• TRLN Professional Development Meeting Recap
• TRLN Employee Orientation Recap
• Library Service Center Tour Recap
• Change the Subject Screening and Panel Recap
• New Metadata Interest Group
• TRLN Governance Meetings Overview
• TRLN to host Project ReShare Planning Summit in March
• TRLN to host the Library Management Skills Institute I: The Manager (LMSI I) in May

TRLN Professional Development Meeting Recap

On January 13, HR directors and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leaders at TRLN libraries met at the Frontier to develop ideas for a professional development roadmap for 2020-2021. 

One to two times per year, TRLN will offer modular training developed by TRLN library staff and others. Possible topics include project management, budget resources and planning, advocating for yourself and your ideas, performance management, and library carpentry. 

TRLN will also host the Library Management Skills Institute I: The Manager (LMSI I) facilitated by DeEtta Jones and Associates, scheduled for May 5-7, 2020. More information is available on the event page.

Additionally, TRLN will offer Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainings in a variety of formats. These offerings will allow TRLN to work toward establishing core knowledge and skills in the area of DEI that are consistent across TRLN libraries. By hosting trainings in a variety of formats, TRLN will learn more about and develop relationships with various providers of DEI training. Some possible trainings being considered are Groundwater, Leadership for Diversity, and Essentials of Cultural Competence.

TRLN Employee Orientation Recap

On Thursday, January 16, thirty participants gathered at the NC Biotechnology Center for TRLN Employee Orientation. It was wonderful to see so many new faces and welcome a few long-time employees who wanted a TRLN refresher. Attendees received an overview of the people, priorities, and activities of the consortium and enjoyed an opportunity to network in break-out sessions themed around interest group topics such as metadata and diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

If you were unable to join us, we will host two more TRLN Employee Orientations during the 2020 calendar year.

Library Service Center Tour Recap

Change the Subject Recap

Change the Subject shares the story of a group of student activists at Dartmouth College who were committed to advancing and promoting the rights and dignity of undocumented people. In partnership with staff at Dartmouth, these students – now alumni – produced a film to capture their effort at confronting an instance of anti-immigrant sentiment in their library catalog.

The follow-up discussion and Q&A provided a great opportunity for TRLN staff to hear from panelists involved in metadata work and student activism work: 

• Moderator, Monica Figueroa (UNC-Chapel Hill), Music Cataloging Librarian

• Maggie Dickson (Duke), Metadata Architect

• Christina Manzella (Duke), Monographs Description Librarian

• Meg McMahon (UNC-Chapel Hill), SILS student 

• Maria Lopez Gonzalez (Student Action with Farmworkers), Into the Fields, Program Coordinator

Focusing on the advocacy portrayed in the film, the panel invited attendees to consider how librarians can continue to build trust with the student body and move toward greater inclusivity in our libraries. The panel emphasized the importance of asking for input from the people being described on how they want to be described rather than relying on existing rules that may be problematic. By having these conversations with students and others, librarians can better ensure cataloging terms appropriately represent communities.

Meg McMahon, SILS student, UNC-Chapel Hill, encouraged librarians to approach work with a critical pedagogy and willingness to engage in difficult topics. This approach will create space for students to feel comfortable proposing changes. Continuing further, Maria Lopez Gonzalez, Program Coordinator, Student Action with Farmworkers, invited attendees to consider how libraries could play a part in identifying barriers that prevent students from reaching institutions of higher education as well as providing resources that will empower young activists. 

During the panel Q&A, Jacob Shelby, Interim Lead Librarian for Metadata Technology, NC State Libraries, and member of the TRLN Discovery Metadata team, informed attendees that TRLN is working on developing a process to capture suggested changes and make decisions on changing metadata across TRLN institutions. While underlying terms may not go away, they can be mapped to and be displayed as terms that are preferred. 

TRLN central office staff would like to express gratitude to the panel and everyone’s participation in this event. We hope to use the meaningful panel discussion to fuel future work that will contribute to positive change across TRLN libraries.

New Metadata Interest Group!

Are you involved in metadata work and interested in meeting up with fellow metadata practitioners? If so, then please join the first meeting of the Metadata Interest Group! The meeting will be held at The Frontier in Dive (third floor) from 2:00-4:00pm on February 14. A Zoom link will be provided for anyone wishing to participate remotely. This group will provide an opportunity for metadata practitioners at TRLN institutions to gather periodically to report out on relevant projects and share tips and techniques for doing metadata work. It may also facilitate consortial projects and serve as a venue for discussing metadata issues regarding the shared catalog. For more information or to join the group, please contact Maggie Dickson, Metadata Architect, Duke University, at maggie.dickson@duke.edu.

TRLN Governance Meetings Overview

The Executive Committee (EC) and Advisory Council (AC) held meetings this month that focused on the future of TRLN programming and priorities such as professional development; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work;  shared collections; and the provosts forum on scholarly communication. 

The EC meeting was held on January 28 at D.H. Hill Library at North Carolina State University. The EC discussed upcoming 2020 programs such as the annual meeting and provosts forum on scholarly communication, helping to identify potential keynote speakers.

The EC approved the recommendations developed at TRLN’s professional development meeting on January 13. Over the next few years, TRLN plans to offer a variety of professional development and DEI training opportunities. This will allow TRLN to learn more about and develop relationships with various providers of training and to experiment with multiple training modalities. The goal for DEI training is to work toward establishing core knowledge and skills that are consistent across TRLN libraries.

The AC meeting was held on January 31 at the Archie K. Davis Conference Center. The AC reviewed the activities of Working Groups and Interest Groups. Actions items included the AC helping to identify a new chair for the Resource Sharing Working Group and advising on identification and prioritization of data and reporting projects. 

Further discussed was a Cooperative Print Retention Working Group presented by Jeff Kosokoff, Assistant University Librarian for Collection Strategy, Duke University. This working group would address that the ecosystem for shared print retention has changed and expanded in recent years. It is proposed that the group would coordinate, oversee, and provide guidance when TRLN institutions, as a group or individually, undertake the formal retention of print materials in all formats. This group would replace the previous Shared Print Working Groups (serials and monographs) to reflect the importance of coordinating and leveraging TRLN’s efforts with those of larger at-scale programs. The AC also provided additional input on the provosts’ forum on scholarly communication. 

The next Executive Committee meeting will be held April 13 and the next Advisory Council meeting will be held April 24.

TRLN to Host Project ReShare Planning Summit in March

TRLN will host the Project ReShare Planning Summit on Wednesday, March 4, 10:00am-5:00pm and Thursday, March 5, 9:00am-1:00pm in Bostock Library at Duke University. This meeting will be an opportunity for members of the Steering Committee and invited guests to connect in-person and continue planning for the development of this community-owned interlibrary loan infrastructure.

Participants will need to register using this form. The agenda is in progress. 

TRLN to Host the Library Management Skills Institute in May

TRLN will host the Library Management Skills Institute I: The Manager (LMSI I) workshop, presented by DeEtta Jones and Associates (DJA), May 5-7, 2020, in Durham, NC. More details and a registration link are available at http://bit.ly/lmsi-i-event. TRLN participants will be identified and invited by their supervisor or HR director and should not register via the form. Registration will close on April 6, 2020 or when the institute reaches capacity. 

About the Institute

LMSI I is a highly interactive experience that brings together tried-and-true management principles with best practices in libraries. Over 3 days, expert DJA facilitators engage up to 40 participants in case studies, personal reflection, practical application, and group discussions on the following principles and skills that are key to effective management:

• Management in context

• Behavioral styles

• Power dynamics and influencing skills

• Participatory decision making

• The helping relationship

• Motivation

• Coaching for performance

The content is designed to be particularly beneficial for supervisors, department heads, coordinators, managers, administrators, team and project leaders, or anyone interested in growing as a leader or manager. Widely respected across the library profession, all DJA programs are designed with the adult learner in mind and have a strong reputation of equity, diversity, and inclusion; collaborative learning; practical application; and expert facilitation.

For all participants, visits to libraries at Duke, North Carolina Central University (NCCU), North Carolina State University (NCSU), and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) may be arranged depending on interest.

Questions

Questions about this or any other TRLN event may be directed to: events@trln.org. 

Upcoming Meetings & Events