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MLA, Day 1
November 20, 2008 03:36 PM | MLA2008Aurora Jacobsen, Information Services Librarian
The most interesting conversation of the day, for me, was definitely LibraryThing. I've used the product a couple of times and I've liked it, but Tim Spaulding really pressed the audience to rethink the way we've not only started cataloging, but also how we've implemented tagging. I really want to see our library catalogs move in a similar direction. I shouldn't have to go to LibraryThing to find Zombie romance books. I want to find those in my library catalog. I also liked his point that most LibraryThing users have read the whole book, rather than a cataloger who is guessing on the subject based on the table of contents. Spaulding also reaffirmed the need for subject headings and their value. He also clearly loves books and libraries, and that always makes such constructive criticism easier to take.
The second session I attended was about the change to RDA and how it will incorporate FRBR. I was glad for a little bit of an introduction, and the seed planted to go and research more. However, I am not a cataloger, so I'll leave more details about this session to the experts.
The final session of the day, for me, was "23 Things: Better Than a Deep Fried Twinkie". Four 23 Things participants presented on their experiences with the 23 Things program. Linda Weinmann from the SELCO region was the first presenter. She did a great job covering Picasa. Of course, not everyone pictures will end up looking like hers, even if they used the tools she demonstrated. That takes photography talent. We also got to hear from a librarian from Concordia that adopted Meebo as an IM client for their users. Tim Johnson of the University of Minnesota libraries covered all of the things he's added to his library's blog as a result of the program. Lynn Wyman of the Ramsey County Library presented on how they implemented the program at their library and mentioned the surprising popularity of Facebook at their institution. Overall, a very exciting session and a good first day at MLA.
