Monday Morning Blog

 I haven't posted for a bit.  I got a bit lost in the weeds having discussions with various tech services librarians I've worked with over the years.  Initially, I contacted them to ask what they do when the cover art from a DVD case is so damaged that it needs to be replaced.  In talking about this practical issue, many other discussions and issues arose.  These will be topics for exploration in future blog posts.  However, for today, I'll go back to the original question which was what libraries do when they need to replace damaged cover art. First of all, each librarian or library tech I spoke with described a different approach for dealing with the problem.  So, this being said, if any readers deal with the problem in a different way, it might be useful for other readers if you share your approach in the comments section for the blog. Second, most libraries do try to replace the cover art somehow but not all make the attempt to do so.  Some ju...

 The other day a librarian friend sent me a link to Nancy Doyles Forbes article entitled ÈProfessor Ahmad's Six-Month Wall:  Rehumanizing the Virtual WorkplaceÈ.   As might be expected,  the article focuses on how we cope with life as we move into a winter characterized by ongoing COVID infections and social distancing.   I copied a few lines that struck me as interesting: The desire to "get away" or "make it stop" is intense. We've already re-learned how to do groceries, host meetings, and even teach classes. And we have found new ways to be happy and have fun. But as the days get shorter and colder, we need to be ready to innovate again.  But just don't expect to be sparklingly happy or wildly creative in the middle of your wall. Right now, if you can meet your obligations and be kind to your loved ones, you get an A+. I won't copy anything else in case you are interested in reading the article for yourself.  By the way, I recommend at leas...

 There was a time when the topics of open science and open access (OA) journals were the primary interest of specialized academic libraries.  However, because these paired movements have access to information and the business model for journal subscriptions at their heart, they are of interest to most library workers. For those of you who aren't familiar with open science and OA, I wrote a column a few years back that addresses these topics ( https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/LHTN-09-2016-0040/full/html ).  You might have to search for the article title in your discovery service in order to get access to it or request it on ILL.  Earlier this year I published a related column on scholarly communications that might also be of interest ( https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/LHTN-01-2020-0007/full/html ).  If you work in an academic or research library, you likely know quite a bit about the topic already.  However, those workin...

 My very first library job was working in what was called at the time the Fine and Performing Arts Department of an urban public library.  It was a sort of dream job for me because I love music, crafts, film, etc.  I eventually worked my way into doing reference work despite the fact that I lack an art or music degree.  Those were the days before the WWW and all of the free and subscription electronic resources we have today.  Besides the major music reference sources such as Groves, I doubt that any of what I used to use is still available. From time to time I still have need of music reference resources.  Sometimes it is in the context of cataloging a music-related resource and sometimes it's in the context of answering a music-related question.  Thank goodness that my colleagues who have music degrees have made some helpful LibGuides.  Nowadays, I Google for music LibGuides and often find the answers I need. However, there are many interesting ...

 The issue of developing and implementing new cataloguing and metadata standards and models is one that has been with us for the past few decades.  While cataloguers have been slowly changing their practices - especially since the introduction of RDA about 8 years ago, many other library workers aren't aware that there is a plan in the works for a metadata revolution.  Or, maybe they know about it but perhaps they don't care.  I remember a librarian tell me a few years ago that she just couldn't get excited let alone be interested in my talk about RDA.  She felt that there has been too much talk and too little action for her tastes. The reality is that the discipline of cataloguing and metadata is talking about revolutionary change. Making that change takes a lot of thinking, talking, planning, and experimentation.  I've shown non-cataloging librarians some of the experimental tools such as OCLCs Classify ( http://classify.oclc.org/classify2/  ), World...

 Here are another 4 columns I wrote: 1) Are your devices eating up all of your time? Frederick, D.E.  (2017), "Where does the time go? A perceived shortage of time in the digital age – the Data Deluge Column",  Library Hi Tech News , Vol. 34 No. 2, pp. 1-7.  https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-01-2017-0005 I was feeling pretty melancholy when I wrote this paper.  However, since I wrote it, I've noticed that it is an increasingly common topic in both academic papers and the popular media.  We spend a lot of time engaging with electronic devices and the information they present to us.  This is having an impact on various aspects of our lives. 2) AI for librarians Frederick, D.E.  (2020), "Librarians in the era of artificial intelligence and the data deluge",  Library Hi Tech News , Vol. 37 No. 7, pp. 1-7.  https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-03-2020-0029 So, this paper hasn't created any discussion!  Perhaps it is too new.  However, AI is beco...

 I've been writing this blog for about 8 years now and over time the target audience I've written for has changed.  This spring I was teaching classes for summer students, post-docs, and new scientists on how to conduct literature searches using the databases and citation management software available at the research centre where I worked.  I'm not sure if anyone from my classes still looks at these posts.  However, maybe some do and maybe some of my other readers are interested in this topic because they may either do their own research or help others to do scientific literature searching and writing papers. So, about a week ago I tried out a new free course on Coursera called How to write and publish a scientific paper .  The instructors describe the course as being one that is created by PhD students for PhD students.  However, the language, pace of instruction, and hands-on exercises make the course suitable for any students and librarians who might be ...

The Cataloguing Calculator Back in 2012 I wrote a post about the cataloging calculator which included some exercises for those who want to learn how to use it. That post still gets stats and I get a couple of emails each year asking about the tool. So, I figure that the tool and the post might be of interest to my new readers. Have a look at the original post:   http://donnaefrederick.blogspot.com/2012/06/metadata-update-8-cataloguing.html Metadata Maker Another tool from a few years back is The Metadata Maker which was created by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library.  This is a particularly useful tool to use when you need to get cataloguing help from subject or language experts who may have little or no cataloguing experience.  I've used the tool with my research assistant who created records using it.  I then loaded all of her records into MARCEdit where I corrected and enriched her records.    This is the link below will take y...

Information about this free webinar just came through one of my social media feeds.  It might be of interest to some of the followers of this blog.   This has been cut and paste from the original announcement:  Please be invited to join the free Webex webinar "The Science behind the Preservation and Conservation of Archival Records" of the University of Perpetual Help System Laguna Master of Library and Information Science, Graduate School in partnership with EBSCO Information Services will hold its First FREE Webinar. DATE: November 28, 2020, Saturday TIME: 10:00 am to 12:00 nn (PHT) CHANNEL: Cisco Webex Our resource speaker is Hon. Lourdes T. David, Member, Professional Regulatory Board for Librarians The objectives of the webinar include: 1. To acquire new knowledge in the preservation of Archival Records. 2. To know the science behind the conservation of Archival Records. " Registration link is here >>  bit.ly/UPHSL-Webinar- Registration

 Hopefully, you had a chance to look at one or more of the columns I wrote about the other day.   In today's post, I have another 4 papers to share with you. 1) My BIBFRAME column Frederick, D.E.  (2016), "Metadata specialists in transition: from MARC cataloging to linked data and BIBFRAME (data deluge column)",  Library Hi Tech News , Vol. 33 No. 4, pp. 1-5.  https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-03-2016-0015 2 Let's just say that 4 years after I wrote this column, BIBFRAME remains a somewhat difficult topic to discuss - especially with those working outside of the cataloguing and metadata discipline.  However, I think that the points I made in this column remain valid today and that the key is that cataloguing and metadata will remain in transition for a very long time.  This transition includes both theoretical and practical aspects. 2) 4IR and technological haves and have-nots Frederick, D.E.  (2019), "The Fourth industrial revolution and the digi...

 For the past 10 years or so, I have been studying the impact of technological change on libraries.  While my focus has been on disruptions in technical services, I follow all aspects of change in libraries.  Electronic resources in libraries are an obvious example of disruptive technological change and the shift to linked-data appears to be an emerging disruption.  However, COVID seems to have brought on a whole new slate of disruptions for libraries ranging from how we think about and plan our physical spaces and collections and the ways in which we can offer new remote services.  These disruptions seem to touch practically every aspect of library work. When I want to learn more about current issues in libraries that represent challenges, if not outright disruptions, I often turn to OCLC's WebJunction.  It seems to me that in the past I had to be working at a library that was a member of OCLC to view their webinars for free. However, whether or not that w...

 For the past 4 years I have been a columnist for Library Hi-Tech News .  I feel truly honoured to have the opportunity to do this writing and engage in discussion with the readers of my column.  While these papers are not the traditional type of peer-reviewed papers that academic librarians typically publish, I have found the process of researching and writing the column and engaging in discussion and debate with my readers to be one of the most professionally rewarding experiences I've ever had.  I thought that I'd scatter a few blog posts here and there to introduce some of the columns I've written.  This is not to toot my own horn but to, hopefully, widen the audience for this writing and also increase awareness and discussion of these topics in the library field. For a very long time I have been very interested in the topic of disruptive change in libraries and about 10 years ago I set out to make a concerted effort to study the changes and document what I ...

 Today's post features some free cataloguing training that is offered by the Library of Congress via what is called the Catalogers Learning Workshop. This is the website:   https://www.loc.gov/catworkshop/ This is an important website for all cataloguers to bookmark.  I use it as a gateway for finding free training resources related to RDA, the 3R Project and BIBFRAME / linked data in particular.  However, it is also good for all sorts of cataloguing topics related to LC including more traditional topics such as subject headings and classification. I have a few comments to make about LC cataloging training. LC is considered the go-to authority for cataloguing standards and training.   In my opinion, the best and most thorough training comes through programs like BIBCO and NACO.  A few years ago I was lucky to get NACO training from Paul Frank at LC when the library I worked for at the time joined a NACO funnel.  It was excellent training...

 The way that I conceptualize the topic of classification in libraries is that a physical resource needs to sit somewhere on a shelf or in some other type of container and the "place where it sits" needs to be assigned some sort of code that makes the item discoverable and retrievable.  The items can be discoverable either by searching in the library's discovery service or catalogue or by browsing around the shelves.  The items are retrievable when the patron is able to find a record for the item in the catalogue, makes note of the classification code assigned to it and then uses that code to retrieve items from the shelves.  I once worked in a library that used accession numbers to organize their films and art catalogues on the shelf.  With accession numbers, the first item added to the collection has the lowest number and the most recent one has the highest.  The numbers have little to no meaning in themselves except to indicate whether the item was added...

Some of you may use MARCEdit every day, some of you may want to start using it and some of you may not have heard of this MARCEdit thing.....  ok, well, for those of you who catalogue, MARCEdit is likely your friend or you would really like to make friends with it.  This is especially the case if you have to deal with record loads from vendors or you have to migrate your ILS. I heard this song today and just had to share it with those of you who are in the MARCEdit fan club.  I don't think that I have ever heard of a song that relates to cataloguing but.... here's one for your enjoyment.  

Based on the number of views of the post on keeping up to date in technical services, there is a lot of interest in the topic of... well, how to keep up to date in the field. While the resource I have to share with you today is not specifically for technical services, it contains many free, timely, and useful training resources that are available during the month of October.  Some of the live events have already occurred but there are recordings for most of them in the archives of the organization that hosted them or there is a notice that a recording will be posted at some point in the future.  There is a lot of variety in the topics covered. The resource is on a website hosted by OCLC called "WebJunction".  I've found the website to be a useful resource for professional development resources over the years.  The page of most interest today contains resources collected by the Wyoming State Library.  https://www.webjunction.org/news/webjunction/free-webinars-for...

The ALA has announced a free webinar on October 22nd:  The American Indian Youth Literature Awards For more information and to register, see this website:   http://www.ala.org/educationcareers/american-indian-youth-literature-awards-discussion-and-reflection If you are interested in the webinar but can't attend on the date and time, register for it and you will get a recording 7 days latter. This information was published on the ALA website: Thursday, 10/22/2020 12:00 PM-1:00 PM (Eastern) 11:00 AM-12:00 PM (Central) 10:00 AM-11:00 AM (Mountain) 9:00 AM-10:00 AM (Pacific) Indigenous stories are all around us, but fewer than 1% of books published for kids in the U.S. are by Indigenous writers.US publishers are overwhelmingly ignoring the contributions of 574 Tribal Nations. The American Indian Youth Literature Award winners and honor books celebrate literature by Native authors and illustrators with the world. Each year AILA awards honor books by authors from different tribes an...