The Creative Ideas in Technical Services Interest Group is proud to present the following discussion topics for our virtual session this summer at ALA Annual! Come ready to think and talk about some creative ideas with your colleagues on Friday, June 25, 2021 at 12:00pm CT/ 1:00 pm ET.
This event is free and open. Conference registration is not required.
The link and information for this Zoom session is below.
https://ala-events.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEvf-ytrDMjGd12Nt8RFxgpEd-ozR5sk1mw
New Technical Services Pandemic Workflows: What Will Stay?
Erica Barnett (Acquisitions Librarian, Hunter Library, Western Carolina University)
Numerous discussions have taken place throughout the last year and a half about how technical services has been impacted due to pandemic. There has been a shift in the way materials have been acquired, received, processed, and made available for patrons for users. As libraries begin to move into a new normal, discussions about how technical services will move forward will be beneficial. Attendees are invited to join a discussion about the changes made to workflows among acquisitions and cataloging that will continue in a post-pandemic world.
Tasks, skills and competencies: identifying requirements and gaps for planning cataloging training
Marlee Givens (Georgia Institute of Technology) and Sofia Slutskaya (Emory University)
Before planning any training, it is useful to assess the current state of your staff's competencies and cataloging skills. Perhaps you have taken on new staff from another department, or you are preparing to migrate your cataloging software, or you are "looking forward" to an RDA update. Some of your staff may require new skills, others may need to apply transferable skills from another position, and seasoned staff may be building on existing cataloging skills. How do you determine the training needs in your cataloging department? We will discuss ways to determine competencies and create checklists of cataloging tasks and skills that can be turned into training and work documentation, used for job descriptions and reclassification, or for hiring. Facilitators will share their own experience with developing checklists and ask questions about modifying ALA's Core Competencies for Cataloging and Metadata for all staff levels.
Effective Job Ads and Description from the Standpoint of the Job Seeker
Laura Sill (Director, Metadata Services and Interim Head, Electronic Resources & Collection Metadata Management, Hesburgh Libraries, University of Notre Dame)
Library Twitter over the years has included several threads that highlight the frustrations that library job seekers face with posted position ads or descriptions. Technical services remains a complex and evolving area of librarianship and professional positions in this area can leave job seekers hesitant to pursue opportunities. This discussion will brainstorm what would make the ideal library technical service job ad or description from the standpoint of job seekers. The guided discussion will also explore issues of transparency of information, clarity of roles and responsibilities, interview expectations and process, and best methods for recruitment. Unique challenges or benefits of technical services positions will also be explored. The goal of the discussion is to build understanding between job seekers and creators, and to provide a place for job seekers to advise on improving the development and hiring experiences for technical services positions.
E-Resources and the future of acquisitions
Rob Tench (Acquisitions & Resource Fulfillment Librarian, Old Dominion University Libraries)
Library acquisitions has undergone significant and dramatic change over the last few years. The purchase of tangible assets such as print books, print serials, DVDs, and CDs has transitioned to the acquisitions of eBooks, online journals, streaming videos, and digital audio to meet increasing demand of electronic resources by patrons and staff regardless of library type. COVID accelerated this transformation even more dramatically and emphatically. As a result, acquisitions staff members have been asked to address, meet, and master a changing library environment, emerging technologies, and ever evolving workflows. At the same time, dwindling budgets, increasing workloads, smaller staffs, and more complexity brought on by e-resources has significantly impacted the traditional world of acquisitions. In short, acquisitions has been asked to do more with less with no end in sight.
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Susan Martin
Vice-Chair, CITS
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