcEdit field counts, users can gain a broad overview of their records. Additionally, exporting a record collection into tab-delimited text provides more flexibility to analyze specific fields such as 050 and 6XX in their preferred spreadsheet software.

The speaker will demonstrate how to use these methods to evaluate the quality of various sets of vendor records, providing insight into the overall level of subject analysis in the collection, and will explore simple techniques to analyze classification and subject headings across the records, including an examination of alternative vocabularies and their impact on subject analysis quality.

Alicia Pearson, Metadata and Collection Development Librarian, Siena College
“DEI analysis: repurposing Baker & Taylor’s collectionHQ for academic libraries”

This presentation will discuss Baker & Taylor’s collectionHQ product. Baker & Taylor has provided public libraries with data driven analysis for over 21 years. Their DEI analysis tool was launched in 2021 and is in the early stages of development for academic libraries. For a variety of reasons, this option provided our small library with faster analysis than we could perform in house. We are in the implementation stage of this partnership and can share the experience and results with other academic libraries for them to consider. Potentially this module can help streamline analysis and collection development for an already stretched thin profession. Additionally libraries can influence the development and direction of the tool to better serve academic communities and stakeholders.  

Katherine Manifold, Catalog Metadata Integrity Librarian; University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries
“Library of Congress Classification monthly approved changes lists: Implementing an ongoing reclassification workflow”

Changes to the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) schedules include updates to address the use of biased and harmful language and cutters that were built on this language. While the literature on why these changes are important is substantial, how these changes are implemented in individual institutions remains relatively unexplored in scholarship, most likely due to the unique nature of each library and the depth to which individual institutional environments must be considered when developing workflows. In this presentation, the practical impacts of implementing classification changes on collections will be examined and the process of implementing these changes in an academic library will be detailed. This description will go into developing an initial pilot project, creating a decision tree to determine which LCC changes to implement, and drafting workflow documentation. ILS limitations and other challenges will be discussed. Attendees will gain an understanding of the practical impacts of such call number remediation projects and workflow ideas that can be adapted for use in their own institutions.

Rich Wisneski, Electronic Resources Librarian, Miami University
“Getting to Know SQL: Or, 20 Minutes of SQL Fun!”

This presentation is geared to those completely new to SQL. It will start with showing how to set up pgadmin, an open-source platform for SQL. Next, participants will see what SQL is and why it’s helpful. Lastly, the presentation will go through basic SQL principles to get a feel for what one can do with SQL. SQL is applicable to those using the Sierra ILS, and those who will one day enter the non-Sierra ILS world. Participants will learn simple functionality that can aid in a range of projects, such as data cleanup, DEI analyses, and collection development. After this brief presentation, participants will go back to their respective institutions knowing how to set up pgadmin, navigate to some places to get SQL scripts, do some simple queries, and experiment with future projects that will wow their colleagues.

Tyler Cunningham, Catalog Librarian, University of Pittsburgh
“Replacing Obsolete Cutter Numbers Using Batch Processes”

This presentation documents an ongoing project to replace obsolete and offensive cutter numbers in a university library. In response to growing pressure and the general diffusion of DEIA principles, Library of Congress subject headings and classification have undergone significant recent change. This is particularly visible as regards racial groups. This case focuses on the replacement of N3 cutter numbers, which formerly represented both Black people and African Americans under the term “Negro.” This presentation documents the speaker’s experience creating and refining a workflow that will eventually be used for updating all manner of obsolete classification across their institution’s libraries.