San Francisco Public Library • Koret Auditorium
Friday May 10, 2019 • 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Increasing Access, Increasing Effectiveness
(Note: Registration begins at 9:00 am; NCTPG Annual Meeting starts at 9:30 am)
Libraries are always in flux: with changing times come new formats and collections. While sometimes older formats need to be retired, their content and legacy must be preserved in another way. The conundrum to figure out how to make it all available and accessible to users inspired the theme for this year’s annual meeting: Increasing Access, Increasing Effectiveness. Our speakers will share how they took on these challenges and revamped their collections and workflows to achieve the purpose all libraries share: making collections available and findable to users.
As always, we aim for a broad representation of types of libraries (public, academic, special) and a diverse representation of roles within and around technical services.
Program and Speakers:
Increasing Effectiveness in Technical Services for Public Libraries
Lisa Dale – Collection Services Manager, Sacramento Public Library
As public libraries continue to evolve to best meet the needs of their communities, so does the role and expectation of Technical Services. Sacramento Public Library Technical Services has transformed into a high-performing Collection Services Department, with a role in the organization that continues to expand. This presentation will describe the transformation, how Collection Services embraces its role as a support department, and the resulting positive changes that have occurred both in improved service to customers and in staff engagement across Sacramento’s 28-branch system.
Increasing Access at Niebyl Proctor Marxist Library through the Cataloging and Preservation of Leftist Thought in Monograph Collections
Ari Kleinman – Cataloging Librarian & Brian McNeilly – Systems Librarian, Niebyl Proctor Marxist Library
The Niebyl Proctor Marxist Library (NPML) is a small communist library and archive located in Oakland, CA. While the collection includes over 13,000 volumes, without software, policy, or procedures in place, the East Bay community could not easily access resources within the collection. A small committee gathered and sought to increase access, both to scholars who may be interested in Marxist literature, but to also advance the library’s mission of “helping working people understand and create their role in history”.
While still in the beginning of the project, the committee has used tools and policy that aligns with the mission of the library, including using vendors and software run by leftist political groups. This presentation will cover the scope of our project, its progress, and how small community-run groups can increase access to counter-hegemonic literature that may not be prioritized within larger organizations.
The Macro Challenges of Microformats: A Tale of Deaccessioning and Digitization
Sarah McClung – Head of Collection Development, University of California, San Francisco Library & Chris Freeland – Director of Open Libraries, Internet Archive
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) was tasked in 2017 with removing its microformat collection of over 12,500 items when the space it occupied was slated for repurposing. This collection was a prime candidate for weeding since the Library had not had operational microformat readers for over a decade, leaving the collection inaccessible for in-house use. As is often the case when undertaking a weeding project, getting rid of these materials was not a straightforward process and uncovered many other issues. Unreliable metadata, shared purchase agreements, and time consuming holdings checks all threatened to stall the project for nearly two years. After extensive analysis, 25% of the microformats were sent to an offsite storage facility that had the appropriate machines to read the materials and make them available for users again. The remaining 75% were deemed duplicative of existing holdings and, instead of simply throwing them away, were donated to Internet Archive for digitizing and wider accessibility.
Increasing Discoverability, Access and Circulation of Objects (Equipment and Realia) in Libraries
Cyrus Ford – Special Formats Librarian, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Objects bring great value to the library collections of school, public, and academic libraries. They are essential for learning, professional development, and technology literacy of users. Increasing demand for realia and equipment such as laptops, headphones, digital cameras, computer keyboards, projectors, game consoles and the like requires special attention and support by libraries. Catalog records created for public view should include more descriptive information about each piece of equipment to increase access and circulation of these items.
This presentation is about different kinds of objects displayed and used in libraries and discusses how to increase discoverability and enhance MARC records representing these collections.
Lightning Talks
TO BE ANNOUNCED
2- 3 quick 5-minute presentations where speakers can discuss one change they have made in their library.
Have an idea for a lighting talk? Stay tuned for a call for quick proposals through our listserve or contact us: nctpg1@gmail.com
Problem Sharing Activity
Have a problem? Someone (probably) has an answer!
Facilitated by Swetta Abeyta – Collection Management Analyst & Technical Services Specialist, Saint Mary’s College of California
When you join us at our annual meeting this year, please come thinking of ONE workflow-related issue you have at work that you need help with. Among our members’ varied skill sets, there will probably be at least one person at the meeting who has the knowledge you’re looking for, and we’re going to help you find them and a solution to your problem.
If you’d like a head start on networking, here is the link to the Google sheets where you can list and answer questions: http://bit.ly/nctpg-networking
Happy networking!
Optional Tours:
After lunch, we continue our tradition of hosting optional tours. All tours are 2:30 – 3:30. You may choose from the following:
Get an overview of the collections, see highlights from the archives and rare books, and see the DigiCenter in action, including the Internet Archive scribes and other equipment.
The C. Laan Chun Library is one of the more comprehensive research libraries of Asian art and culture in the country. Come and see some of the rare and specialized materials housed here. We will also tour the work areas and stacks around the reading room.
The SFMOMA Library collection reflects art movements, organizations, historians, critics, and makers of modern and contemporary art, as well as SFMOMA’s collections, exhibitions, and programming. Our librarian host will pull out unusual and special items for your perusal as well as show you their back-end processing and current projects and describe the offsite Archives.
Registration & Information
Register online to start or renew your membership and attend the Annual Meeting.
$35 in advance, $40 at the door.
Tour Sign Up
Please visit our Google survey for more information and to sign up for your tour in advance.
If you have any questions about the event, please contact Rice Majors at ramajors@ucdavis.edu or you can email us at nctpg1@gmail.com.
This is not a San Francisco Public Library Sponsored Program. Please use contact information provided above.
Note: Refreshments are not allowed in the Auditorium.
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