This Week in Core Sept 22

Happening This Week

• Fundamentals of Metadata (FOM) 5.0 will be held Monday, September 22 – Friday, October 31
• Core International Relations Committee met Monday, September 22 from 10:00am – 11:00am CT
• Core Executive Committee met Monday, September 22 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm CT
• Core Board of Directors met Monday, September 22 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm CT
• Core Webinar: The Library of the Future: Health, Wellbeing, & Sustainability will be held Tuesday, September 23 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm CT
• CoreTechnology Section Leadership Team will meet Tuesday, September 23 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm CT
• Core Ebooks Interest Group  will hold “Office Hours” Tuesday, September 23 from 3:00pm – 4:00pm CT
• Core Consortium Management Interest Group will hold a program titled “Crossing Back Over: Insights from Consortial Veterans in the Library” Wednesday, September 24 from 11:00am – 12:00pm CT
• Core Interest Group Coordination Committee will hold a Town Hall meeting to discuss planning for the 2026 Interest Group Week Wednesday, September 24 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm CT
• Buildings for College and University Libraries Committee will meet Friday, September 26 from 10:00am – 11:00am CT
• Buildings and Operations Section Leadership Team will meet Friday, September 26 from 10:00am – 11:00am CT
• Core Forum Planning Committee will meet Friday, September 26 from 11:00am – 12:00pm CT
• Core Emerging Technology Trends Committee will meet Friday, September 26 from 12:00pm – 1:00pmCT

Happening Next Week

• Fundamentals of Acquisitions (FOA) 5.0 will be held Monday, September 29 through Friday, November 7
• Core Executive Committee will meet Monday, September 29 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm CT
• Core LIFT Awards Committee will meet Wednesday, October 1 from 10:00am – 11:00am CT
• Core Interest Group Coordinating Committee will meet Monday, September 29 from 12:00pm – 1:00pm CT 
• Core Library Leaders and Managers Interest Group will meet Wednesday, October 1 
• from 1:00pm – 2:00pm CT
• Core Awards & Scholarships Coordination Committee will meet Thursday, October 2, from 10:00am – 11:00am CT
• Core Appointments Committee will meet Thursday, October 2, from 2:00pm – 3:00pm CT
• Core Marketing and Social Media Committee will meet Thursday, October 2, from 2:00pm – 3:00pm CT
• Core Library Interiors, Furnishings, and Equipment (LIFE) Committee will meet Thursday, October 2, from 2:00pm – 3:00pm CT
• ALA Virtual Executive Board Meeting will be held on Thursday, October 2 at 3pm CT.  2025-2026 Executive Board Documents are available to ALA members online here.
• Core Metadata & Collections Section Leadership Team will meet Friday, October 3 from 11:00am – 12:00pm CT
• ALA Virtual BARC and F&A Fall Meeting will be held on Friday, October 3, 2025 from 11am – 3pm CT. Register here.

Member Opportunities & Announcements

• Core Forum This November in Denver:  Early Bird Rates End October 5.  Register Now and Save! Reconnect with friends and make new connections while celebrating the intersection and overlap of the core work we do. Learn more about Forum and register for the main event and its preconferences at www.coreforum.org
  
• Today is the last day to submit a Program or Poster proposal for the ALA 2026 Annual Conference!
  
• The Core Mentoring Program is accepting applications for Mentors and Mentees.  The deadline to apply is Friday, September 26, 2025
• The NMRT Mentoring Committee is looking for Mentors for our Career Mentoring program! The Career Mentoring program connects newer librarians with a seasoned librarian for a mentoring relationship relating to career development in librarianship. This year the program will run from February–July 2026, capping off with ALA’s annual conference! If you would like to share your experience and wisdom and are interested in participating, please fill out our form to get started. The deadline for volunteering as a mentor is Friday, October 3, 2025.  Questions? Contact the Chair, Zac Grisham zgrisha@ksu.edu.
• Core is offering several Fundamentals Web Courses throughout the fall! This series of related online courses covers basic topics that enhance skills in various areas of library work.

• Present a webinar or moderate an e-Forum Discussion for Core! Send your e-forum discussion idea to core-eforum+help@groups.io. Complete the webinar proposal form to submit your webinar idea.

Hot off the Presses!

• Just released! A Complete Guide to Creative Technology Spaces in Academic Libraries: Media Labs, Makerspaces, and More. Beyond the loaning of laptops and phone chargers, libraries are branching out into supporting patrons by providing spaces and services that encourage art, communication, and innovation. Perhaps you’ve been tasked with building such a space in your academic library. It might be a media studio, a virtual reality lab, or even a combination space that has a podcasting suite, equipment circulation, 3D printing, and a computer lab. Or maybe you’ve been doing this for awhile; you know it’s time to expand, but you’re not quite sure which direction to take or what equipment you need.

           Check out these two new titles which are available in the Core/ALA Store.

• Generative AI and Libraries: Claiming Our Place in the Center of a Shared Future

Addressing a topic of great concern with both urgency and clarity, this book offers a compelling vision for libraries to claim their central role as trusted stewards of knowledge and architects of a responsible and equitable AI-driven world.

• The Digital Accessibility Handbook for Libraries

Providing concrete guidance on integrating accessibility into all aspects of a library’s digital work, this book will serve as your one-stop guide to accessibility standards, processes, and best practices.

To have your committee meeting, Core event, or Core member opportunity listed in a future issue of This Week in Core (TWIC), contact the Core Office at core@ala.org a few weeks ahead of time and title your message “TWIC Post Request.”