NASIG Autumn 2024

Tribal librarians are knowledge keepers; tribal libraries are primary sources of cultural learning that support tribal communities in a good way. Libraries that belong to the people and tribal librarians are at the forefront of ensuring tribal language cultivation, celebrating the oral storytelling tradition, intergenerational learning, and ensuring literacy for all generations. Tribal archives preserve tribal history, ancestral knowledge, and the words and voices of community members for research and preservation of knowledge. This keynote offers best practices on how to best serve Native populations, provide culturally responsive care for Native American cultural materials, and build relationships with tribal librarians and archivists.

Leveraging the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) for Strategic Library and Institutional Decision-Making

The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is a curated database comprising over 20,800 peer-reviewed open-access journals. Its mission is to enhance the visibility, impact, and profile of high-quality open-access journals on a global scale, irrespective of discipline, geographic location, or language. All services and metadata provided by the DOAJ are available free of charge. In this presentation, I will discuss various strategies by which libraries and institutions can leverage DOAJ data for informed decision-making in their operational activities. These strategies include advising researchers on publication options, integrating content into library search systems, allocating funding, and conducting quality assessments.

1. Core Competencies and Acquisitions Job Ads: How Well Do They Match?

Core competencies provide a baseline understanding of the knowledge, skills, and abilities that practitioners should have, and are especially important in rapidly changing fields. NASIG first approved the Core Competencies for Electronic Resources Librarians in 2013, and those for Print Serials Management in 2015. A key component of Serials and Electronic Resources work is acquisitions; the other competency statements for acquisitions were developed by ALCTS in 2018. Do these competencies still reflect the needs of acquisitions leaders in academic libraries? The researchers have begun collecting recent job advertisements to analyze which competencies are most included and whether there are gaps to address.


2. Workflows, workarounds, and workouts: Successful cataloging from a distance

Stockton University’s Richard E. Bjork Library will be undergoing a massive renovation, displacing everyone in the library for at least 2 years. Library departments have started to move into various classrooms all over the main campus while Library Administration and the Metadata Librarian have been “housed” in a small ranch-style home over 2 miles away from the main campus. This presentation will highlight the early attempts to stay connected and revise workflows, despite being physically apart from the rest of the cataloging staff.

This presentation explores the evolving landscape of licensing in academic libraries, focusing on trends and workflows at The University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC). It begins with an overview of the importance of licensing in managing electronic resources and the role of the Electronic Resources and Acquisitions Librarian. Then it delves into current licensing trends, like open access and vendor consolidation, offering a detailed look at the licensing workflows at UNTHSC. This presentation will also discuss challenges faced and innovative solutions that have been implemented, with recommendations of future direction for effective licensing management in academic libraries.