Cartoons?! Digitizing and Cataloging Challenges...

Nguyen, Jennifer

 

Citation:

Dyer, M. A. (2014). Full Speed Ahead: The Challenges of Cataloging a Historic Editorial Cartoon Collection. Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, 33(2) 279-294.

Summary/Notes:

This article is about the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Libraries digitizing [the Charles Henry Sykes Cartoon Collection] of original editorial or political cartoons from the 1940s. Multiple library departments and staff involved in the project included the digital collections systems librarian, the digital specialist, the Digital Scanning Unit, and the metadata catalog librarian. There were cataloging issues due to missing or lack of information about cartoons donated. Image cataloging issues surrounding what the image is of versus what image is about. Scholars scrutinize the lack of cultural context provided with image digitized. And Dyer, wants us to note importance of text used in cartoon, as there aren’t many text used to begin with. Some solutions found were to obtain original newspaper and editorials the cartoons were printed in, document and note front pages of newspaper that contains cartoon to figure out the context of the cartoon. Only with context would we understand the humor of the cartoons drawn by Sykes’.

 

Reflection:

I was looking for ways and how librarians digitize images while researching for presentation 4. I tried to understand the process of digitization so that I can mention it in the digitization of a collection at the academic library I have been studying all semester. This article showed a whole other dimension of digitization that I hadn’t thought of before: cataloging and digitizing dated materials. It wasn’t as simple as I had thought of it. Apparently, it isn’t as easy as scanning and inputting the metadata information. Dyer does a great job explicating how cartoons work, the context and information to catalog, and additional research needed to fully catalog one cartoon image.

This makes me think about how Instagram functions. Images are often posted, but the source, creator, or information isn’t mentioned, just a partial caption underneath the image. Instagram will make it hard for information professionals to categorize or search for images there. But Instagram has hashtags. Some hashtags often used have nothing to do with the image, but more about what the person posting the image has done. Heck, even I have had trouble searching for a restaurant or place I randomly found an image of on Instagram. It takes me an extra 2 to 20 minutes following hashtags, tagged profiles, and locations to find an art exhibit.

            Overall, read this article if you’re thinking about cataloging, digitizing, and working with images during your librarianship. Dyer writes an easy and coherent article about VCU, Sykes, and the struggles of cataloging historical editorial cartoons.

"Tying collection development's loose ends with interlibrary loan"

Kolthoff, Katherine

Ruppel, M. (2006). Tying collection development's loose ends with interlibrary loan. Collection Building, 25(3), 72-77.

Summary: This research paper reports the process and findings of a study done by the author regarding Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Morris Library, exploring the viability of ILL as a means to expand collections. Morris Library is capable of borrowing from the I-Share catalog, the ILL request system for the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI). The author's study intended to identify the characteristics and overall quality of ILL-borrowed titles in the library, and answer whether ILL data is a viable tool in collection development. To do this, she collected and sorted the entries Morris Library borrowed from the I-Share catalog for the year of 2004, filtering for education and psychology titles, then sorted their reviews where they were available by "positive", "mixed", "negative", and "descriptive". 60% of the reviews collected were positive, 23% mixed, 10% "descriptive", and 7% negative overall. This pattern was mirrored when the author breaking down the titles by discipline. Regarding title characteristics, approximately two-thirds of the materials borrowed were published within five years of the study, and on average cost about fifty dollars. Additional findings suggest that that the ILL materials ordered were generally in good condition, and arrived in an acceptable span of time. The author, after some further analysis, concludes that ILL makes a cost-effective tool in both in serving patrons more effectively and in the consideration process for new additions to the collection; that said, she holds that ILL as an assessment tool really does need to be employed in conjunction with more traditional methods of construction.

Reflection: There are a number of interesting points and observations to take from this article. Firstly, this study had been done in 2004, yet since then Inter-Library Loans have become a staple of modern public and academic libraries, even as the increasingly mainstream access to electronic resources and e-books. (Clearly, despite competition, the utility of the ILL system has not waned.) Secondly, it is interesting that although 18,322 items were borrowed through I-Share, only 574 titles (3.13%) addressed the school's main academic disciplines. Although she suggests that the demand on those titles indicates that they need to add more of these genres to the collection, I wonder if she has grasped that the numbers mean that 96.97% of all ILL orders at the Morris Library have been for other subjects—that is to say, that they should be adding more titles in areas other than Education and Psychology. Yes, all the Education and Psychology titles may have been circulated through ILL at least one time, but considering the imbalance, it seems to suggest they need to reevaluate the quality of their own core collections.

Another point that bears reconsideration, especially now in the Amazon Age, is her assertion that "if a title can be purchased and received just as quickly (or quicker) as if it had been borrowed through ILL, and it fits the library's collection development policy, the library should purchase it." Let's face it, folks: with one-day shipping, purchasing will always win out in the speed factor. At this point, mere speed of purchase cannot be taken as an indicator that a library should purchase something rather than use ILL, or libraries following that philosophy would quickly run up their budget. Significant speed of purchase, or an extended waiting list for a title, should still factor in, but I feel she is incautious in suggesting a Buy-on-Demand program based on ILL requests.

However, she makes an intriguing observation in her argument for a BOD program that seems especially salient for the modern library: "Adding a title to the library collection benefits the library's community of users, not just one patron at a time, as in the case of interlibrary loan. Purchasing an item for a library provides an asset, or an investment, for the community to use in the future." (76) True, but perhaps she is not taking it to its full extent? As a lifelong resident of San Diego, I've been witness to the region's ILL, the Circuit, which enables print media to be borrowed between two UC system, one private, and one CalState university, and both the City and the County's public library systems. Of these, the university libraries all are involved in additional ILL programs through their own system connections. Thus, I feel it is worth considering whether purchases also need to be considered within the context of their ILL communities—since, through ILL, a library's community is not the only one that may benefit from the purchase. Such considerations already occur in UC system libraries—UCSD has a remarkable East Asian studies collection, but relatively little in the way of traditional subject matter: realizing that Berkley and UCLA had that segment covered, they focused their collection on contemporary history and issues. Such niche development may seem obvious, but when we are facing widespread budget cuts and competition to print media (although electronic resources may be a good means to bypass the wait that transporting physical items between libraries requires), every penny-saving measure counts. I know that this may sound hypocritical, given that just above I suggested updating their core collections, but again, that issue of disparity, but again, she is correct in the ability of a purchase to benefit the community as a whole—and thus, given their status as a sub-segment of a larger community, even that won't be a waste of resources.

Rules or reading?

Kolling, Kathleen

Citation

Ruefle, Anne E. (2011). Rules or Reading? LMC, 29(6), 34-35.

Summary

In the majority of libraries, librarians are strict about their lost book policy, not allowing students to check out a book until the old one is either found or replaced. This policy often makes some children hesitant to go to the library to check out books, for fear of the repercussions. We start to appear as the keepers of the books instead of as developers in literacy and information. In order for children to develop their reading, they must have access to rich literature. It is part of our jobs to oversee circulation, but it’s also an important part of our job to promote reading and literacy development. There will never be a shortage of books in our library, so why limit our students to just two books per checkout, or punish them for losing a book when there are so many others? If we increase our checkout limit, students will have more opportunities to get books even if they’re missing one or two. It also enables students to choose more books that look appealing. Most librarians find that there isn’t much of an increase in the number of lost books when they increase the number of books that students can check out. Rather, there is an increase in engagement as well as circulation. With practice, students will get into the habit of returning books on time. Communication with parents about book returns and responsibility is important.

Evaluation

I agree that a few missing books won’t damage the collection, however, the books that go missing are always the most popular. My students who have books missing are usually repeat offenders. I have an annual budget, but if the most popular books are always being lost, I will have to wait until the following year to replace them. The author suggests sending library books home as early as kindergarten, and using book bags to help as a visual reminder. This would take a complete shift in my staff’s thinking, as none of the teachers from kindergarten through second grade let their students take their books home. Those grade levels also insist on the one-book checkout policy. Most said they don’t want the students to lose the books and that it’s always been done that way. Another factor is 20% of my student population is either homeless or in transitional housing, so I don’t know if that would be too much of an added stressor on the families, having to keep track of one more belonging. This article has left me with a lot of questions. How much of an emphasis should be put on responsibility for one’s library books? How long do you wait before you consider that book a lost cause? Where do you start when more than half the staff won’t let students take books home? How do I forgive debt while also not spending a chunk of my budget replacing books?

Collaboration: Finding the teacher, finding the topic, finding the time.

Kolling, Kathleen

Citation

Gess, Angela. (2009). Collaboration: Finding the teacher, finding the topic, finding the time. LMC, 27(4), 24-25.

Summary

Many classroom teachers view the library as either a waste of time or chance for them to have planning time. Good collaboration between the classroom teacher and library media specialist can help increase language arts test scores, as shown in studies done in Colorado and Oregon, where they have strong collaborative library media teachers. The first step is to find the right teacher who values your work and is excited and willing to work together. The second step is to choose a topic that meets the AASL standards and utilizes technology, such as webquests . The third step is deciding if it should go as an introduction to a unit, in the middle, or as a conclusion/review. It’s always important to make it accessible to students with different learning and language needs. Always finish a unit by evaluating the success of it with the classroom teacher. Through successful collaboration, teachers will stop viewing library time as a break or waste.

Evaluation

At my library placement last year in a middle school, teachers hardly ever brought their classes to the library, so I found myself doing a lot of collection weeding and other tasks that didn’t involve working with students. I met with the Language Arts department every week and always offered to collaborate with whoever wanted to, but no one ever took me up on it. In my experience, most teachers don’t want to collaborate because they think that there may be extra planning and preparation. I’m at an elementary school this year, and most of the teachers drop their kids off at the library so they can do planning, which makes it difficult for collaboration. Recently, the administrators started requiring all the teachers meet in the library for grade level planning, so I’ve been able to join in the conversations they are already having about their current units of study. I work on tying that into my read-aloud with the younger grades, and with the older grades, I’ve been showing them primary sources that connect to their units. Ideally, teachers would stay during library time to support learning goals, but at my school, teachers are not required to stay, so I think my more successful units will happen with the teachers who do stay.

When Students "Discover" Databases

Poser-Brown, Lora

Ning Han. (2012). Managing a 21st-Century library collection. The Serials Librarian, 63(2), 158-169, DOI: 10.1080/0361526X.2012.700781.

Reflection: This article was fascinating to me! The authors surveyed college students about how they conduct research: “None of the college students surveyed (0%) start their information search from a library website, or from an ask-an-expert site. Rather, 83% of these surveyed college students begin their information search from a search engine and 7% of them start from Wikipedia.”  The authors then describe the “discovery process” for students to use library resources, especially databases, for their research.

Web 2.0 School Librarian

Poser-Brown, Lora

Hallstrom, J. (2013). Building it together: Life as a virtual school librarian. Library Media Connection, 31(5), 22-23.

Reflection: The “Life as a Virtual School Librarian” article was intriguing. The article was written by Janet Hallstrom, a teacher-librarian in her fifth decade of librarianship. She discusses the similarities and differences between traditional library work and virtual library tasks. The primary difference is the abundance of information available for online libraries. A great quote in the article is “Because of the wealth of information, the virtual librarian is assured that she has something helpful for everyone.” However, this plentiful bounty offers a huge challenge in cultivation and collection for the librarian because of resource quality. Hallstrom also mentions the great Web 2.0 tools she offers her online patrons and assists them with.

Friends for School Library Improvement

Poser-Brown, Lora

Kaun, T. (2014). Friends of the Oakland Public School Libraries: Building bridges to the local community. CSLA Journal, 38(1), 20-23.

Reflection: Reading about the Oakland, CA, public schools and their diminishing library existence engaged my mind. The district has formed a strong partnership with vested community members, who in turn formed a new Friends of School Libraries group. The article details how the district and Friends have invested in community relationships and bettering their school libraries, some of which have now been completely overhauled. The article contains great step-by-step information on the process of reviving a dying sector of the district’s budget: the school libraries.

Does Visibility Lead to Increased Use?

Rodriguez, Olivia
Natalia Tingle & Keith Teeter (2018) Browsing the Intangible: Does Visibility Lead to Increased

Use?,Technical Services Quarterly, 35:2, 164-174, DOI: 10.1080/07317131.2018.1422884

Summary: This article analyzes the effect visibility has on library circulation. The authors looked at a variety of ways to promote print and digital materials and then analyzed whether or not these strategies increased circulation in their library. This research project also looked at the difficulties of promoting ebooks.

Evaluation: As libraries continue to weed and add more digital materials to their collection, this article proved to be quite relevant and interesting. The author brought up a great point that many patrons might think that the library’s collection has decreased due to the invisibility of electronic, online collections. One of the marketing strategies the authors used was to create large placards for their ebook collections with QR codes, prominently displayed next to its’ corresponding collection in the stacks, along with the physical, print materials. In this way, patrons can see that there are other resources available online, in addition to the physical collection. This strategy proved fruitful at BYU, where they library saw that overall “average checkouts per month increased by 58.2%” (2018, Teeter & Tingle, p. 167). This type of display is a great idea and I plan to create one for my library this summer.

The Power of a Leisure Reading Collection in Academic Libraries

Rodriguez, Olivia
Susan Hurst, Dominic Marsh, Dean Brown & Shona Forbes (2017) Cats, Comics, and

Knausgård: Promoting Student Reading at a U.K. Academic Library with a Leisure

Reading Collection, New Review of Academic Librarianship, 23:4, 442-452, DOI:

10.1080/13614533.2017.1371612.
Summary: This article looked at promoting student reading in an academic library by creating a section for leisure reading with a display and newly acquired high-interest books. Concerns for creating this collection addressed budget and staff issues. Fortunately, “staff felt collections benefited their users by offering a means of relaxation and stress relief and saw them as a way to encourage patrons into the library and introduce them to new ideas” (2017, Hurst et. al., p. 442). Book selection was also critical to creating a well-used collection; decisions were made to purchase relatively new books, published in 2016, but also popular series books were also added to the list as well. Book selection was also influenced by a student survey both in print and online in order which produced additional student buy-in. After 2 months of studying the use of the new leisure reading collection, the authors found that out of the 578 books in the collection, 352 were circulated. In addition the article referenced the study by Bosman that found that “the promotion of reading for pleasure could change student perceptions of the library” (2017, Hurst et. al., p. 451). If students are reading high interest books, this can only help the overall use of any library.
Evaluation: This article discussed the well-researched idea that leisure reading provides an escape for stressed students and offers them a “break” from academia. It also addressed the effect leisure reading has on individual reading comprehension reading skills and I really enjoyed reading this article. Since universities are in the business of research and knowledge, I think sometimes students are overwhelmed and stressed and I loved that this university decided to offer students a reprieve from their day to day life of studying, working, and analyzing.

Collection Programs in Schools

Rodriguez, Olivia
Bishop, Kay. The Collection Program in Schools: Concepts and Practices. 5th ed. Santa Barbara,

CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2013.

Summary: This Library and Information Science Textbook analyzes the definition of a collection in the 21st Century. It discusses the changing definition of a school library’s collection. This book defines a school media center’s collection as a “group of information sources, print, non print, and electronic” (2007, Bishop, p.1). It includes books, magazines, ebooks, databases, and materials available through interlibrary loan. In addition, this textbook discusses the importance of becoming knowledgeable about the existing library collection and becoming familiar with the school, the community, the school curriculum and the needs of the user. This reminds me of the needs assessment I conducted while analyzing the library I work at, The Winters Community Library. This book also offers general selection criteria for developing a school library collection  including appropriateness of content, scope, high-interest, and support materials for instruction. This text also touches upon fiscal issues relating to the collection and looks at the budget process. The author suggests grant writing, alternative funding, and fundraising. Lastly this book looked at the process of weeding and offered reasons for weeding decisions including poor condition, poor circulation record, biased or stereotypical portrayals, inappropriate reading levels, and outdated information. Evaluation: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was published in 2007 so it is a modern, relevant book for school librarians and school media specialists. Topics for collection programs in schools are well organized into 17 Chapters for 17 different topics. Many of the ideas presented by the author, Kay Bishop, have been discussed in INFO 266 so it connected well with my current studies. For example, I have been analyzing my school’s collection for Presentation 4 and after reading the chapter on weeding, I have added new reasons to weed our series collection. Some of our books in our series collection are outdated and have low circulation such as Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. It is hard to get rid of them because I have so many fond memories of reading them as a child, but this book re-emphasized the importance of creating and maintaining an “attractive collection” and some of these books are in poor physical condition.

Building a Library Advocates Committee

Jessica Brooks

Wallace, L.K. (ed). (2006).  Library advocate's handbook. American Library Association: Library Advocacy Now! Accessed online 5/14/18.   https://www.ala.org/ala/advocacybucket/libraryadvocateshandbook.pdf

This  handbook outlines how to get a library advocacy committee started.  The handbook makes suggestions for possible members from the community in recruitment for the committee, discusses the importance of having an action plan, and delivers resources to help advocates plan for speaking engagements and other types of advocacy in the community.  As a guide, it is full of tips, checklists, and other useful reminders for working as an advocacy group in the public eye.

Building a Library Committee is part of my five year plan, and this is exactly the type of resource I need to get started.  This is not a rhetoric based article pontificating on WHY a committee is important, but HOW to get one started.  It is authentic and relevant, with useful tips and suggestions that will help me to plan for and chair a committee that will be working for the library in our school's community.  I particularly appreciate the Action Plan reminders and the "Defining the Message" worksheet.  This is a very valuable resource.

Content Curation and the School Librarian

Jessica Brooks

Robertson, N.D. (2012)  Content curation and the school librarian.  Knowledge Quest: Personal Learning Networks--Online Exclusive.  Accessed 5/14/18.   http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/knowledgequest/docs/KQNovDec12_OE_TAGS.pdf

This article stresses the importance of using your PLN, or Professional/Personalized Learning Network as a resource when collecting and curating digital resources for the library.  The author also focuses on students as curators, and having students create their own PLN's and curate resources for assignments together.  The author uses Pinterest, Symbaloo, and Storify as example web tools for curation.

Though this article is a little out of date (2012) and Storify is no longer active, the author's ideas are useful and relevant.  I appreciate the idea of having students work with social bookmarking sites like symbaloo to create their own digital resource board.

Where are the children in children’s collection?

Libraries are champions of information independence and freedom of information. This even applies to children, in which their rights are recognized. In public libraries, children have the same rights to privacy and the same ability to check out materials as any adult. However, children are not truly represented in children’s literature because these materials are made by adults and chosen by adults. Is it really the adult’s interpretation of childhood?

There is a distinct lack of involvement by minors in collection development. However, it has been shown that children prefer recommendations from siblings, friends, and other children over those of their parents, teachers, or librarians. They are active participants in literature but do not actively participate in collection development as other age groups do such as teen coalitions or adults. It may be possible to recognize the competence of children and hear their opinions. Librarians should understand that while children may not be fully independent, their collective experiences are still valuable.  

Aggleton, J. (2018). Where are the children in children’s collection? An exploration of ethical principles and practical concerns surrounding children’s participation in collection development. New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship, 24(1), 1-17. Doi:10.1080/13614541.2018.1429122

“I want to provide patrons with good information”

Patrons often come to the library with specific problems at hand. One of these being health questions. As a result, librarians face the dilemma of wanting to supply good and factual information without overstepping their bounds. Librarians are not medical professionals and cannot dispense medical advice. Furthermore, what is the librarian to do when the patron seeks medical information that isn’t scientifically vetted?

The main issue is, that if the patron is coming to the public library for medical advice, that these patrons often have a lack of knowledge that they’re seeking to fulfill and cannot fully articulate the questions that they have. In these cases, physical resources are better because the patrons in question were not tech savvy or did not have access to technology. Researchers found that additional training for the librarians was always beneficial. Furthermore, for librarians that come across this issue often, it is wise to create partnerships with medical libraries that may have additional resources and staff that can answer more questions for the patron.

Rubenstein, E.L. (2018). “I want to provide patrons with good information”: Public library staff as health information facilitators. Library Quarterly, 88(2), 125-141. Doi:10.1086/696579

Curating, not weeding

Libraries are often constricted by physical space, meaning they simply cannot add books without getting rid of books. Especially today, as more space is needed for other uses such as study space, casual reading areas, and activity rooms. How can librarians meet the needs of the collection and the needs of the users at the same time?

Weeding projects are usually intensive projects that are not to be lightly undertaken. It involves experience, time, and qualitative/quantitative reasoning that libraries may not have. Furthermore, faculty or patrons may feel like certain titles belong in the library and should not be discarded. Librarians need to be able to effectively communicate plans and roll out lists of potential discards for the active community. Collection management plans can help focus the direction of a collection as well as communicate to stakeholders of the library. However the librarian feels about this problem, there are several different methods to curate and not simply weed.

Held, T. (2018). Curating, not weeding. Technical Services Quarterly, 35(2), 133-143. Doi:10.1080/07317131.2018.1422882

Futuring for future ready librarians

School librarians can lead change in specific areas by seeing trends and forecasting the future. Noticing trends makes it easier to anticipate the future. And because school librarians have the unique role of working with both students and teachers, they are better able to see global changes in learning and social behaviors. Prioritizing these trends means looking at the curriculum, using space, ensuring digital infrastructure, and creating professional partnerships among other things. Assessing and organizing trends allows librarians to see what services should be invested in or not.

Furthermore, librarians should be aware of ongoing trends in order to proactively respond appropriately to create effective change. In addition, it is best to communicate well so that other organizations and stakeholders of the library understand the direction the librarian wants to take. Librarians are the advocates for the future.

Figueroa, M.A. (2018). Futuring for future ready librarians. Knowledge Quest, 46(4), 14-18.

The public library as a meeting-place in a multicultural and digital context

This paper was written in the early 2000s, as people’s ideas of the function of the public library was beginning to change. The traditional role of the library is one of research and a collection of books. However, the community is starting to use the public library as a meeting place and a source of multicultural exchange. The public library now offers several services of interest to new immigrants to ease the transition to the United States. Furthermore, the library is a direct link to the immigrant community to their newly chosen community.

This article is a good explanation of how libraries function more broadly within the community. With its “low-intensive” spaces, the library allows multiple groups and organizations to meet and gradual introduce themselves to their new community. Moreover, the increased collection of electronic resources has allowed both digital and physical communities to connect. The modern library functions more as a bridge between people.

Ragnar Audunson, (2005) "The public library as a meeting‐place in a multicultural and digital context: The necessity of low‐intensive meeting‐places", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 61 Issue: 3, pp.429-441, https:// doi.org/10.1108/00220410510598562

Library to farm to table: public libraries increasingly offer food production programs

Rivera, Destiny 

Inklebarger, T. (2016, November 1). Library to farm to table: Public libraries increasingly offer food production programs. American Libraries. Retrieved from https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2016/11/01/library-farm-to-table/

This is a beautiful and simple article presented by the online version of American Libraries Magazine about seed libraries and what they refer to as “food production programs”. This article profiles various libraries across the nation which offer “food-literacy” classes as well as access to farms, seeds and crops. While this article has many innovative ideas, it ends with a very powerful vision by Jodi Shaw, coordinator for the American Library Association’s Sustainability Round Table. She has a revolutionary idea to convert all 60 branches of the Brooklyn Public Library into rooftop gardens. In total all 6o branches equates to about 138 acres of of farmland. While she admits it is a radical idea, she keeps a close eye on other organizations within Brooklyn who are already converting this dream into a reality. Great read!

Not your garden-variety library: planting a seed library yields community connections

Rivera, Destiny 

Landgraf, G. (2015, January 5). Not your garden-variety library: planting a seed library yields community connections. American Libraries. Retrieved from https://americanlibrariesmagazine. org/2015/01/05/not-your-garden-variety-library/

This article discusses seed libraries, refugee communities and Omaha Public Library’s (and the City of Omaha’s) commitment to help link refugees to farm and seed.  They understand that having access to land and seed helps new arrived refugees feel settled and gives them a sense of place.

Tuscon's seed library fosters food sovereignty in a desert

Rivera, Destiny 

Kapoor, M. L. (2017, September 22). Tuscon’s seed library fosters food sovereignty in a desert. High Country News. Retrieved from https://www.hcn.org/articles/communities -tucsons-seed-library-fosters-food-sovereignty-in-a-desert

This article examines the role that seed libraries can play in refugee communities and many other marginalized communities.  A substantial percentage of refugees come from lands and cultures in which growing food is a part of their daily life and ritual. This practice of self-sufficiency is not only a means to lower living expenses, but is often a value deeply embedded within the culture and hearts of the people. Perhaps refugees were land-tenders or farmers. Then they come to a new country, subjected to new cultural codes, and an American society that can be so disconnected from the land. They have a deep relationship and reliance on the land and being able to grow food on their own. They are accustomed to food sovereignty. When they are deprived of access to land, this can often contribute to feelings of alienation and isolation. Seed libraries, thus, allow individuals to “retain a sense of cultural heritage and identity”.  Another community and population that could be deeply impacted by the presence of seed libraries within the public library are indigenous populations. Ethnobiologist and co-founder of Native Seeds/SEARCH, Gary Nabhan, says that

“[he was] told by members of local tribes that traditional food crops were in danger of disappearing — and that tribal members’ health could benefit from their return. Today, Native Seeds/SEARCH safeguards some 1,900 accessions of domesticated crops and wild relatives, related to the agricultural practices of more than 50 indigenous groups, as well as Hispanic communities and Anglo settlers. Tribal communities in the region have free access to seeds. Native Seeds/SEARCH also teaches workshops where students learn to use, save and share local food plants”.

Native Seeds/SEARCH collaborated with the Pima County Public Library to establish a seed bank that has been able to touch the lives of many and transform the cultural values of a community. Native Seeds/SEARCH is a “globally known regional seed saving organization that specializes in conserving and sharing desert-adapted landraces”. Nabhan also goes on to say,

“Sometimes the heirloom vegetable movement gets rarified, that it’s only for the gourmet. But it’s really an indigenous and immigrant movement. It’s in the households of the poor who can’t afford high water bills, whose kids need diverse nutrition” (Kapoor 2017).

In addition, this article presents the role of technology in seed library procedures. Kapoor states that “aspiring gardeners can look up varieties electronically, put seeds on reserve and check out 10 packs at a time”. The accessibility of seeds by digital means is a truly powerful testament of our times, merging old traditions with new.

How to save a public library: make it a seed bank

 Rivera, Destiny 

Runyon, L. (Host). (2013, February 2). How to save a public library: make it a seed bank. [Radio broadcast episode]. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/02/02/170846948 /how-to-save-a-public-library-make-it-a-seed-bank

In 2013, NPR did a brief news segment about five public libraries that incorporate seed libraries into their environment.  NPR described the action of hosting seed libraries within public library institutions as an act that could potentially “save” the library. This bold statement is something to remember in the broader discussion about the library’s role and relevance in today’s world. The fact that seeds are open and accessible to the public aligns perfectly with the mission of the library to provide easily accessible and equitable resources. While the growth of seed libraries within public libraries is still on the rise, the impacts and success of their development could be measured favorably.

Seed libraries and Academic libraries

 Rivera, Destiny 

Ingalls, D. (2017). Breaking New Ground: The Case for Seed Libraries in the Academic Library, Public Services Quarterly, 13:2, 78-89, DOI: 10.1080/15228959.2017.1304315

In an article entitled “Breaking New Ground: The Case for Seed Libraries in the Academic Library” by Dana Ingalls, an overview of innovative programs displaying the potentialities of academic libraries is presented. Services and programs that libraries offer can not only enhance the academic climate but also expand the more holistic education of students and faculty in a broader sense. According to Ingalls, these seed libraries can also be integrated into Environmental, Horticultural and Ecology departments and curricula, thus enriching the educational environment of the campus and building the direct and essential bridge between the library and university departments and curriculum. Academic libraries can serve students not exclusively with academic resources and access to information but also engage student and faculty needs on a variety of levels. This expands the breadth of learning experienced on campus and abides by the mission of most libraries to encourage and foster life-long learning.

As the demand for traditional library services, such as maintaining a reference desk, decreases, the future of academic libraries requires adapting and evolving to current user trends and needs. The sprouting up of programs such as seed libraries is an important idea reflecting the adaptability of libraries to change to their environment and incorporate current cultural contexts and needs. There are no boundaries as to what the library can become and embody, and how they can serve its users.

The state of library makerspaces

Rivera, Destiny

Wang, F., Wang, W., Wilson, S., & Ahmed, N. (2016). The state of library makerspaces. International Journal of Librarianship, 1(1), 2-16.

This article offers us the important reminder that makerspaces are not only the tools that it provides, but is also the communities they create, the relationships they build between novices and masters, the development of new skill sets, the engagement of the imagination, and the empowering of individuals to not simply be passive consumers but active creators in the economy. The maker movement, while not a recent phenomenon and may even be considered rather old news in terms of library developments, is still an area of expansion within the library world.  While this article stresses that a makerspace is not merely the technology but the human resource and community involved, the emergence of these new technologies is still an exciting feature! Some examples of the technology provided by makerspaces are 3D printing, wood-working and laser-etching tools, metalworking, arts and crafts, robotics and more. We also see in The Creation Lab at the Fayetteville Free Library, one of their makerspaces includes “a wide range of digital media hardware and software such as video cameras, podcasting equipment, a green screen wall, and computers geared for media creation”. These tools help user take theoretical ideas and turn them into working knowledge through doing. It is no surprise that the maker culture is often considered “an extension of Do It Yourself (DIY) culture with a strong technology focus”. There have even been talks, projects and funding by Google within various libraries, which proves its legitimacy, mainstream appeal as well as its potential for growth.

The case of LLACE

Rivera, Destiny

Wakimoto, D. K., Hansen, D. L., & Bruce, C. (2013). The case of LLACE: Challenge, triumphs, and lessons of a community archives. The American Archivist, 76(2), 438-457.

This article gives us a little history on the Lavender Library, Archives, and Cultural Exchange (LLACE), a people’s library with LGBT items located in Sacramento, California. This library has withstood resistance and condemnation but affirms its mission to serve this community and anyone interested. They have presentations, crafternoons, film screenings and more!  LLACE is a setting in which contents that serve historically marginalized communities can be curated and preserved by and for the people. LLACE “affirms its commitment to document communities neglected by institutional archives and libraries”. Developing institutional spaces for marginalized communities is one way in which libraries serve the community. LLACE represents a Special Collections and is a highly recommended read for developing a collection that embodies the diversity of the community.

Intellectual freedom and the American Library Association

Rivera, Destiny

Krug, J. (2003, 2010). Intellectual freedom and the American Library Association: A historical overview. In Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, pp.2820-2830.

This article is extremely useful in getting an overview of Intellectual Freedom and its establishment with and through the American Library Association. Intellectual freedom becomes important to understand while building collections as to not allow bias and personal preference to shape the collection. Censorship as defined by Krug in this article is “not only deletion or excision of parts of published materials but also efforts to ban, prohibit, suppress, proscribe, remove, label or restrict materials”. Very informative read on Intellectual Freedom.

What is the "Dewey Dilemma?" A New Way to Approach the Organization of a Library Collection

McCune, Andria

Fister, Barbara. (2009). The Dewey Dilemma. Library Journal, 134(16), 22-25. Retrieved from https://sjsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_ericEJ859403&context=PC&vid=01CALS_SJO&search_scope=EVERYTHING&tab=everything&lang=en_US

 This article by Fister (2009) offers a fresh take on the organization of a library collection. Many libraries in recent times have found that patrons prefer to have a "browsable" library collection to peruse, akin to the organization adopted by bookstores. In other words, this would be a collection in which materials are grouped together by categories with clear signage distinguishing the categories from one another, an altogether more user-friendly approach to organizing a collection of materials. As Fister explains,  “unlike Dewey, which categorizes related knowledge systematically, BISAC is an alphabetical list of categories ranging from Antiques and Collectibles to True Crime. Many librarians feel BISAC's relative simplicity and user-friendly language have an advantage over Dewey's complexity” (Fister, 2009). This type of system allows for more self-sufficiency for library patrons, and allows them to quickly identify the areas of their interest, and browse the titles that are grouped together in order to find an assortment of what they are looking for. There are a few library systems that have adopted the BISAC system, including the Perry Branch Library, which is part of the Maricopa County Library District (MCLD) in Arizona. What helped to prompt the change of organization was through the results of annual surveys conducted by the library system, in which ""Over 75 percent of...customers stated that they go to the library to 'browse' for materials" rather than to find a specific title they had in mind (Fister, 2009). 

While this new type of classification appeals to library patrons, many librarians throughout the United States when surveyed expressed their skepticism over this new type of organization. For example,  Tom Eland, who is a librarian who works at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College, sees the switch to this type of organization as an "uncritical acceptance of market capitalism...unlike customer service, which is done by private sector corporations on behalf of the profit motive, public service to library patrons is done on behalf of the civic duty of library workers to serve the interest of citizens and residents of the community who patronize the library" (Fister, 2009). 

In my experience working for a large library system, I understand the hesitation experienced by librarians towards switching to a whole new system of organization. For instance, this type of system may make it more difficult for patrons to find specific titles they had in mind. Also, there are many intricacies and levels of detail involved with the Dewey decimal system that especially appeal to patrons performing research, and these intricacies will be lost if the switch is made to a more simplistic system such as the BISAC system. 

Looking Beyond Dewey: An Alternative Approach to Organizing a Library Collection Through the BISAC System

McCune, Andria

Hibner, H., & Kelly, M. (2010). Making a collection count: A holistic approach to library collection management. Cambridge, UK: Woodhead Publishing Limited.

In the book entitled Making a collection count: A holistic approach to library collection management, the authors Hibner and Kelly (2010) in Chapter 6: Collection Organization describe the typical classification used in libraries, which is the Dewey decimal classification system. However, some libraries within the United States have found a different approach to organizing their collection, which is a system used primarily in bookstores known as the "BISAC system" (p. 99). According to the authors, libraries have adopted this new approach to organizing their collections due to the fact that the "Dewey arrangement does not facilitate browsing in the areas of most interest to public library users" (Hibner & Kelly, 2010, p. 99). The BISAC system allows library patrons to quickly find the subject areas they are looking for, rather than relying on locating the specific classification number, or call number, in order to locate the subject matter they are attempting to find. For example, as Hibner and Kelly explain, the BISAC system "uses an alphabetical list of categories to arrange collections...by taking popular subjects and grouping them together in a more browsable, eye-catching way, non-fiction circulates better. It also helps library users avoid frustration and information overload and saves them time" (Hibner & Kelly, 2010, p.99). There are of course a few downsides to adopting this sort of system, and quite a number of librarians from various library systems have expressed their disapproval towards this type of system of organizations. However, this system is a fresh way of working with the library collection in order to best meet the diverse needs of library patrons and is worth examining to see if this sort of approach will work for particular library systems, especially ones that are open to changing long-established methods of organization in favor of providing better service to library patrons. 

Examining Workflows Within the Library

McCune, Andria

Hibner, H., & Kelly, M. (2010). Making a collection count: A holistic approach to library collection management. Cambridge, UK: Woodhead Publishing Limited.

This book by Hibner and Kelly (2010) describes what is known as "Holistic" library service, which is described by the authors as service that is "taking into account how each piece functions relative to the whole institution." Each chapter of the book describes in detail each function of a typical library, and how to examine and understand the processes of each function. One highlight of the book includes Chapter 2, entitled "Understanding your workflow." In this chapter, the authors outline the best method to understanding the operations that take place within the library though examining the library's workflow. For example, they explain “In order to improve the quality of our collections, it is essential to understand exactly what happens at each stage of the lifecycle. This can be done through an examination of workflows” (Hibner & Kelly, 2010, p. 19). According to the authors, it is essential to look at the workflow of the library in order to understand how the library functions each day, in order to identify areas where there are gaps, or areas where there is a need for improvement. As Hibner and Kelly explain, "Workflows...should be analyzed for ergonomic, redundancies, missing processes, and quality assurance" (p. 20). This chapter provided a great deal of insight into how one should examine the day to day tasks in order to identify areas that need improvement. This is advice I intend to take in order to examine and improve the workflow of the library location where I work, as I am circulation supervisor, and agree that this is the best method to identify areas that we can improve upon. 

Weeding Authors Instead of Books - Where is the Line Drawn?

When Cosby’s ‘Little Bill,’ Alexie and Asher are on the Shelf: What Should A Librarian Do?

Clayton, Jamie

Yorio Kara. (2018, May 9). When Cosby's 'Little Bill,’ Alexie and Asher are on the Shelf: What Should A Librarian Do? [Blog Post].  Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/2018/05/books-media/cosbys-little-bill-alexie-asher-shelf-librarian/#_

The #MeToo movement has brought forth a wide variety of opinions regarding what we do with books whose authors' personal behavior is immoral. This article weighs the moral ethics of removing these authors from our library shelves.  Is it up to us to weed books off the shelves based on the content or the author? Should we pull books off the shelves for ethical reasons rather than being outdated or having low circulation?  Would an athlete who was beating his wife get pulled even if he wasn’t convicted? Is it up to us to make that decision? Where is the line drawn? Kara Yorio provides some insight and asks the hard questions when moral issues of the author, not the story are at hand.  

School libraries enhancing student wellbeing

School Libraries enhancing student wellbeing

Clayton, Jamie

Child, Jackie. (2018). School libaries enhancing student wellbeing [Blogpost].  Retrieved from 

https://www.scisdata.com/connections/issue-105/school-libraries-enhancing-student-wellbeing/

This article comes from and Australian librarian discussing the importance of an elementary library catering to the well being of the whole child. The library is the central point of a school where students come for a variety of reasons. Whether it is to hang out with friends, be a refuge from the weather or playground, or simply to have some time to enjoy a book, the library is no longer a quiet place where students only enjoy books.  Learning how libraries can support students’ wellbeing by being the place needed for individuals is an important part of an elementary librarian’s job.

speedy processing books in non-latin scripts

Haskins, Ashley

Lisbon, A. H. (n.d.). Automating Collection Development of Non-Latin Script Materials With Macros. Collection Management., 43(1), 49-63.

Adam Lisbon’s article reviews the uses of automated processes in acquisitions and cataloging. Rather than complex coding, this system relies on macro records which record keystrokes used to complete a task, making it more accessible to a wider librarian audience. This approach aims to support librarians in effectively selecting and processing non-Latin text, to increase speed and efficiency in processing materials outside their area of language expertise. Implementing this system, researchers demonstrated the common limitations and errors to look out for, while demonstrating 9x the overall processing speed with macro data collection. Macros modular nature allows code modification targeted to addressing each new issue as it arises. Because the common errors identified, macro systems can’t be fully automated, and require professional review, but even with this addition, macros are a huge time saver.

This study explored the use of macros, and determined they improved the sought after outcomes. Lisbon suggests further adoption of this process to get more data on it’s limitations, and a continued review of new technologies that may improve the process. The study does not suggest the use of Macros for English text, indicating this is not a preferred method if the cataloger has requisite language knowledge.  While processing books differently based on language seems to provide significant opportunity for inequity, the current system in which librarians spend significant periods of time processing non-Latin books implies a certain prohibition on non-latin acquisitions, since the librarians time is limited and they cannot request more books than they can process. Each system is quite limited, but macros do seem promising as a tool to continue evolving to support acquisition.

Collection development, macros, non-latin script, automated selection