ULA Annual Conference 2025

For beginner catalogers, postcards present a special challenge. Although postcards are a growing collection area for many institutions, few postcard catalog records have been previously added to OCLC, requiring catalogers to create original records for the vast majority of the postcards their institutions collect. Additionally, due to a growing interest in postcards from hobbyists and individual collectors, cataloging postcards often requires applying specialized terminology to catalog records, in order to enhance the discoverability and descriptiveness of catalog records. This presentation aims to make cataloging postcards feel more approachable for beginners by breaking down sample catalog records, pointing out unique features of postcard records that often confuse beginners, and highlighting best practices for applying RDA and LC vocabularies. It will briefly define and differentiate between the most commonly utilized postcard-related jargon (like the difference between chromographs and lithographs, or the significance of Real Photo Postcards). It will even include suggestions for how to notate handwritten messages, date/time stamps, or other copy-specific information in local records.

The Beehive Book Award is going to be undergoing some exciting new changes beginning in 2025, in this session we will explore the changes, discuss why they are being made, and outline how everyone can get involved in the new era of the award. Participants will also have time to ask questions and give feedback about the new processes.

As part of an ongoing floor-by-floor renovation within the BYU Library, subject librarians have been asked to assess their current physical collections. The renovations are currently approaching the Humanities department on the 5th floor and in this session, two Humanities librarians in the BYU Library will discuss their ongoing collection assessment or “weeding” projects. They will speak about the overarching aspects of the assessment, such as specific library priorities and parameters, and how conducting an assessment in the Humanities presents some unique challenges. Additionally, each will discuss their experiences in conducting the assessments in relation to effective processes, selection criteria, time management, student mentorship, as well as lessons learned. This session will offer participants valuable perspectives and insights on collection assessments that can be applied to collections within academic libraries specifically, as well as all libraries generally.

This session will report on research done to better understand the landscape of archival publishing. This research compared the American Archivist with seven regional archival journals. The study used corpus analysis to compare the contents of the journals, an author analysis to understand who is publishing in the regional archival journals versus the American Archivist, and a citation analysis to examine the impact of the regional archival journals versus the American Archivist. The session will discuss how tools like corpus analysis, author analysis, and citation analysis can be used to understand the key issues in archival and library studies.

In this session, three catalogers from BYU will present on interesting cataloging problems that we have come across in our work. One presenter will present on cataloging Captain Canuck and will address the challenges associated with cataloging comics. The second presenter will address her quest to identify and catalog a picture. The third presenter will present on cataloging oddities in digital objects.

The Presidential Papers, a group of collections spanning Utah State University’s (USU) 17 presidents, is frequently used for instruction, exhibits, and personal research as a major resource for USU history. As part of a large-scale remediation initiative within University Archives, the Presidential Papers project significantly improved access, discoverability, and use of high research value collections that document critical parts of university history. Through the examination of appropriate levels of description, implementing intellectual order, and developing workflows, this session explores how secondary processing is used to modernize and improve high-impact collections.

I’ve been a cataloger for 3 years, but I worked in reference & circulation for 6 years before that. While my cataloging work is often "out of the way" from the rest of the library, I've found ways to use my circulation/reference experience to benefit my current job, such as helping co-workers who reach out to me with questions regarding access to ebooks & other electronic materials.

Libraries are all at different stages of their foray into the preservation of digital material. Some trying to manage with minimal resources and staff, while others are finding an overwhelming task of sorting through the digital deluge. Finding learning resources and help can be difficult. Here are some of the resources and communities I have found most helpful in my work in Digital Preservation.

Libraries offer a range of programs and spaces that can be noisy, but many patrons come seeking a quite environment. We investigated the impact of noise on student stress in the library using wearable biomarker devices. We measured participants’ heart rate variability (HRV), skin temperature, and blood pressure while studying in loud and quiet areas. We also surveyed participants about their overall stress, well-being, and reasons for visiting the library. Our research can be used to inform future programing and space allocations in libraries.

In 1983, two journalists traveled the country asking hundreds of people with diverse backgrounds and professions two questions: “What book has made the biggest difference in your life?” and “What was that difference?” In a partial replication of that inquiry, we designed a two-phase study in which we ask a similar sequence of questions via survey and then follow up with more in-depth, probing questions through interviews and focus groups. While we began by focusing on our own university community of students (undergraduate and graduate) and employees (faculty and staff) representing a diverse range of academic disciplines and professional service areas, we employed snowball sampling to reach a broader pool of participants. Initial findings will be discussed including titles, genres, and authors identified as well as emergent themes regarding the impact of chosen books. Additionally, in light of this year’s ULA conference theme (“Our Stories Inspire”), attendees will have an opportunity to share a book that has been influential to them and see what books have made a difference in the lives of other conference attendees.