The Massachusetts Library System is pleased to announce that we have contracted with ALA to provide our members with access to their live webinars.  These webinars are free to MLS members who register through our calendar.  Please do not register directly with ALA. Members who register directly with ALA are responsible for paying their registration fee. 

Please help us keep MLS sponsored training free for all members. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, please cancel your registration. A cancellation link can be found in your confirmation email, or you may contact Sarah Donnelly at sdonnelly@masslibsystem.org to cancel. 

Description

This webinar will examine descriptive strategies and challenges for outdated language in metadata and cataloging. We will first outline past EDI strategies and why they were used in the field of librarianship. This will include a brief historical timeline of descriptive practices, and the current and changing landscape. After exploring its origins and current state, we will examine the strategies academic institutions have formulated to address outdated language and improve discovery of their resources. Participants of this webinar will have a better understanding of how descriptive strategies have evolved, and new approaches that adhere to recent federal and state orders. We hope this webinar will create networking opportunities among librarians interested in contributing to the current conversation.

This session serves as an update to the 2022 webinar "Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategies in Metadata and Cataloging: An Exploration of Strategies and Discussions."

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the webinar, attendees will:

• Learn how to conduct EDI strategies in Metadata and Cataloging;
• Learn about the challenges and obstacles with this work and how to overcome them;
• Be able to collaborate with other institutions in the field with EDI work; and
• Learn about implementations and assessment strategies with EDI Metadata and Cataloging for future iteration.

Who Should Attend

Metadata and cataloging staff.

Presenters

Jessica L. Serrao is the Metadata Librarian for Digital Collections at Clemson University, where she creates, enriches, and maintains metadata and standards for digitized historic materials. She holds an MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Concentration in Archives and Records Management, a Certificate in Digital Curation, and an MA in Public History from North Carolina State University. Jessica currently chairs Clemson Libraries’ Inclusive Description Task Force. Her work and research interests lie at the intersections of metadata, ethics, and inclusive representation of marginalized groups in the archival record.

Tomeka Jackson is the Linked Data Librarian at Middle Tennessee State University. Prior to this, she was a Library Resident at Clemson University Libraries. Before her residency, she worked at Kennesaw State University as a Cataloging and Metadata Assistant from 2018-2022. In addition, she has held positions at the Smyrna Public Library in Smyrna, Ga., and the Cobb County Public Library in Marietta, Ga. She also worked as a project archivist for the Atlanta History Center and volunteered at the Delta Flight Museum in Hapeville, Ga. She was named an Emerging Leader by the American Library Association in 2022. Jackson earned her master’s in library and information science from the University of South Carolina and a master’s in heritage preservation and a bachelor’s in history, both from Georgia State University.

Accessibility Information

If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact ce@ala.org or at 312-280-5100.