Archive Watch: Building a National Cooperative for Archival Standards
The nation’s archives contain multitudes of documents that detail the lives and experiences of individuals, families, and groups. Archivists don’t lack for material to manage. What they could use is a consistent, broadly used standard for so-called authority control—a way to reliably, thoroughly describe archival holdings and contexts so that they’re discoverable by anyone who might want to use them.
A fairly new archival-authority standard, released in 2010, could change that. It has the less-than-euphonious name of Encoded Archival Context-Corporate Bodies, Persons, and Families, or EAC-CPF. And it’s helped inspire a push to create a cooperative national infrastructure to regularize and connect archival records.
A group of archivists and other interested parties gathered at the National Archives here on Monday and Tuesday to talk about what a National Archival Authorities Cooperative, or NAAC, would look like, and how to get there from here.
» via The Chronicle of Higher Education (Subscription may be required for some content)
Don’t pay too much!
I know a couple of librarians who paid to go to private institutions or otherwise very expensive schools to get their MLIS. I would advise you not to do this. The MLIS that you receive is pretty much the same no matter where you go and the big difference is the debt you have when you’re done. You probably won’t get paid more if you go to a prestigious school and the starting salaries for librarians are pretty sad. However, you might come out feeling well trained or that you got a good education, but most librarians I talk to and many of the ones that paid for those expensive schools said that they learned more in their first week on the job then their entire academic career. I would suggest (as sad as it is) to select your library program on price.
” P.C. Sweeney, Advice for Choosing a MLIS Program (via thepinakes)Disastrous Plan for Philadelphia's Library For The Blind
A few days ago, I answered an ask about what my goal as a librarian was. This is it. This is exactly the kind of thing I hope to prevent in my career as a librarian.
There doesn’t seem to be a reason for this move. The article states the commonwealth won’t even make or save money off of this. It is a library that was created specifically for the purpose of providing accommodating materials for the blind and visually impaired. What a great purpose! But now they are destroying and diminishing the collection.
Libraries like this are the kind of thing that we need.
Harvard vs. Yale: Open Access Publishing
Earlier this week, Yale university student, Emmanuel Quartey, posted a video interview with the school’s librarian, Susan Gibbons, in which he asked her about open-access publishing. Her response was far more ambivalent than the Harvard faculty council’s. Though she noted that open-access journals are more accessible, she worried that asking younger faculty to publish in open-access (presumably less prestigious) journals could jeopardize their chances to attain tenure. In essence, prestige would stay put but tenure would move away from younger Yale professors. So, the library would continue to support both open and closed-access journals. You can read her full answer below or check out the video interview above
American Library Association Comes Out Against CISPA; Why They Are Heroes
Geekosystem’s words, not ours.
Archives digitize 19th century materials for 21st century access
The Victorian era has become ridiculously popular in the new millennium. Between costume drama in film and steampunk in print and video games, the dawn of the the modern technological age has captured the popular imagination. It has captured the scientific imagination as well, however, as two recent events indicate.
Gale/Cenage, publisher of research resources for libraries, schools and businesses, has announced the launch of Nineteenth Century Collections Online, a multiyear global digitization program.
At the same time, the British government has opened the “Migrated Archive” to the public. This collection of 8,800 records from Britain’s colonial history was considered too sensitive to leave behind as Britain gave up its empire. It is hosted at the National Archives.
» via ars technica
World Book Night for Librarians
Even if it’s too late, you can still celebrate it with a quick program or information packet at your library! And, you’ll know for next year.
The list of selected titles has some really fantastic reads on it, especially for teens.
Outdoor Libraries Start Lending Books At Closed Branches in Detroit
A class of fourth-graders at Marcus Garvey Academy in Detroit has collaborated to create six outdoor libraries for use by the general public in light of recent branch closings by the Detroit Public Library.
Five of the outdoor libraries opened Wednesday and the sixth will open in June. And best of all, borrowers don’t need a library card and there are no late fees.
Lovely.
Anyone know any good online, open access (free) articles on Alice Paul (or First Wave Feminism in general)
Or on suffragists… or the Equal Right’s Amendment?
I’m looking for anything about these, including critical examinations on the problematic aspects of the movement.
I’m trying to create a digital library and am looking for a few things to include. The digital library will focus on Alice Paul at first, with the possibility of of later expanding to other First Wave feminists… if things go well, that is, and I get funding for the project (which is a long-shot).
There is no good online article for Alice Paul or women’s suffrage in general. The Library of Congress has some great photos of the National Woman’s Party, including Alice Paul, and Sewall Belmont has a lot of photos, cartoons, etc. from the NWP. The Alice Paul Institute has a good bio of Alice. You can find Alice Pauls oral history from 1972-1976 here and her interview with American heritage here. You can find a digital copy of Doris Stevens book Jailed for Freedom: American Women Win the Vote here.
As for finding things that are critical of the movement, you will probably be able to find blog post but nothing else. There really is not that much on Alice Paul and suffrage in general.
I wish you luck on the project.
actually, signal boosting this post because it has additional information.
librarian/archivist followers?
