Join our Economics & Business METRO community for our fall event at Bryant Park. Meet at the Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain. We will share updates while social distancing: BYO coffee and mask! After catching up, we will advance to SNFL for an informal walkthrough of the 5th floor Business Center and rooftop terrace. (Masks are currently required at all times in NYPL buildings, so we will save an official tour for a later date.) In the event of rain, we will cancel. Please register for contact tracing purposes.

Linking Lost Jazz Shrines (LLJS) is an ongoing collaboration between the Weeksville Heritage Center and the Semantic Lab at Pratt Institute to investigate the application of linked open data technologies to the Weeksville Lost Jazz Shrines of Brooklyn (WLJSB) oral history collection. This rich collection documents Central Brooklyn’s cultural legacy of jazz history between the 1930s and 1960s. The primary aim of the project is to make the WLJSB archival collection more discoverable and accessible to researchers and the general public alike. The project also enriches and expands the existing network of jazz musicians developed by the Linked Jazz Project with an infusion of influential, yet lesser-known artists and the venues where they performed. This presentation discussed the workflows, Sélavy tool development, data modeling, and ethical decision-making involved in the transformation of textual archival documents into linked data. Find more information about the grant at the Equity in Action website.

Join the code4lib NYC for a code & coffee Zoom the first Friday of each month this fall. Attendees will have the option of joining breakout rooms to socialize and talk about current projects or to quietly work together in a virtual space. Are you interested in joining code4lib NYC as an organizer? Stop by one of these events to chat with current organizers and share your ideas.

This webinar is facilitated by METRO’s Equity in Action Grant Program Manager Traci Mark. Traci reviews the main components of the grant process, including: The program’s information sheet The grant application form The selection rubric used by the program’s advisory council For more information please see the Equity in Action Grant website.

During Part One of this webinar, Traci Mark, Program Manager - Equity, Archives and Media Preservation at METRO, details what we’re looking for in potential grantees, outlines the types of projects we funded last year, and shares lessons learned during the first cycle of the Equity in Action grant program. Part Two is a Q&A with former Equity in Action grant recipient Melissa Gasparotto from New York Public Library, who shares her tips from the grant cycle experience. You can find more information about the grant below: Equity in Action website Program Information Sheet Application form

Join New School faculty member and METRO board president Shannon Mattern for this conversation with Ever Bussey, Trevor Owens, Everest Pipkin, and Jasmine McNealy, inspired by Shannon's new book, A City Is Not a Computer: Other Urban Intelligences (Princeton University Press): A City Is Not a Computer reveals how cities encompass myriad forms of local and indigenous intelligences and knowledge institutions, arguing that these resources are a vital supplement and corrective to increasingly prevalent algorithmic models...Incorporating insights from urban studies, data science, and media and information studies, [Mattern] offers a visionary new approach to urban planning and design. Shannon Mattern is a Professor of Anthropology at The New School for Social Research. Her writing and teaching focus on archives, libraries, and other media spaces; media infrastructures; spatial epistemologies; and mediated sensation and exhibition, themes explored in her latest book, A City Is Not a Computer: Other Urban Intelligences (Princeton University Press). She is also the author of The New Downtown Library: Designing with Communities, Deep Mapping the Media City, and Code and Clay, Data and Dirt: Five Thousand Years of Urban Media, published by University of Minnesota Press. In addition to writing dozens of articles and book chapters, she contributes a regular long-form column about urban data and mediated infrastructures to Places, a journal focusing on architecture, urbanism, and landscape, and she collaborates on public design and interactive projects and exhibitions. You can find her at wordsinspace.net. Ever Bussey is a social researcher and media maker from Detroit. Their interests concern digital technologies and the role they play in shifting or maintaining power dynamics in human relationships. Ever’s talents include using research and digital media to construct and combat narratives through data visualization, archives, or film. They hold a BA in Media Arts and Studies from Wayne State University and an MA in Media Studies from The New School. Jasmine McNealy is associate director of the Marian B. Brechner First Amendment Project and an associate professor in the Department of Media Production, Management & Technology in the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida, where she studies information, communication, and technology with a view toward influencing law and policy. Her research focuses on privacy, data governance, surveillance, and communities. A 2018-2019 Fellow and current Data & Society Affiliate, she holds a PhD in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Media Law and a J.D. from the University of Florida, and a Bachelor of Science degree in both Journalism and Afro-American studies from the University of Wisconsin. Trevor Owens is a librarian, researcher, policy maker, and educator advancing digital infrastructure and programs for libraries, archives, museums, and related cultural institutions. Owens serves as the first Head of Digital Content Management at the Library of Congress. He is also a Public Historian in Residence at American University, and a lecturer for the University of Maryland’s College of Information, where he is also a Research Affiliate with the Center for Archival Futures. Owens is the author of three books, the most recent of which, The Theory and Craft of Digital Preservation, was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2018 and has won outstanding publication awards from both the American Library Association and the Society of American Archivists. Everest Pipkin is a drawing, game, and software artist from Central Texas who produces small work with large data sets. They hold a BFA from University of Texas at Austin, an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University, and have shown nationally and internationally at The Design Museum of London, The Texas Biennial, The XXI Triennale of Milan, The Photographers Gallery of London, Center for Land Use Interpretation, and others. This event is co-hosted by Code As Liberal Art at The New School and the Metropolitan New York Library Council.

The following is a summary of the event by Mary Bakija, Program Manager, METRO, published September 27, 2021. How can institutions reopen with care, consideration, and empathy for staff and patrons? Susanne Markgren, Assistant Director, Head of Technical Services at Manhattan College, and Linda Miles, Assistant Professor and Librarian at Hostos Community College, shared their experiences and advice in a conversation on Zoom with Traci Mark, METRO's Program Manager - Equity, Archives & Media Preservation, on Wednesday, September 8, 2021.  Classes at Manhattan College were hybrid last year, and the library was open 24/7 with scaled back services, so Susanne has been navigating partially reopened spaces for a while now. Facing budget challenges, the school felt it was best to have students fully return to campus this semester, which meant a complete reopening for the first time since early 2020. "The school decided we have to be fully open, with no distancing but masks required in buildings, and everyone is required to be vaccinated," Susanne said. She's pushing for the ability to continue working from home some days, though the school is requiring staff that's been fully remote to work in person now. Amid the ongoing pandemic, these policies are causing varying levels of anxiety and displeasure for those working at the school. The result has been several retirements, a resignation over the vaccination requirement, and layoffs and reductions in hours over the past year.  Managing Anxiety from the Top Down Of course, none of this is unique to Manhattan College. Libraries of all types have been expanding services, and librarians have to manage the stress that might entail. For Linda, the most important things that help her and those she supervises through the anxiety is a clear path of communication. "Information, information, information," she said, stressing that institutions need to be open and clear about as much as they can, preferably disseminating information straight from senior leadership. "I would appreciate the maximum transparency from the very top, so that I don't have to wait for my supervisor's supervisor to tell them something that my supervisor will eventually tell me. I think that shows a lot of respect for the people who work for you." Transparency can, and perhaps should, come in many shapes. "To get people's individual concerns, have as many open meetings and discussions as you can," Susanne recommended. "But also offer private meetings for those who don't feel comfortable talking in a bigger space." "Managers should be as flexible as possible," Linda agreed. If there's a reason a supervisor can't be flexible, like red tape or policies from higher up, be honest about that. "It's good to be up front with the people you're supervising about the constraints you're working within."  Managers might have an opportunity for flexibility in scheduling staff for public-facing work, which is often also an opportunity to address equity issues. Who has been able to work remotely, and who's been spending more time at the reference desk?  "Managers should think about how roles and workflows and tasks could possibly change," Susanne said. "Ask yourself, 'Do I have the power to give my staff more power to take control of their own schedules, their own time, and their own work?'" "Always advocate for the people you supervise, to the extent that you can within the parameters you've been given by the institution," Linda said. Navigating Tensions Between Coworkers and With Patrons Openness shouldn't stop at the higher ups in an organization. Your coworkers and patrons are dealing with different degrees of anxiety over the return to in-person activities, and it will help if everyone feels comfortable sharing their concerns. "It's good to talk to colleagues about how they're feeling," Linda said. "And if you're feeling uncomfortable with how your colleagues or patrons are behaving, if that is making you more anxious, it might be good to have a conversation about it." If a situation makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe in any way, and it's not possible to talk directly with the person that's involved, Susanne recommends finding whoever you can to discuss it with.  "Start a conversation with colleagues, supervisors, your director, someone at HR, or your union," she said. "It can be tricky for some people to start conversations with their supervisors or their directors if they don't have a relationship, or they don't have a good relationship, or they don't feel comfortable. But it is very important to reach out to someone. So if you can identify someone that you could talk to confidentially, then try to get advice about how to approach the supervisor."  Susanne concluded by reminding supervisors to be visibly willing to listen to the people they manage. "There are a lot of ways to show empathy," she said. "If your supervisor isn't doing that, then try to seek out other ways for communication to get your voice heard."

The following is a summary of the event by Mary Bakija, Program Manager, METRO, published on September 15, 2021. The pandemic didn't create productivity culture, but in many cases it exacerbated situations of overwork. April Hathcock, Director of Scholarly Communications and Information Policy at New York University, and Kimberly Springer, Curator at the Oral History Archives of Columbia, joined us for a conversation on Zoom moderated by Traci Mark, METRO's Program Manager - Equity, Archives & Media Preservation, on Wednesday, September 1 to discuss how our relationship to productivity has changed. Reflecting on how the panelists' own productivity has evolved during the pandemic, Kimberly admitted she has become more productive. That intense pace of work made her worry that hitting the brakes would lead to disaster. "I started to feel that if I stopped, I might completely crumble," she said. "So I did a slow easing up on the throttle instead, and attended to my mental health that way." April said she was able to step back and take a wide view of what she does and how she wants to spend her time. Getting work done is important to earn a paycheck, but she's also focusing on being present in each moment and maintaining important relationships. "If I can get through a day where I stay healthy, and everyone that I love stays healthy," she said, "that is enough, right? That's productive enough." That balance of work life and personal life has grown increasingly challenging, however, when both take place in your home. Kimberly and April shared tips for creating boundaries: Create a workstation, a space within your space that's only for work. Once the work day is over, leave that space and don't look back Use music to create separate spaces. Have work playlists and home playlists  Don't work from bed. Keep that as a space for rest, not for work Make appointments for yourself to exercise, go for a walk, take a break, etc., and keep those appointments They also advised managers to set a good example of work/life balance for their staff. Their first recommendation is to ensure everyone has a reasonable perspective on the work that's happening in libraries. "The work that we do isn't unimportant, but we act like it's in crisis mode all the time," April said, noting that this has been true well before the pandemic. "But it is not, and it doesn't have to be. As a leader or a manager, being able to model that for your staff makes a huge difference to them down the road, because it allows them to feel more empowered to engage with that as they do their work." Kimberly agreed, reminding everyone that there's not much anyone is doing in this field that is truly urgent. "If somebody marks an email urgent, that's the easiest way to get me to take my time," she said. "I just can't think of anything that's urgent in that respect."  They offered these ideas for managers to model a healthy approach to work: Tell your staff you're only available during work hours, and that you won't be checking or responding to email outside of work hours Schedule emails to send so they arrive within other people's work hours Be honest. If you're having a bad day and can't get to a task, say so, and allow space for others to do the same Manage up, so the people working under you don't suffer. For example, if a manager from another department has an idea that will create work for your staff, say no Allow people to take their earned time off, and don't require lengthy explanations for why they need that time off Do research into what burnout looks like, and what different remedies exist. Offer avenues for help For managers and for their teams, April said, all of this comes down to doing just enough to collect your paycheck, and nothing more.  "Your organization will never love you, will never value you, will never cherish you. It's an organization," she said. "My staff, I think they're fantastic people. But in evaluating them, I'm just looking for them to do the bare minimum. I'm fine with that. And I'm also looking to do the bare minimum, and I've made myself fine with that, too. Because the organization doesn't deserve any more." Figuring out who you are beyond work is the other part of the balancing act. "Connect to who you are outside of your work," April said. "Shift from living to work to working to live." You make time in your day for work, you set goals and plan projects with deadlines. Why not take a similar approach for the other things you do? Kimberly recommended the Passion Planner, which she uses for professional and creative goals. Whatever she's doing, she can refer back to those goals and determine if that activity works toward one of those goals.  "If I want to binge watch something, and my goal is to rest, it fits in," she said. Within capitalism, we've been acculturated to identify strongly with our work. We often reinforce that in conversations with new people, when we ask or are asked about what we "do," and the expectation is that we mean "what we do for work." Kimberly offered two ways to change those expectations. "I try to ask, 'What do you do for enjoyment?'" she said. "Or, if someone asks, 'What do you do?' I respond with what I do for enjoyment instead of what I do for labor." April added that scheduling time for your personal pursuits, and sticking to those appointments, can help you define your answer to that question. "Find time at least once a week, or better, once a day, to do things that remind yourself that you're not just your work," she said. "You're a person who has other activities." Kimberly and April created this list of resources to help regain some balance. We're grateful to them both for the time and guidance they shared. 

Libraries are uniquely positioned to provide essential services to those who are looking for work. We’ve got the skills, the resources, and the ideals to truly help our communities.  During this time of compassion fatigue, this workshop series presents a call for empathetic job and career services for those who need it most.  Presented by NYPL’s Ricci Yuhico, part three of this series covers: The limits of emotional labor / avoiding burnout on the part of library staff When and how to “push people out of the nest” Knowing your community resources and when to make referrals

The following is a summary of the event by Mary Bakija, Program Manager, METRO, published on August 27, 2021. Major data breaches are occurring with increasing frequency, and the current deluge of concerning reports such as the Colonial Pipeline, SolarWinds, and T-Mobile attacks can feel both terrifying and overwhelming. Dan Ayala of Secratic and Gary Price of Library Journal’s INFODocket joined us at METRO for a talk on Zoom on Wednesday, August 18 to help us find actionable steps to avoid having sensitive personal and library system information compromised. Awareness of prevention techniques and education on how to implement them is the first step, which is where Dan and Gary say libraries can be incredibly valuable. But we can’t educate others before we educate ourselves. They advise libraries to hold regular, ongoing data security awareness sessions for internal staff, covering everything from how to spot an email phishing scam to password management. Ideally, this will help create an environment where people will understand it’s okay to admit when a security incident may have occurred. “The last thing you want is people feeling like they can’t come forward and say, ‘I might have clicked on this link, and I might have included my username and password, which now can be used against the library,” Dan said. Specific scams to look out for include: Urgent emails that come from someone in a leadership position at the library. Scammers think you’re less likely to ask those leaders, “Did you really send this??” Anyone asking for iTunes gift cards, or that you print out the attached W2s, for example A message from your email provider that says your mailbox is full, and to click on a link to get more data. They’re preying on your worry about doing your job well Knowing Who to Trust If you have a good IT department or a skilled CIO, having these regular security conversations should hopefully be part of their roles. But if they’re not well versed in all the vendors you use, or they’re stretched too thin to help? Sometimes the best move is to bring in outside expertise. Look for a consultant who can provide advice on your specific needs, so they can help you understand what you can and can’t do to guard against breaches. Consultants can also assist after an incident has occurred. Knowing who to trust with this sensitive information can be intimidating. “A lot of that will come from word-of-mouth,” Dan said, noting that if a consultant has worked with a library before, they’re already ahead of the game. “It’s important that somebody gets to know, for lack of a better term, the business of your library first, and uses that to be able to make recommendations that are appropriate to you appropriate to that business.” The same might be said for your technology vendors. It’s unlikely (but not impossible) that a small library will be targeted by hackers, and the likelihood increases the bigger an organization gets. So if you rely on software that’s developed and maintained by a massive company, and that company’s technology is compromised, that can potentially impact your work. “You have to know the controls that are in place, and what they’re doing not just to secure the data, but also what they’re doing with the data,” he said. Password Safety “Humans are really bad at being random,” Dan said. Unfortunately, the strongest passwords are very random. If you can’t be random, then ensuring you use a unique password for every single thing you need a password is a good first step—except then you have to remember a lot of unique passwords, which in reality means you’ll probably be spending a lot of time resetting passwords. The safest bet, then, is to use a password manager, which will generate unique passwords for each account you need it for, and you only need to remember the password to the manager. “This means good security,” Dan explained. “So that when you get notice that a site has been compromised, then you only have to go back and change one password.” While some free password managers exist, they acknowledged that there are additional risks associated with using a free service and recommended several subscription password managers, which may be an expense that’s untenable for many. Dan and Gary also recommend utilizing multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever it’s offered. MFA requires a second key to access an account.hat could be text messages sent to your phone, or a key fob that displays numbers you enter for access. MFA is an excellent buffer against bad actors, but, as they emphatically noted, the process is a total drag. “It’s definitely a drag!” Dan said. “And it’s what makes people inclined not to use them, or to turn them off—because it is frustrating! Security has a user experience problem.” Public Safety Working with the public opens up several potential security risks, but Dan and Gary have some tips for staying safe. Ensuring patrons are aware of the same issues that were discussed above is an excellent first step. Are there digital safety courses you can point them toward, or ones you could host yourself? Are there any ways, in your interactions with patrons, that you can provide simple instruction on how to look out for potential phishing scams or why a strong password is important? As for shared public computers, they advise libraries to treat them as if somebody’s done something bad to that computer. They recommend using technologies like Deep Freeze, which protects shared computers by restoring them to a saved configuration every time you restart them. “People who don’t have their own technology are going to come into libraries,” Dan said. “So we owe it to the patrons to return those systems to a safe state after each use.” Ultimately, data security health is about being aware of the risks and the processes required to fix issues, and then determining the best balance for yourself—but one that’s still at a level to keep most people safe. Because you (and your patrons) are constantly exchanging data with other people, so your security can impact theirs. For resources on how to prevent data breaches, please see this handy document created by Gary and Dan: https://bit.ly/preventbreaches

If you were bored in the late 80s/early 90s you could always catch something weird on public access television. XFR Collective and METRO bring you a selection of oddities from the weekly arts-oriented show Downtown Tonight. First a stream of consciousness rant on the eve of the 1992 presidential election… “You kids do not know how much we waited for computers.” Then Craig Silver interviews poet Elizabeth Rogers on living in China through the 1980s followed by a “Cool Couture Fashion Show” at Tompkins Square Park. Last but not least Downtown tonight brings you scenes from the June 11th, 1988 March for Peace held in Central Park and an opening at the Helio Gallery for Jose Ortega. This program will be hosted by Spectacle Theater on Thursday, July 22nd at 8:00 pm. You can stream it here: https://stream.spectacletheater.com/ Program Notes From 1987 to 1993, artists Craig Silver and Lynn Seeney produced Downtown Tonight. They interviewed and profiled visual artists, musicians, writers and filmmakers and documented the cultural scene of New York’s Lower East Side. They also presented original experimental video work. The videotaped programs were aired on Channel D on Manhattan Cable TV, which evolved into Manhattan Neighborhood Network. These episodes of Downtown Tonight were lovingly transferred by XFR Collective from big ‘ol U-matic tapes on a rack built for the Metropolitan New York Library Council community. The tapes are among the shelf stock of the Monday Wednesday Friday Video Club, which was a video store and distribution network founded in 1986 by artist Alan Moore. Sort of like a DIY Blockbuster, the idea was to bypass the gallery system of a screen in a white box, and bring video art directly to viewers at home at affordable prices. In 2018, XFR Collective began working with Moore to slowly digitize each tape in the MWF collection. XFR Collective partners with artists, activists, and community organizations to lower the barriers to preserving at-risk audiovisual media – especially unseen, unheard, or marginalized works – through digitization, screenings, educational workshops, and pop-up events. Operating through a non-hierarchical model, we work to create an inclusive environment in which to explore practical methods for media preservation, archiving, and access.

Current economic trends finally favor workers. Businesses are hiring again and benefits are ending. Meanwhile, the digital divide is still an issue we have to contend with, and many of the patrons we work with need us more than ever. Libraries are uniquely positioned to provide essential services to those who are looking for work. We’ve got the skills, the resources, and the ideals to truly help our communities. During this time of compassion fatigue, this workshop series presents a call for empathetic job and career services for those who need it most. We work through the current state of library-based career services, share specific advice for providing career services across the digital divide, and discuss how library staff can assist patrons with their job searches while keeping their mental health in mind. Led by Shauna Edson, Technology and Digital Equity Manager at Salt Lake City Public Library, part two of this series covers: Specific advice to help patrons who only have access to phones and tablets work up their job materials Specific advice about formatting resumes and cover letters on tablets or iPhones Tech workarounds and shortcuts skill sharing

The following is a summary of the event by Mary Bakija, Program Manager, METRO, published on July 30, 2021. Jer Thorp joined Davis Erin Anderson, Assistant Director for Programs and Partnerships at METRO Library Council, for a discussion on his new book, Living in Data: A Citizen’s Guide to a Better Information Future, on Thursday, July 15. Below is a summary of the conversation; you can read a full transcript at the link at the bottom of this post. When data is used to tell people what they’re like and how they feel, rather than asking them what they’re like and how they feel, does that help them? For a group of teenagers in New York, when data painted a picture of them that they didn’t recognize, it wasn’t helpful at all. Researchers had applied sentiment analysis to hundreds of thousands of tweets in Manhattan, and they pinpointed an area of extreme unhappiness coming from what looked to be ​​Hunter College High School. Those students, the researchers claimed, were super sad. However, as Jer Thorp explained in a recent talk we at METRO hosted via Zoom, the study was flawed in a couple of key ways. “They had a technical error, first of all, which meant that the sad place wasn’t actually in the high school,” he said. “But then I went and talked to the vice principal, and after a long conversation, she told me, ‘Well, we knew it was wrong because our students don’t use Twitter. Twitter’s for old people.'” The media coverage that came out of this faulty study was the seed in Jer’s mind for his book, and, as he told us in our discussion, the first time he wondered: What does it feel like to live in data? His recently-published book, Living in Data: A Citizen’s Guide to a Better Information Future, is a look at how we got to the point where the public views data as, according to Jer, “some kind of technological magic, this wonder that can only be produced at a certain scale.” He also hopes it’s an opportunity for people—perhaps with help from librarians—to consider ways to adjust the narrative and tell new stories about data. The Source of Wisdom Looking at the kinds of data that is and isn’t being collected by various institutions and corporations, Jer pointed to the original data processing creators as the problem. “We’ve spent a decade building this vast computational structure that costs trillions of dollars, and its whole purpose, from an advertising perspective, is to make sure we never have to talk to people. We want to try to find out as much about their lives without talking to them,” he said. “That same machinery is an amplifier of the existing exclusions and the existing marginalizations. There’s a good reason for that, too. This machine was built by people who are in the margins, and as such, it doesn’t do a good job of listening to people outside of the margins. I can pick almost any type of inequity, and this system magnifies it.” A foundational concept for those in-margin engineers is the DIKW pyramid: data is the base that leads to information, knowledge, and, finally, wisdom. “The fundamental idea of that is that wisdom cannot be arrived at unless we collect the data, and therefore it’s a moral imperative to collect data,” he said. “It’s a nice philosophy that conveniently fits the profit models of all these companies. The truth is, of course, you can arrive at wisdom without collecting the data. And sometimes it’s actually the wisdom to not collect the data that’s the most important part.” Traditionally, wisdom has often come from our elders—a group that has been left out of data conversations. Jer described it as incredibly short-sighted to ignore that, and to attempt to answer questions as though they’ve never been asked before. Reconnect People to Their Data Another big challenge is how data is often inaccessible to those from whom it’s being collected. Even when data is “open,” how accessible is it, really? If you need technical expertise to work with it, if it’s only available in English, if there’s poor or no documentation, is that truly “open”? “What we’ve been given is tremendously insufficient. It’s ‘open’ to the same people who already benefit from data,” Jer said. “We need to be thinking about ways that we can open even existing datasets.” People working in information fields can help in this work by finding ways to make data more accessible—for instance, by creating better standards before and while data is collected, or by improving the accessibility of existing datasets. “That act of adding those things is an act of data liberation,” he said. “The data is already there, but it’s invisible. We can make it visible in ways that I think are exciting.” Reclaim Data and Use It Some questions Jer posed for librarians working with communities that might be interested in reclaiming their data: What data is being collected from your neighborhood? What are some ways that data can be brought back to your neighborhood? If people outside the community are using the community’s data, how can you help bridge that divide? How can you keep data local—that is, within the library’s infrastructure rather than relying on outside resources? How can you tell new stories with data? Could that be ​​An Artist in Every Library, a makerspace integration, a series of workshops? Or something else entirely? We hope to explore these and more questions about data in upcoming events, but in the meantime, if you have questions for Jer, he welcomed folks to reach out.

Major data breaches are increasingly front and center in the news, and for good reason. We live in an age where foreign actors can shut down major infrastructure from thousands of miles away. This session with security experts Dan Ayala and Gary Price covers exactly how events like the Colonial Pipeline occur, who is behind these terrible events, and what, precisely, this has to do with libraries and archives. For resources on how to prevent data breeches, please see this handy document created by Gary and Dan: https://bit.ly/preventbreaches

Libraries are uniquely positioned to provide essential services to those who are looking for work. We’ve got the skills, the resources, and the ideals to truly help our communities. During this time of compassion fatigue, this workshop series presents a call for empathetic job and career services for those who need it most. We work through the current state of library-based career services, share specific advice for providing career services across the digital divide, and discuss how library staff can assist patrons with their job searches while keeping their mental health in mind. Presented by Djaz Zulida of Brooklyn Public Library, part one of this series covers: Assisting underserved patrons with resume and career services Promoting an ethical perspective for providing deeper assistance to those who would benefit most Reconsidering the “teach the person to fish” mentality

Feel free to circulate broadly! METRO’s Digital Preservation SIG has become the Data Lifecycle Interest Group! Come to our first community meeting where the co-organizers will share more about the group’s expanded mission, introduce ourselves to each other, and share our collective and developing vision for future programming. When: July 7, 2021 at 2pm EDT (18:00 UTC) RSVP here! After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. ​We’re looking forward to ‘seeing’ you there! Also, note that the name of this list will be changed soon from ‘digipress@lists.metrolists.org’ to ‘datalifecycle@lists.metrolists.org​.’ Thanks from the co-organizers, Stephen Klein (CUNY Graduate Center) Vicky Rampin (NYU) Jessica Wagner Webster (Baruch-CUNY) ABOUT THE DATA LIFECYCLE SIG: The Data Lifecycle Special Interest Group will broadly touch upon all aspects of data. Join this group for presentations and discussions on data extraction, massaging & normalization, exports, archiving, preservation, sustainability and reproducibility.

In this presentation, members of the Prison Library Support Network discussed: (1) how the organization started and how they build our relationships; (2) the projects they have done: from the asks that inspire them, to the way they work through them as a non-hierarchical organization, to their impact in the library and prison communities; and (3) what brought them to and keeps them tied to this work—how it brings joy and how it fosters radical information liberation, i.e., information access alternatives that subvert power structures. PLSN's goal for this presentation is to offer its work as one model for organizing sustainable, volunteer-powered information networks and services, and to encourage reflection on what our roles as information workers look like in the struggle for collective liberation. This webinar was initially presented as part of the 2021 Urban Libraries Conference.

Katelyn Angell and Elvis Bakaitis present different strategies on how to help undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty to locate appropriate grants/funding. They describe a recent grants initiative led by the Mina Rees Library (The Graduate Center), including interdepartmental partnerships and the CUNY Research Foundation. Initiatives and resources developed to promote external scholarships for undergraduates at Long Island University-Brooklyn will also be discussed. Elvis Bakaitis is currently the Interim Head of Reference at The Graduate Center’s Mina Rees Library. They are proud to serve on the University LGBTQ Council; the board of CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies; and LACUNY Diversity & Multicultural Roundtable. Bakaitis holds an MLIS from Queens College and Certificate in Geriatric Care Management from the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging at Hunter College. Katelyn (Kate) Angell is Associate Professor/Coordinator of Library Instruction at Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus and Adjunct Reference Librarian at The CUNY Graduate Center. She holds a BA from Wesleyan University, MLIS from St. John’s University, and MA in Psychology from LIU Brooklyn. Kate’s research interests include information literacy instruction, the organization of information, and the history of medicine.

Join us on Friday, June 18th from 2:00 to 3:00pm for a Juneteenth Celebration. This gathering is meant for BIPOC cultural workers only; we kindly ask that allies and comrades who identify as non-BIPOC to sit this one out. Our intention is to create a space that offers community, joy and conversation during this time. Please come with a spirit of openness and empathy as we share thoughts and feelings without judgement. This call will be facilitated by Traci Mark (Media Archivist and Educational Programming Associate at METRO) and Zakiya Collier (Digital Archivist at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture).

It’s summer, it’s Pride season, and although we’re gay and tired, we have enough energy for ice cream. Join your fellow LGBTQ+ library folks to unwind with a sweet treat at 6:30pm on June 17th*. We’ll meet at Uncle Louie G’s / Piccoli Take-Out, grab treats, and head over to Prospect Park across the street. Sign up here to receive email notifications about this event. We will email you only in the event of a rain/heatwave delay. Covid precautions: We will be outdoors only. Masks are welcome. *(rain/heatwave date June 24th) This event was planned in collaboration with Djaz Zulida. Thanks so much, Djaz!

Register with the link: https://bit.ly/3hT6vEi Join our Economics & Business METRO community for our Spring/Summer Townhall event—we want your input! We’ll be sharing updates from our member libraries, debriefing our poster session event, brainstorming future directions for our group, and discussing plans for fall reopenings. Please share this event with colleagues who may be interested in attending, and join our new mailing list: https://lists.metrolists.org/mailman/listinfo/econbiz

METRO’s Library Assistants and Support Staff Association present a webinar focused on promoting and sustaining an inclusive work environment and support LGBTQ staff and patrons. Learn about creating a respectful environment by understanding the distinction between gender and sexuality, the history of gay rights, and the importance of learning and use people’s pronouns. Tiffanie Claude leads The New York Public Library’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. In this role, she provides strategic direction, leadership and champions the development of an inclusive environment by integrating diversity practice into all aspects of the organization. Her life’s mission is to lead with excellence by empowering and motivating a Culture of Equity. She is a champion for progressive change and uses her space to foster positive growth and development at every touchpoint around her.

In this session, Vicky Rampin (Librarian for Research Data Management and Reproducibility at New York University) discusses open scholarship and reproducible research practices, and how librarians and archivists can make a difference in the sustainability of research. This session doesn’t require any prior knowledge of data librarianship, reproducibility, digital preservation, or open scholarship, but aims to provide a holistic overview of how these manifest in our scholarly communities. Vicky Rampin is the Librarian for Research Data Management and Reproducibility and the subject specialist for data science at NewYork University. In her role, Vicky supports researchers of all levels and disciplines in creating well-managed, reproducible scholarship. Her research centers on integrating reproducible practices into the research workflow, advocating openness for all research materials, and contributing to open infrastructure. She works on Taguette, a free and open source qualitative data analysis tool, and ReproZip, a free and open source tool for full computational reproducibility. Special thanks to CUNY-Graduate Center’s Stephen Klein and New York University’s David Millman for their assistance developing our series on Digital Preservation, of which this webinar was a part.

While commonly associated with retro video game hobbyists, emulation can be a powerful and essential tool for providing access to legacy digital material. Using emulators, archivists and librarians can mimic obsolete and incompatible software on their current computers, recreating the environments in which older files were originally created and used. In this talk, Ethan Gates will discuss the history of emulation as a computing technology, the hidden dependencies it can address in digital collections, and current efforts by the EaaSI (Emulation-as-a-Service Infrastructure) program and the Software Preservation Network to make emulation a practical solution for heritage and memory institutions of many shapes and sizes. Ethan Gates lives in Amherst, MA and works remotely as a Software Preservation Analyst for Yale University Library and User Support Lead for the Mellon and Sloan Foundation-funded EaaSI program. He currently volunteers with the Software Preservation Network and the Association of Moving Image Archivists, and is a former member of XFR Collective. Special thanks to CUNY-Graduate Center’s Stephen Klein and New York University’s David Millman for their assistance developing our series on Digital Preservation, of which this webinar was a part.

Imagine you are going to teach a first-year seminar, semester-long class that looks critically at the information systems students will encounter in their research. What content would you like to cover in the syllabus? Problematic subject headings? Academia’s discouragement of non-traditional publishing? In this workshop, attendees will brainstorm what a syllabus could look like that discusses the creation, dissemination, and production of information in our socio-political environment as well as the power relations and structures at play that can limit access and exposure to a diversity of voices. Attendees will be encouraged to contribute examples, resources, and topics that they think would be of interest especially to college students. Attendees will walk away with critical examples and topics they can include in their instruction even if it’s only one a limited, one shot basis. Breanne Crumpton is the Information Literacy Librarian for the Humanities at Appalachian State University with liaison duties primarily to English and History. Her research interests include how to help students better navigate research through critical pedagogy and practice as well as incorporating inclusive teaching within the library instruction classroom. Dusty Ross is a Lecturer Librarian and Lecturer of College Writing at Appalachian State University. She received her BA in English from ASU in 2006, MA in English from Georgia State University in 2012, MLIS in 2020 from the UNCG, and her Online Teaching Certification in 2020 through Quality Matters.