Our Metadata, Ourselves: The Trans Metadata Collective
by Bri Watson & Jackson Huang
The Trans Metadata Collective (TMDC) is a group of dozens of cataloguers, librarians, archivists, scholars, and information professionals with a concerted interest in improving the description and classification of trans and gender diverse people, subjects, and resources in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums, and Special Collections (GLAMS) and other information systems. The Collective’s primary goal was to develop a set of concrete, actionable best practices, which was collaboratively authored, reviewed, and released by a smaller subset of the collective as *Metadata Best Practices for Trans and Gender Diverse Resources*. Many members of the TMDC – and the vast majority of the report’s authors and reviewers – fall under the trans umbrella, which makes many of these issues unavoidable for us and addressing these challenges a personal, political, and professional necessity. Approaching our work with TMDC as more than passion, but as necessity, informed both our process of non-hierarchical, collaborative decision-making and our final report as something practical and actionable across institutional context and professional backgrounds.
Bri Watson is a disabled, white, queer & nonbinary settler scholar at UBC’s iSchool. As a Vanier Scholar, they focus on histories of information and the practice of equitable cataloging in libraries, archives, museums, and special collections. They serve on the editorial board of Homosaurus (homosaurus.org),an international linked data vocabulary for queer terminology, and are the Director of HistSex.org. For 2022-23, they are one of UBC Library’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Scholars-in-Residence.
Jackson Huang is a gender variant library technologist whose work focuses on the intersections of structural politics and technological infrastructure in libraries and archives. Their research explores how metadata translation and digital aggregation impact the representation of marginalized communities. They currently work as the digital content and collections coordinator at the University of Michigan.
This year the NETSL Annual Conference will be virtual and will take place on
Friday, April 14, 2023
This year’s theme is
Passion into Action: Your Initiative in Technical Services.
Save the date to hear fromwhat people arepassionate about and learn what makes them energized!
Consider submitting a proposal to share your own Technical Services passions. Also consider recognizing a colleague’s hard work by nominating them for this year’s NETSL Award for Excellence in Library Technical Services.
NETSL CONFERENCE PROPOSALS
Call for Proposals – applications due Friday February 10, 2023
Please submit your proposal using this form. The NETSL board will review proposals for their content, relevance, and overall fit.Applicants will be notified about proposals in late February and presenters will have their registration fees waived.
What is NETSL?
A section of the New England Library Association (NELA), our mission is to bring together all persons interested in technical services for the exchange of ideas and discussion of problems.
What topics are we looking for?
We’re seeking proposals for 60-minute breakout or workshop sessions and 7-minute lightning talks related to our 2023 theme “Passion into Action: Your Initiative in Technical Services.” Talks might cover (but are not limited to):
Cataloging and metadata
E-Resources
Discovery Services
Description Services
Physical Processing
Digital asset management
Acquisitions
Resource management
Assessment
Interlibrary loan / resource sharing
Collection management
You can see titles of past presentations since 2005 here. Please direct any questions to the NETSL Executive Board at netsl@nelib.org
AND
NETSL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN LIBRARY TECHNICAL SERVICES
Nominations–It’s easy to nominate someone, just fill out this brief submission form by February 10, 2023.
The NETSL Executive Board is seeking nominations for our annual Award for Excellence in Library Technical Services. The Award recognizes and honors contributions to the field of library technical services in New England. We want to hear about those technical services librarians and library staff who have inspired others. Do you have a colleague who has tackled today’s challenges in technical services and triumphed? Do you know a person who leads the way in innovation, collaboration, or data integration? If you know someone who fits any or all of these descriptions, please consider submitting a nomination.
The winner of the NETSL Award, which includes a prize of $300 and will be announced at the annual conference.
Eligibility for nomination:
Nominees living in New England who have made contributions on a national level through publications, service, or innovations in practice.
Nominees living outside of New England whose service to the profession has positively impacted New England libraries.
Nominators and nominees are not required to be NETSL/NELA members.
Current members of the NETSL Executive Board are not eligible for consideration.
Past recipients’ accomplishments include:
Advocacy
Innovation
Leadership
Service
Further information, including past recipients, is available here.
“Our Work Supports Everyone: Demonstrating the Value of Technical Services”
Friday, April 8th, 2022 (fully remote)
Registration isn’t open (yet!), but for anyone who needs to submit a travel or funding request, the conference cost will be $40 for non-members and $25 for NELA members.
Calls for presentations and nominees for the NETSL Award for Excellence in Technical Services coming soon!
New England Technical Services Librarians (NETSL) is a section of the New England Library Association focused on technical services. Learn more about how to get involved at https://netsl.wordpress.com, or email us at netsl@nelib.org.
President: Emily Graham – E-Resource Specialist, Brandeis University
Past President: Liz Bodian – Metadata Technologies Librarian, Brandeis University
Vice President: Yukari Sugiyama – Librarian for Discovery and Metadata Assessment, Yale University Library
Outreach Officer: Johanna Radding – Metadata/Discovery Librarian, Amherst College
Secretary: Ann Kardos – Metadata Librarian, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Treasurer: Joanna M. Fuchs – Metadata Coordinator for the Arts and Humanities, Brandeis University
Archivist: Brittney Bergholm – Acquisitions and Serials Coordinator, Clark University
Member at Large: Kim DeWall – Head of Technical Services, Falmouth Public Library
Public Library Member at Large: Beatrice Couser – Administrative and Technical Assistant, Lebanon Public Libraries
The 2021-2022 Executive Board’s term will begin on November 1, 2021. Many thanks to all who voted, and to previous members of the board for their service. We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2022 NETSL Conference!
Hello NETSL members! NETSL currently has many channels to communicate with you, but not many members on each channel. We would like to make it easier for you to contact us and to hear about our great work. As such, we are sunsetting our Facebook page due to low reach. We can still find us on Twitter at @netsl_assoc. We’ll keep you up-to-date with happenings there as needed and will use it for conference activities.
We encourage all of our members to sign up for our Google Group to stay current and keep in touch. Follow us on Twitter, as we hope to share fun content in the year to come! And as always, if you have any questions or need to reach the Board personally, you can email us at netsl@nelib.org.
Thank you to all of our wonderful members. We look forward to seeing you at our 2022 Annual Spring Conference!
We are seeking volunteers and nominees to run for NETSL Executive Board positions. Do you go to the NETSL conference every year and want to give back? Have some great ideas to make NETSL even better and want to share? Then we want you!
Nominations must be submitted by Friday, August 7th at noon! Election ballots will go out to the membership in mid August.
Once voting is complete, terms of office officially begin on October 1st, 2020.
The NETSL Executive Board is committed to promoting and supporting technical services activities in New England. Board members plan and present the annual NETSL Spring conference. The Board also develops programs for the NELA Annual conference, presents the annual NETSL Award for excellence in technical services, and promotes technical services throughout New England and beyond through partnerships with other similar organizations. Each year NETSL holds elections to fill open positions on the Board. If you are enthusiastic about innovations in technical services, are interested in contributing to regional technical services programming, and would like to have direct input into the direction of NETSL as an organization, consider running for a position on the NETSL Executive Board!
The following positions on NETSL’s 2020-2021 Executive Board are open:
Vice President/President Elect (3 year term)
After serving as VP for one year, the VP succeeds to the office of President, and remains a third year on the Board as Past President. The VP runs NETSL Board meetings in the absence of the president, coordinates the NETSL presentation track at the annual NELA conference, creates feedback surveys for the annual NETSL conference and the ballot for NETSL elections, and coordinates the award giving process, including managing nominee documentation and ordering awards.
Secretary (1 year term, with option to renew for a second year)
Take minutes at business meetings. Distributes all official records and reports of NETSL to board members and forward them to the Archivist. Also conducts internal correspondence to the Board and NELA as needed.
Outreach Officer (1year term, with option to renew for a second year)
Send publicity about NETSL programs, activities, elections, and special events to online discussion groups, individuals, and social media outlets where appropriate. Administrate NETSL technologies and methods of communicating with membership, including eGroups, websites, and social media. This includes publicizing the NETSL Spring Conference and NETSL programs held at the NELA Annual Conference and other correspondence as required.
Archivist (Appointed by the president, may serve as long as they and the president choose)
File print and electronic copies of agenda & minutes for NETSL Board and NETSL Annual Business meetings and other official NETSL documentation as appropriate. Act as administrator of the NETSL Wiki.
Treasurer (1 year term, with option to renew for a second year)
Responsible for keeping track of NETSL’s finances, the treasurer creates the NETSL registration page, monitors numbers, creates name tags, tracks signups for breakout sessions in order to assign rooms, processes payment for any needed supplies, and writes a post-conference finance report.
Matthew Sheehy is the Brandeis National Committee University Librarian. His goal is to provide services and collections that augment teaching, learning, and research activities, as well as enhance the experience of the Brandeis Community.
Prior to joining the Brandeis administration, Matthew held leadership positions at the Harvard University Library, The New York Public Library, was an associate dean at Adelphi University and has worked in other academic and public libraries. Matthew earned a BM in music composition from the Hartt School, the conservatory of the University of Hartford, and both an MA in musicology and an MLS in Library and Information Studies from the University of Buffalo. He is a member of the Beta Phi Mu Honor Society for library and information studies.
This presentation will explore managing constant change while avoiding job burnout. Some changes that will be addressed include: starting a new position, staffing changes, and an ILS migration; all of which the presenter has experienced in the past year.
Brittney Bergholm, Acquisitions and Serials Coordinator, Clark University
Utilizing change management principles for large projects can help employees meet project outcomes and permanently integrate the change into the organizational culture. This presentation will use the current Five Colleges FOLIO implementation as a case for applying change management principles. Attendees will engage in guided group discussion and critical thinking exercises in order to apply what they learn at their own institutions.
Aaron Neslin, Library System Coordinator, UMass Amherst
Ann Kardos, Metadata Librarian, UMass Amherst
Michelle Paquette, Metadata and Technical Services Archivist, Smith College
Colin Van Alstine, Metadata Technologies Librarian, Smith College
While cataloging functions of tech services shrinking the metadata responsibilities are growing. The age of technical advancement sideline traditional cataloging but open up to hybrids where traditional catalogers performed sophisticated non-Marc operations. To secure that metadata specialists stay within the LIS profession, few necessary adjustments should be made, including changes in LIS education, on-site training, and expectations of all wanting to work in technical services in the nearest future.
Anita Kazmierczak, Catalog & Metadata Management, Tulane University
KBART, a NISO Recommended Practice, enables the standardized transfer of data between content providers and knowledge bases, facilitating the efficient management of a library’s electronic resources. This session will provide an overview of the changes planned for KBART Phase III, which will clarify current recommendations, revise the KBART endorsement process, add support for additional content types, improve the usefulness of KBART for non-English/European language content, and ensure that the KBART mission accurately reflects modern usage of KBART along with the needs of KBART Automation.
Andrée Rathemacher, University of Rhode Island (and Co-Chair, NISO KBART Standing Committee)
We developed a Python tool that automates rare book accession record creation into ArchivesSpace, in order to reduce a sizable backlog and speed up future large book accessioning.
Abigail Connick, Rare Books Technical Services Project Librarian, Smith College
Claire Marshall, Metadata Migration Project Archivist, Smith College
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
Session 2A
The Power of Improv-Stress Reliever, Communication Facilitator and Just Plain Fun!
Research has shown that learning improv can help to “retrain” the brain to actively listen, communicate more effectively, be more open to ideas, and work collaboratively. Plus, because improv is a lot of fun, it is a great stress reliever as well! Participants should come dressed to move, and leave inhibitions and worries at the door. This is a low-risk, but participatory workshop.
Meredith Charles, Owner/Creative Director of Drama Out of the Box
Working in Technical Services isn’t the most glamorous department of the library, in fact, the department is often misunderstood, undervalued. But what does it take to keep the department motivated and to adapt to the changes? This session will discuss how a small academic library went through major changes in its ILS, staff and culture for 2 years, is still changing, and the lessons and best practices we have learned from this experience.
Fatoma Rad, Senior Assistant Librarian, Farmingdale State College
Kathryn Machin, Senior Assistant Librarian, Farmingdale State College
Most people negotiate everyday with spouses and children and enhancing this skill enhances the quality of life, both at work and at home. During this session attendees will learn about negotiation and the Information Based Bargaining Plan.
Sarah Theimer, Cataloging and Metadata Librarian, University of New Hampshire
Are you dreading the implementation of the RDA Toolkit? If so, this workshop is for you. Learn how to “decipher” instructions in the beta RDA Toolkit by cataloging a monograph, and be better prepared to cope with the changes ahead.
Dominique Bourassa, Chair, North American RDA Committee; Catalog Librarian, Yale University
As job responsibilities bloat, how do we make time for skill building? Two librarians from different-sized shops will discuss their strategies for learning new things amid the unceasing tide of day-to-day work.
Michelle Paquette, Metadata and Technical Services Archivist, Smith College
Amedeo DeCara, Resource and Instruction Librarian for Science, Hampshire College
To meet the demands of the library world, many of us are assigned to work on multiple projects along with our day-to-day tasks, which can cause stress, frustration, and anxiety. In order to create a balance it is necessary to develop a time management plan or schedule to alleviate stress while meeting deadlines, project goals and everyday demands.
Joanna M. Fuchs, Metadata Coordinator, Brandeis University
Examines the technologies that connect the library services and the expected roles of librarian in this dispensation with interest in developing countries.
Babalola N. Akorede, Department of Educational Media Resource Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Dr. Kola Aramide, Department of Educational Media Resource Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
In many libraries self-taught Library Support Staff (LSS) are responsible for cataloging and technical services. With professional learning and practice, LSS can greatly enhance their knowledge and skills to support these services.
Dr. Marie Shaw, Program Coordinator, Library Technology Certificate, Three Rivers Community College, Norwich, CT
Many of us in technical services handle a wide range of tasks and projects and are overwhelmed with the feeling of “there’s something I need to do but I can’t remember what it is!” We need an “outboard brain” to keep track of everything and I’ve found the Getting Things Done (GTD) method, based on David Allen’s book, to help get stuff off my brain and into a trustworthy external system.
Kimberly Kennedy, Digital Production Coordinator, Northeastern University Library
The presenter will explain the decision-making processes involved in filling three open positions (metadata, ILL, and acquisitions/budget) in a five-person department in the span of one year.
Elena O’Malley, Assistant Library Director for Systems and Technology at Emerson College Iwasaki Library
The New England Technical Services Librarians (NETSL) mission is to bring together all persons in the region interested in technical services for the exchange of ideas and discussion of problems.
The NETSL Annual Spring Conference will be held Friday, April 17th, 2020 at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA.
We are seeking proposals for 60-minute breakout sessions and 7-minute lightning talks for our 2020 theme, Under Pressure: Coping with New Realities in Technical Services. Topics might include:
strategies for handling aggregated job responsibilities
techniques for articulating expectations and consequences
tools for keeping the library running with limited resources
aligning job descriptions with job actualities
methods for navigating through constant change
advocacy ideas for moving technical services forward as a profession.
The deadline for proposal submission is 5:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 16. Please submit your proposal using the form at https://forms.gle/yRV4fq1iiiEsetyJ6 Presenters will be notified about proposals via email in late February.
We are seeking volunteers and nominees to run for NETSL Executive Board positions. Do you go to the NETSL conference every year and want to give back? Have some great ideas to make NETSL even better and want to share? Then we want you! Submit your nomination: https://forms.gle/fhXWu64CjSBnKVqTA
The NETSL Executive Board is committed to promoting and supporting technical services activities in New England. Board members plan and present the annual NETSL Spring conference. The Board also develops programs for the NELA Annual conference, presents the annual NETSL Award for excellence in technical services, and promotes technical services throughout New England and beyond through partnerships with other similar organizations. Each year NETSL holds elections to fill open positions on the Board. If you are enthusiastic about innovations in technical services, are interested in contributing to regional technical services programming, and would like to have direct input into the direction of NETSL as an organization, consider running for a position on the NETSL Executive Board!
The following positions on NETSL’s 2019-2020 Executive Board are open:
Vice President/President Elect (3 year term) After serving as Vice President for one year, the VP succeeds to the office of President and remains a third year on the Board as Past President. The VP runs NETSL Board meetings in the absence of the president, coordinates the NETSL presentation track at the annual NELA conference, creates feedback surveys for the annual NETSL conference and the ballot for NETSL elections, and coordinates the award giving process, including managing nominee documentation and ordering awards.
Secretary (1 year term, with option to renew for a second year) Take minutes at business meetings. Distributes all official records and reports of NETSL to board members and forward them to the Archivist. Also conducts internal correspondence to the Board and NELA as needed.
Outreach Officer (1 year term, with option to renew for a second year) Send publicity about NETSL programs, activities, elections, and special events to online discussion groups, individuals, and social media outlets where appropriate. Administrate NETSL technologies and methods of communicating with membership, including eGroups, websites, and social media. This includes publicizing the NETSL Spring Conference and NETSL programs held at the NELA Annual Conference and other correspondence as required.
Archivist (Appointed by the president, may serve as long as they and the president choose) File print and electronic copies of agenda & minutes for NETSL Board and NETSL Annual Business meetings and other official NETSL documentation as appropriate. Act as administrator of the NETSL Wiki.
Treasurer (1 year term, with option to renew for a second year) Responsible for keeping track of NETSL’s finances, the treasurer creates the NETSL registration page, monitors numbers, creates name tags, tracks signups for breakout sessions in order to assign rooms, processes payment for any needed supplies, and writes a post-conference finance report.
Student at large (Appointed by the president for one year, may serve one additional year) Members At Large collaborate with the Board to provide support and distribute workload as well as to suggest, volunteer, and take point on new projects and initiatives.
Nominations must be submitted by Friday, August 3rd at noon!
Election ballots will go out to the membership in early August. Once voting is complete, terms of office officially begin at the end of the NELA Annual Conference, October 22nd 2019.
If you have questions, please contact us at netsl@nelib.org.
New England Technical Services Librarians (NETSL) 