Resources

Here are fifteen resources that I have selected to represent my interests within the LIS world, my plans for continuing education, and my commitment to playing an active part in my library community. The resources vary in type and tone, because I believe lifelong learning occurs both in structured, professional environments and in casual, day-to-day flights of interest. They reveal a spectrum of learning opportunities I intend to pursue beyond my MLIS.

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Professional Organizations

The Virginia Library Association is a professional organization of librarians and information services specialists of every type of institution (including public and university library workers). It hosts a job board, an annual conference, publishes a peer-reviewed journal, and offers connections to other librarians across the state. They have a Collections and Technical Services Forum which offers its own events and contribution opportunities focused on technical services interests. Getting involved with VLA means chances to publish, present, write, and create a professional community across the region.

The Society of American Archivists is a national professional organization of archival workers. It offers a job and a paid internship board, career coaching and mentoring, continuing education opportunities and certificate programs, and publications. In addition, it offers a wealth of information for on-the-job archivists, metadata professionals, acquisitions specialists, and other technical services professionals. This resource is especially valuable for connecting with a broad community and pursuing opportunities on a national level.

Blogs

Meredith G. Farkas is an academic librarian, author, and former columnist for American Libraries magazine. On her blog, Information Wants To Be Free, she discusses work-life balance as a librarian, navigating the library management structure, issues of free speech and freedom of information, and the role of the library in modern life. Her work inspires me to make sure the opportunities I pursue align with my goals, and has encouraged me to think critically about the power we as librarians have (and don’t have) to affect change in our communities.

Fobazi Ettarh coined the term “vocational awe” in 2018 and publishes the blog WTF Is A Radical Librarian, Anyway? where she writes about race, disability, and justice in the library. She provides an insightful perspective that challenges my preconceptions and provokes deeper analysis of my own beliefs about librarianship.

Websites

The Cataloging Lab is a website that hosts a crowdsourced workshop space for proposed changes to LCSH. It is designed to demystify the LCSH subject approval process. Catalogers and metadata professionals collaborate with public-facing library employees and subject experts to discuss updates, empowering the larger library staff to craft better proposals and suggest terms that will receive real-world use. The site also hosts and emails semi-monthly news roundups spotlighting the latest events and interesting publications in the cataloging world. This site offers the chance to contribute my skills as a specialist while staying up-to-date on cataloging news I may have missed.

No Shelf Required is a website dedicated to the news and information surrounding digital media, covering its use in the library, publishing and higher education spaces. The site hosts webinars and online workshops, publishes articles about digital media news, and curates articles from other news sources, including scholarly research and industry publications. The wealth of current information and presentation of outside resources makes this site invaluable to me as a professional who works with digital media.

Social Media Figures

Violet B. Fox is a metadata and cataloging librarian who has worked for the Library of Congress, as well as on the Dewey Decimal Classification and the Sears List of Subject Headings. She also specializes in metadata and zine cataloging. She runs http://critlib.org/, which inspires discussion among cataloging and metadata librarians about the impact of language used in our institutional systems in an attempt to create positive change. On her twitter account, she posts thoughts about using a cataloger’s position to create a more just and equitable library service. She inspires me as a technical services librarian to appreciate the way my work contributes to my community, even when that work is in the background.

Bri Watson (publishes as Brian M. Watson) is an archivist and historian with a specialization in linked data vocabularies and equitable cataloging. They are a frequent writer and contributor to several projects. Among these is the Trans Metadata Collective, which in 2022 published a best practices guide for creating metadata about trans and gender diverse people in galleries, libraries, archives, museums and special collections. Following their professional work gives me insight into progressive, academic thinking about creating equitable metadata within a variety of knowledge organization frameworks.

Journals

In the Library with the Lead Pipe is an online peer-reviewed journal covering the library sector. It publishes original research, persuasive analysis, and new scholarly perspectives on relevant library topics. Its quality and commitment to open access makes it an important publication, especially for library workers who, like me, lack institutional access to other professional journals.

Library Journal is ALA’s trade publication, covering issues of interest to the broad library world. In addition to publishing research, opinion articles, original book reviews and reports on library trends, they also offer job listings, continuing education opportunities, and awards to librarians from the community. LJ is essential reading for librarians invested in keeping up with the current state of libraries generally in the US.

Webinars and Online Training

The Catalogers Learning Workshop from the Library of Congress offers online training in metadata and cataloging topics for free. These courses and webinars offer official and up-to-date information about cataloging standards and descriptive vocabularies. The self-paced and cost-free nature make them a vital resource for technical services librarians who need to stay current on cataloging and metadata standards.

OCLC Training and WebJunction are two different professional development services offered by OCLC. OCLC training courses are focused around developing technical skills related to OCLC cataloging products. Institutional membership is required to access the training courses, but they are free to OCLC members. WebJunction is freely available to all online, and focuses on more general library professional development such as management, outreach, collection development, and service skills. Both resources offer great opportunities for enhancing professional skills both technically and holistically. 

Publishing houses

The Library Juice Press is Litwin House Publisher’s imprint dedicated to books about library topics for library professionals. Litwin House is an independent academic publisher dedicated to diverse and original scholarly perspectives about topics like library and archival theory, social justice, cataloging ethics, and technology. On their website, they feature frequent author interviews and calls for contributions to upcoming projects. Following their upcoming and recent publications is a way to explore new library ideas and to do deeper reading and research on topics of interest, as well as the chance to write for publication.

Podcasts

Library Land Loves is a podcast production of the Ontario Library Association that covers important practical topics that impact librarians day-to-day. Through interviews and panels, they provide information that will contribute to professional development, such as preparing for leadership, understanding social media, and reacting to book challenges. Because of the practical focus and the diversity of guest speakers, this podcast stands out as a valuable time investment.

librarypunk podcast is an irreverent and insightful production that analyzes library-related current events from a progressive perspective. Focusing on public and academic library topics, the hosts and guest experts illuminate contemporary issues with a focus on tech, labor, and social justice. The commitment to humor makes the difficult topics digestible, while the depth of discussion makes the podcast worthwhile.