June 2023 MBR The Library Science Shelf

The Library Science Shelf

From Cataloguing to Metadata Creation
Mauro Guerrini
Facet Publishing
www.facetpublishing.co.uk
9781783306282, $40.00, PB, 154pp

https://www.facetpublishing.co.uk/page/detail/from-cataloguing-to-metadata-creation/?k=9781783306282

Synopsis: Cataloging has always produced a catalog, while the creation of metadata has produced the metadata of given resources. However, in this digital age, the two are more connected than ever. A catalog is made up of metadata that can be searched, identified, structured, and selected. This then means the metadata creation process is adopted as a part of cataloguing.

With the publication of "From Cataloguing to Metadata Creation: A Cultural and Methodological Introduction" Library Science Professor Mauro Guerrini's has written a cultural and methodological introduction to the evolution of cataloging towards metadata creation process in the digital era. It is a journey through the founding principles and the objectives of the "information organization" service that libraries offer.

"From Cataloguing to Metadata Creation" outlines the new library context, highlighting continuities and innovations compared to traditional cataloging and intends to trace the path from traditional cataloging to the new metadata creation process.

Critique: Informatively enhanced for librarians and library students with a listing of Acronyms, a number of Figures, an Afterword by Geovanni Bergamin, four pages of Endnotes, a fourteen page Bibliography, and a nine page Index, "From Cataloguing to Metadata Creation: A Cultural and Methodological Introduction" must be considered a core and critically essential addition to professional, community, college, and university Library Science collections and an ideal textbook for librarian in-service training curriculums.

Editorial Note: Mauro Guerrini (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mauro-Guerrini) is Professor of Library Science, Cataloging, Metadata and Classification, and Dean of the Master on Cataloging in Archives, Library Science and Codicology at the University of Florence, Italy. He obtained the Diploma of Librarianship and the Diploma in the Conservation of Manuscripts at the School for Archivists and Librarians at the University of Rome La Sapienza, and later gained the Archivist's Certificate from the State Archive in Florence. Mauro is author of numerous publications on cataloguing, ethics, open access and the history of librarians, in particular Antonio Panizzi. He is member of the editorial board of Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, AIB Studi, Biblioteche Oggi, and other journals, and Chair of the series Libraries and Librarians (Florence University Press); he is also Founder and Editor in Chief of JLIS.it: Italian Journal of Library and Information Science.

Integrated Library Planning
Myka Kennedy Stephens
ACRL Books
c/o American Library Association
https://www.ala.org
9780838939376, $62.00, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Integrated-Library-Planning-Management-Assessment/dp/0838939376

Synopsis: Many library project plans, from small projects to institution-wide strategic planning committees, follow a linear trajectory: create the plan, implement the plan, then review the outcome. While this can be effective, it can also sometimes leads to disregarding new information that emerges while executing the plan, making the outcome less effective. Planning processes can also feel forced and predetermined if stakeholder feedback is not seriously considered. When this happens too many times, people stop offering their honest opinions and new ideas because they have learned that the planners do not really want to hear them.

In a concise seven chapters offering illustrations, charts, sample outlines, and many tools and resources, "Integrated Library Planning:: A New Model for Strategic and Dynamic Planning, Management, and Assessment" by librarian Myka Kennedy Stephens offers a different kind of approach to planning that is both strategic and dynamic. It is fueled by open communication, honest assessment, and astute observation. Voices at the table, near the table, and far from the table are heard and considered. Its perpetual rhythm gives space to consider new information when it emerges and freedom to make changes at a time that makes sense instead of when it is most convenient or expected.

The era of fixed-length strategic plans is coming to an end. As five-year strategic plans have already given way to three-year strategic plans, and now we find ourselves needing to plan and function when nothing is certain beyond the present moment. The components of this model might look deceptively similar to the strategic planning practices used in libraries and organizations for decades; however, when implemented as a whole, with a monthly review cycle on a rolling planning horizon and space for regular analysis of information needs and behavior, it has the potential to shatter any previous notions of planning that serve only to satisfy administrators.

Most importantly, "Integrated Library Planning" can help libraries and librarians to effectively navigate and become agents of change.

Critique: Exceptional, comprehensive, data driven, impressive, informative, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Integrated Library Planning:: A New Model for Strategic and Dynamic Planning, Management, and Assessment" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended Library Science acquisition for personal, professional, community, and academic library collections, as well as being an ideal textbook for in-service librarian training programs, and college/university library science curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Myka Kennedy Stephens (https://www.atla.com/person/myka-kennedy-stephens) is Seminary Librarian and Associate Professor of Theological Bibliography at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She provides oversight for theological library collections and services for Lancaster Theological Seminary and Moravian Theological Seminary, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Myka is also Founder and CEO of Fosgail, providing executive coaching and consulting services to professionals in libraries and related fields. She is fascinated by theories of human information behavior and their practical applications for library leadership and administration. She is also a strong advocate for open-source software for libraries and writes and presents widely on these topics.

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