The April 2023 issue of Library Resources & Technical Services (LRTS) is now available. We’re pleased to share with you the second issue of the calendar year, with these peer-reviewed articles:
Editorial: Around the Sun / Michael Fernandez
The previous issue of LRTS marked an important milestone, as it was the first to be published fully open access. This issue is something of a personal milestone for the current editorial team, as it marks the first full year since they took over the reins. With a year’s worth of issues under their belts, they comment on their process and Fernandez’ role as assistant editor.
Unsettling the Library Catalog: A Case Study in Reducing the Presence of “Indians of North America” and Similar Subject Headings / Karl Pettitt and Erin Elzi
As the University of Denver (DU) has begun to accept and wrestle with its history, the DU Libraries have looked for ways it may be perpetuating the harms done to Indigenous populations. An example of this work can be seen in the libraries’ work on changing the displayed terminology used in the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) to more current and appropriate headings that respect and correspond to the terminology used by the populations they are meant to represent. This article provides background for this work through a literature review and a more detailed account of how this topic is directly related to the institutional history of DU. A discussion of the specific steps and procedures taken to implement this change is followed by the obstacles encountered along the way and how they were overcome.
Clear the Floor: One Library’s Approach to the Removal and Integration of Items from Two Print Journal Collections / Robyn M. Gleasner
Due to the desire for more student space at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, the Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center reviewed its serial holdings both in the library and in its offsite storage facility and determined which titles to retain and discard. This paper will briefly describe the selection process and then discuss the methods and phases of the project used to discard material in two shelving locations including auctioning material, donating material to another library, removing unselected material, and repurposing material for a decorative noise-abatement wall. This paper will also discuss the process of integrating items selected for retention from two shelving locations in separate buildings into one shelving location. The author will share the lessons learned throughout the project.
Book Review: Managing Data for Patron Privacy: Comprehensive Strategies for Libraries / Brittney Bergholm
Data is everywhere. It comes in forms one would expect, like numbers in a spreadsheet, but it is also images of patrons and video of your building, along with other types of data. How each of these types of data is used, and maybe more importantly, is protected, is essential for libraries to consider. Managing Data for Patron Privacy provides an informative look at digital library data from multiple angles.
Book Review: The Weeding Handbook: A Shelf-by-Shelf Guide, Second Edition / Amy Lewontin
Vnuk’s second edition of The Weeding Handbook is a very useful book to read for building confidence around the decision-making involved in weeding collections. Her experience managing public library collections and extensive background in book reviewing, consulting, and training makes her a librarian with considerable understanding of the difficult issues that surround weeding of collections. She writes, “A library is an ever-changing organism. Weeding helps a library thrive” (XV). This statement drives the narrative of the book, and it is something that is always important to remember when one is stuck in the weeding trenches and feeling indecisive and anxious on the decision processes. While her new edition may in part resemble her first, published in 2015, this book feels refreshed, with recently authored suggested readings. Many sections of the book include short and original weeding thoughts and ruminations from librarians across many parts of the country from an assortment of library types and sizes.
