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Book Review: The Special Collections Handbook, Third Edition
No full textConsidering how many materials and formats can fall under the rubric of “special collections,” it seems like a daunting endeavor to compile a single handbook which covers all their management and care, but Alison Cullingford has done so with great finesse. The book is patently a product of its time: in the introduction the author addresses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and how “the rapid digital pivot or shift meant remote access to collections and metadata became more important than ever, for staff and users” (xix). In addition, the “voices for Black Lives Matter” have made the special collections community reexamine practices where “Special Collections have been shaped by legacies of empire, colonialism and slavery” (xix). Throughout the text the impact of this zeitgeist can be seen
The Work in Question
No full textThe International Conference on Cataloging Principles (Paris, 1961) led to wide acceptance of Seymour Lubetzky’s distinction between books and works, where books denoted particular physical objects and works concerned conceptual abstractions associated with the creative labor of particular authors. Lubetzky’s formulation of works is included in many of the world’s cataloging frameworks, including the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR). Several conceptual and practical difficulties arise from the widespread adoption of Lubetzkian works in practices associated with knowledge organization. However, FRBR and other knowledge organization frameworks that utilize works as central entities could be made more useable and useful if work, as an organizing principle, were de-emphasized and seen as one among many concepts used for aggregating sets and supersets of objects according to how likely they are to be useful to users of knowledge organization tools like catalogs
Book Review: Zines in Libraries: Selecting, Purchasing, and Processing
No full textZines in Libraries: Selecting, Purchasing, and Processing offers a useful overview on the challenges that zines bring to typical library workflows. Zinesters (i.e., those who create and publish zines) working in libraries have made resources like zinelibraries.info and zinecat.org available for some time and now that information has been organized nicely into this volume, written by some of the same professionals. The majority of the authors are zinesters themselves and their combined love and knowledge of zine production shines through this volume of practical advice
Chapter 5. Website Design Tips
No full textBefore I dive into the many reasons for which one should hate these things, let’s be sure everyone knows what a carousel is.Does your library’s site have any widgets with rotating images? Especially big ones, that take up a big chunk of the site’s home page space? Technically, just about any widget that rotates images, automatically or not, is a carousel. But in my own experience, libraries are overly fond of the ginormous kind that is front and center and screams “I’M A COOL ANIMATION!” at the user.Yes, these things can look amazing. However, for something that takes up so much real estate, do you know how many problems a carousel solves
Chapter 6. Improving Access to and Delivery of Academic Content from Libraries: A Roundup
No full textDevelopments in access and delivery for libraries will continue to move rapidly. In chapter 6 of Library Technology Reports (vol. 58, no. 6), “Improving Access to and Delivery of Academic Content from Libraries: A Roundup,” we will cover some practical advice and provide suggestions on how to keep up with these developments
A Grandin Scheme: Learning Empathy, Teaching Concepts
No full textMention therapy dogs and children are most likely excitedly familiar with the cute and common four-legged helpers. Perhaps some have heard of or even participated in equine therapy. Therapy cows though—or stranger still—therapy for the cows? Unlikely. Yet, it is a real thing!In Bell Fork (NC) Elementary’s book promotion, which can be used as a stand-alone activity or as a component of a larger library program, students learn about renowned animal scientist Temple Grandin, who credits her autism for giving her the ability to approach problems differently
Editorial: Embracing an Open Future
No full textAs alluded to in our last few editorials, there are some exciting changes on the horizon for Library Resources Technical Services, beginning with our move to being fully open access starting in 2023. A good deal of work has been happening behind the scenes to bring this move to fruition, both among the LRTS editors as well as in conjunction with the editors at our Core sister publications (Information Technology and Libraries and Library Leadership Management) and the Core Executive Board. While there is still much work to be done at this stage, we hope to be able to share more information with our readers soon, so watch this space as well as other Core information channels such as ALA Connect. In anticipation of kicking off the next year as a fully open access publication, we are happy to devote this editorial to a call for papers devoted to the impacts of open access on technical services work
Editor’s Note
No full textI’m a people person. Even those of you who don’t know me personally could probably intuit that from my Editor’s Notes.Meeting new people and greeting customers is my favorite part of being a librarian. And, sure, I get plenty of opportunity to do so at the library—but outreach is even more exciting for a gregarious soul like me. I’ll share some of my favorite “people meeting” moments over the years
Storytime Surprise! Solving the Puzzle of Distracted Adults
No full textIt’s not hard to find library staff complaining about distracted adults at storytime. Still, as a person who began her library career before the invention of the personal computer, I can say that being distracted is nothing new. It has simply become more convenient and obvious.Regardless, I acknowledge the struggle. We make rules and announce them intently. This sometimes leads to confrontations or shaming. Public relations can suffer. Or perhaps we hear that we are to be more “engaging.” But what is this supposed to mean? Wear a funny hat? Slip on a banana peel? With all due respect, many of us don’t feel comfortable being clowns. And storytime should be about the stories, not us
President’s Address: Celebrating Effective Practices
No full textIn a conversation recently with members of the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), we discussed our associations, our members, and the work we do for our communities. We talked about how we share the great examples of programs and services that different members offer in their unique settings.I immediately connected to the terminology that ACM uses—“effective practices.” This is an intentional alternative to “best practices,” which implies practices that have been formally evaluated in some way—rigorously tested, evidence-based practices that are “best” in their area