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Get Started in Your Core Sections

Did you know that Core has six specialty sections? Our sections are member-only networks that focus on specific areas of interests supporting core library work. You can join as many sections as you like for free as part of your membership. Just go to a new section and use the “Join” button. Access and Equity Assessment Buildings and Operations Leadership and Management Metadata and Collections Technology You’ve already been placed in those sections that align with your previous division affiliation. For example, former members of ALCTS are already members of the Core Metadata and Collections Section, former LITA members are already in the Technology Section, and former LLAMA members are already in the Leadership and Management Section. You can find all your sections in Core Connect, under the tab, “My Sections” in the “Communities” navigation menu. To send a message to the [Name of Section] Section, send it to [section…Continue Reading

Announcing the Results of the 2020-21 Core Election

We are pleased to announce the results of the 2020-21 Core election. Christopher J. Cronin, Associate University Librarian for Collections at Columbia University, has been elected as the first President of Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures. His term will begin immediately and he will serve as President until June 30, 2021, and then as Past-President for one year. He was elected from among the Presidents of the three former divisions that joined to form Core: Cronin, Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS); Tyler Dzuba, Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA); Evviva Weinraub Lajoie, Library Information Technology Association (LITA). Dzuba and Weinraub Lajoie will remain on the Board to support Cronin in his Core responsibilities. In discussing his vision for Core, Cronin said, “It is an honor and a privilege to be elected the first President of the new ALA Core Division. Core is taking shape at a…Continue Reading

Program Spotlight ~ Core Virtual Forum 11.18.20

On November 18th at 12:45 pm Central Time, Kristen Hogan and Christina Juste will facilitate this interactive workshop, “Student Organizer and Library Partnerships for Textbook Access: First Generation and Low Income Textbook Library.” This Core Virtual Forum session will support participants to plan for or share ideas from their own textbook collections and to reflect together on textbook accessibility through acquisition and lending policies. If you’re interested in any of these topics: Accessibility, Acquisitions, Assessment, Collection Development, Diversity and Inclusion, Leadership and Management, Library Services, Physical Collections, Problem Solving, Skill Building You don’t want to miss this session. Join us for Core Virtual Forum in November and choose your own problem solving adventure!

Come Learn with Core in October

*Core Webinars Available for Free to ALA Student Members and LIS Faculty. Continuing Education Opportunities Learn the latest techniques to keep your library safe with this Core webinar on October 27. Register now. Rapidly Implementing a Contactless ServicePresenters: Margaret Heller and Chris MartinTuesday, October 271:00pm – 2:00pm CDT Learn the most current cyber threats facing libraries and the challenges of sharing data with this Core webinar on October 28. Register now. Don’t click on that link! Cybersecurity Best Practices for Your Institution and StaffPresenters: Sean Lang and Robert NunezWednesday, October 281:00pm – 2:00pm CDT Webinar Registration Fees: Core Member (individual) $43 Nonmember (individual) $59 Groups. (Includes a link to share with your group for safe social distancing viewing) $129 *Core Webinars Available for Free to ALA Student Members and LIS Faculty. All webinars are recorded and the one-time fee includes unlimited access to the webinar recording. All registered attendees will…Continue Reading

Metadata Quality

This article comes from the desk of our guest blog contributor, Graeme Williams, Online Catalog Analyst. Suppose you lived halfway between two libraries, both of which had friendly, helpful reference desks — but one gave incorrect or incomplete answers twice as often. Which one would you ask for help? Now what if one of your patrons wanted some bibliographic information, say, the title of the latest James Paterson novel. They could go to Amazon, or Goodreads, or LibraryThing — or your online catalog. Don’t you think they’re going to end up using the most complete, most accurate source of information? You’ve probably come across examples of errors on Amazon.com: a listing for a jar of peanuts illustrated by a picture of a pair of scissors. Hilarious, but not very common. But do you know how many of your catalog records have incorrect or incomplete information? Suppose patrons visit your online catalog…Continue Reading

Get Involved with Your Core Community!

Core Connect is now LIVE. Core Connect is our members-only network designed for sharing information, engaging with colleagues, and the go-to portal for instant Core updates. Have you noticed the Connect platform has a new look? Watch this Core 101 video tutorial and learn how to navigate the Connect platform like a pro. Now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. We’re excited to announce our Core Sections and Interest Groups are now available for you to join for free! Find your niche in Core and learn about emerging trends important to your work by joining any of these groups. Members have already been placed in the sections that align with their previous division affiliation. For example, former members of ALCTS are already a member of the Core Metadata Section, former LITA members are already in the Technology Section, and former LLAMMA members are already in the Leadership and Management…Continue Reading

New Core Jobs: October 20, 2020

Browse new job openings on the Core Jobs Site

Library Aide 20 Hours, LTI, City of Loveland, Loveland, CO Library Director, Mount Pleasant Iowa Public Library, Mount Pleasant, IA Online Learning Librarian, Assistant or Associate Professor, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL Data Services Librarian, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN Metadata & Research Support Associate, Open Society Foundations, New York, NY Visit the Jobs Site for additional job openings and information on submitting your own job posting.

Summary, October Core e-Forum, “Regarding Library Database Cleanup”

Thank you all for an engaging start to the “Regarding Database Cleanup” e-Forum. We concluded with 134 messages from 70 contributors! However, there were issues with the delay in or non-delivery of messages half-way through the first day, so we plan to continue this discussion at a later date, tentatively early-December 2020. Any emails posted to the list are viewable at the list archives: https://lists.ala.org/sympa/info/alcts-eforum The e-forum participants included librarians from public, academic, and special libraries across the United States as well as Canada, Great Britain, Bermuda, Thailand, and Egypt. Their ILS/LSPs included (in alphabetical order) Aleph, Alma, Auto-Graphics’ Verso, Axiell’s Book-It, BookSystems by Atrium, EOS.web, Evergreen, Horizon, Koha, Polaris, Sierra, Symphony, TLC, Voyager, and WMS. The most frequently mentioned ILS was Symphony. The most common database errors that our participants mentioned were primarily those identified in bibliographic data: typographical errors, overlaying brief records, handling or removing missing, lost, or…Continue Reading

Election Candidate’s Responses to Additional Town Hall Questions

During the Core Election Town Hall on September 30, candidates were asked the following questions, but time did not permit live answers. So, the candidates have responded in writing. 1. Do you support the recommendations for changing ALA’s governance structure, put forth in 2018 by the Steering Committee on Organizational Effectiveness (SCOE), and currently championed by the Forward Together Working Group? Evviva Weinraub Lajoie: Overall, yes. I support their recommendations and the ongoing work. The recommendation gathering was careful, inclusive, and timely and it would not be in the organizations best interest to dismiss the recommendations. That said, my biggest concerns about the implementation of the SCOE recommendations is that we are not doing it fast enough. An organization like ALA is a behemoth and there are a zillion moving parts, but we risk significantly more if we don’t make drastic changes quickly. Margaret Heller: Yes, I do. I have…Continue Reading

New Core Jobs: October 7, 2020

Browse new job openings on the Core Jobs Site

Librarian & Archivist, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY User Experience Designer, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, CA Children’s Services Coordinator, Chattahoochee Valley Libraries, Columbus, GA Visit the Jobs Site for additional job openings and information on submitting your own job posting.