UCO Library Metadata and Cataloging Team Receives Award from Oklahoma Library Association

April 25, 2023

Media Contact: Amaya Stevenson, Marketing Assistant, UCO Max Chambers Library, 405-974-2877, astevenson13@uco.edu

UCO Library Metadata and Cataloging Team Receives Award from Oklahoma Library Association

The University of Central Oklahoma Max Chambers Library Metadata and Cataloging team recently received the Oklahoma Library Association’s (OLA) Ruth Brown Memorial Award for their inaugural Metadata Justice in Oklahoma Libraries and Archives Symposium. The UCO team holds the distinct honor of being the first library technical services department to receive this award.

The Ruth Brown Memorial Award commemorates the courageous spirit of Ruth Brown, a librarian who fought for racial integration at the Bartlesville Public Library but was fired for her efforts. It recognizes programming that addresses issues of social concern as they impact libraries, library collections and their communities.

The Metadata Justice in Oklahoma Libraries and Archives Symposium focused on metadata justice, which is the use of appropriate and accurate language in metadata systems, like library catalogs, that promotes justice for groups that have historically experienced systemic inequality. The award-winning symposium was established to create a professional development opportunity for Oklahoma librarians and archivists to encourage incorporating inclusive language into their archival work.

“We wanted to continue the discussion about the needed changes in library and archival resource descriptions with a broader community,” said Shay Beezley, assistant director of metadata and cataloging at Central.

“Conscientious application of metadata is a priority for UCO’s catalogers, and librarians and archivists in Oklahoma need a tool for people to learn about inclusive metadata strategies.”

Recipients of the Ruth Brown Memorial Award receive a plaque and $500. The team plans to use the funds to support the next symposium, scheduled for summer 2023.

For more information on the UCO Max Chambers Library Inclusive Metadata Initiative, visit library.uco.edu/inclusivemetadata.

For more information about the Ruth Brown Memorial Award, visit  www.oklibs.org/page/RuthBrown_Award.

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Editor’s Note: Download art associated with this release at https://media.uco.edu/press/uploads/2023/04/awardwinningmetacatdept--002.jpg 

Cutline: The University of Central Oklahoma Max Chambers Library Metadata and Cataloging team recently received the Oklahoma Library Association’s (OLA) Ruth Brown Memorial Award for their inaugural Metadata Justice in Oklahoma Libraries and Archives Symposium. The team holds the distinct honor of being the first library technical services department to receive this award. Pictured, left to right, Lese Salaswat, librarian technician at UCO; Kaitlyn Palone, librarian and metadata and cataloging at UCO; Jenan Alleman, library specialist at UCO; Shay Beezley, assistant director of metadata and cataloging at UCO; Anona Earls, librarian and coordinator of deselection, metadata and cataloging at UCO; Cynthia Sapper, library technician at UCO; and, Stacey Lesher, library technician at UCO.