March 2022 Meeting Minutes

March 2022 Meeting Minutes

Date: Thursday, March 17, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Location: virtual meeting via Zoom

In attendance:

Co-Chairs Natalie MacDonald (Canadian Research Knowledge Network) and Trina Grover (X University)

Elisa (U of T Libraries, Metadata Services Dept; RDA Steering Committee Education and Orientation Officer), Jana (Burlington Public Library, Digital Resources and Collections), Jeanne (Toronto Public Library, Cataloguing Dept), JR (Library and Archives Canada), Karen (Barrie Public Library), Kelly (Toronto Public Library, Cataloguing Dept), Kyla (U of T Libraries, Metadata Services Dept), May (U of T Libraries, Metadata Services Dept), Patty (Canadian Research Knowledge Network), Tammy (BMO, Metadata and Metadata Discovery; formerly at Hamilton Public Library), Thomas (Guelph Public Library; Chair of Canadian Committee on Cataloguing; Extent Working Group of RDA Steering Committee)

Land acknowledgement: Trina shared a Christie Belcourt painting as she gave a reflection and land acknowledgement

Welcome and introductions

Discussion

This is Natalie and Trina’s first meeting as co-chairs

• Very thankful for all the work Tammy has done
• How would we like to move forward with OCATS, keeping in mind that we are volunteers with time constraints?

Natalie shared a jamboard: https://jamboard.google.com/d/1M7Vc56Mrd0AdbLoDw7utiFVXlvYr3ZqH0yLeKAqA-CE/edit?usp=sharing

1. How often do you want to meet? Consensus is every three months.
2. Share your ideas for different themes that you’d like to see explored during meetings. Responses: 
   • RDA/LRM
     • application profiles in new RDA
     • policy changes coming from RDA (e.g. fictitious characters)
   • uses of MarcEdit
   • BIBFRAME
   • OpenRefine
   • cataloguing best practices, such as for special formats
   • new elements, new MARC fields
   • Changes to LCSH – how to advocate, what to do in the meantime
     • improving subject headings on Indigenous topics
3. What does a typical OCATS meeting look like to you? (open question and answer time, workshops, show and share, tutorials, etc). 
   • Responses
     • some updates on cataloguing or metadata best practices and how to’s
     • I like to question/answers in the first part of the meeting. The second half can be show and tell or tutorials
     • I like the open question/answer time at the beginning and then on to tutorials etc.
4. Would you be interested in attending a “summer school” that has a few workshops spread over a short period of time? Most responded Yes, but people who work for a school board would be away in the summer
   • Elisa, Jessica, Kyla, and May are all involved with Library Carpentries; could offer tutorials on Open Refine, GitHub, Unix Shell, etc.
   • Trina and Natalie (and others if they want) will take this feedback and develop a schedule
5. A discussion about the nature of OCATS arose from Natalie’s questions:
   • BC CATS group was affiliated with BCLA, whereas OCATS is more grass roots
   • BC CATS had special topics (e.g. how do we all want to deal with gov docs, going over a policy change, round table report – new hires, etc.); OCATS members do not necessarily speak for their institutions
   • OCATS is information and education oriented rather than policy oriented
   • A drawback to being affiliated with something like OLITA is that there is a membership fee; this restricts access to those who can afford it. Smaller libraries in Ontario might be prevented from joining
   • We should lobby OLA to have more cataloguing content – 
     • Could OCATS present at OLA? 
     • We should hold an unconference at OLA
   • In person meetings are great, but virtual meetings are more accessible – break down barriers
   • Without a link to OLA, how do we share cataloguers’ point of view with CFLA-FCAB, etc.? Small public libraries whose tech services departments are being reduced need someone to speak on behalf of cataloguing and tech services. We may need to get connected at a personal level:
     • Get involved in various committees (e.g. Cataloguing Ethics Steering Committee, Cataloguing Metadata and Standards Committee)
       • How do these committees recruit? Mostly drawing from academic libraries rather than public or other libraries?
       • Let’s get members of these committees to come speak to us and tell us about what their committee does
     • Join cataloguing listservs
       • Kelly volunteered to start a list of committees and listservs to post on the OCATS site
     • Attend an open meeting of the MARC Advisory Committee
     • Sign up for training
     • Present at OLA, etc. (e.g. Masckawacis http://www.mccedu.ca/microlearning-sessions/)
6. Other business
   • At Burlington Public Library they have pasted the new citizen oath into their copies of Discover Canada
   • Feedback on Launchpads (preloaded games at different intellectual levels)
     • They work for about 2 years before the battery dies
     • Burlington and Barrie Public Libraries have Launchpads
     • Vendor sends good MARC records with the Launchpad

https://burlington.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S194C198174

https://burlington.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S194C284494

2022 meeting dates:

Thursday, June 16, 10 am

Thursday, September 22, 10 am (tentative)

Next meeting at OLA at end of January?