Judith R. Ahronheim

JUDITH R. AHRONHEIM

320 North Hatcher Library
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
Work: (734) 764-9361
E-Mail: jaheim@umich.edu
Home page: http://www.umich.edu/~jaheim

WORK EXPERIENCE:

February, 2007 - Present: Head, Electronic Resource Access Unit, Graduate Library University of Michigan. Manage seven-person unit responsible for maintaining access to electronic resources the Library has chosen to add to its collections. This includes maintenance tasks like fixing broken links in the library catalog, authority control and general catalog corrections, managing and troubleshooting OpenURL linking data, troubleshooting electronic resources outages, and administering High Level Browse Category assignment. The unit also provides the following support services for non-MARC metadata: schema consultation, copyright status review, metadata entry and maintenance for the institutional repository and for article-level metadata for digitized serials. Committee membership: SFX Working Group (2003-2011), Metadata and Resource Description Committee (2005-2008), University Digital Asset Management System (BlueStream) Development Group (2003-2008), SUMMON Implementation Team (2010-2011), VuFind Metadata Implementation Team (2008), Information Architecture Web Advisory Group (2008-2010), Public Access Resources Committee (2009-2011),

Participated in development of software and policies for the Copyright Review Management System
Organized staff training and series of workshops and presentations to orient staff members to new tasks and contexts after reorganization.
Implemented automated headings flip for authority control.
Outages unresolved at end of month reduced from an average monthly 31 to 4 over three years.

November, 1999 - January, 2007: Metadata Specialist, Graduate Library University of Michigan. Develop and advise on the development of schema for descriptive metadata and metadata production processes for collaborative projects. Serve as liaison between Technical Services and Digital Library divisions. Committee membership: Access to Electronic Resources Working Group (chair 1998-2005), Promotion Review Committee, Networked Information Resources Steering Committee, Library Technology Council, Cataloging Policy Council, Web Advisory Group, Digital Library Production Service Records Management Group, Networked Resources Team (troubleshooting)

Accomplishments:

As Chair of Access to Electronic Resources Working Group, developed Electronic Journals List with subject categories automatically populated from catalog, improved identification and collocation of "primary resources" in the library catalog, and developed process to automatically insert information about institutional passwords required by some online publishers into an authenticated user's catalog transaction.
Developed local descriptive record standard for images that meets VRA Core requirements, can be mapped to Dublin Core (CIMI version 0.3) and is currently used in three different, independent databases.
Served on three-member Lead Team to develop recommendation for a new Library Management System.
Helped develop shared electronic resources and tools with University's Business Library.
With Access Group and CPC, developed local policy for representation of digital reproductions of monographs.
Presented or produced at least two metadata-related library-wide instructional sessions per year.
Participated in local implementation of MyLibrary and ancillary services.

September 8, 1992 - November 2, 1999: Unit Head, Original Cataloging, Graduate Library, University of Michigan. Supervise unit of two professional catalogers, six paraprofessional catalogers, and one student. Participate in department-level strategic planning. Act as advisor and resource for cataloging decisions.

Accomplishments:

Advised in design and construction of University of Michigan home page.
Advised and assisted members of NSF Digital Library Project.
Redesigned work to allow elimination of two clerical positions, permitting staff members to be assigned to direct production work.
Hired and trained two professional and two paraprofessional catalogers.
Developed Unit-based PC training program. Assisted in adapting program for Library-wide use.
Regular increase in Unit productivity over five year period.
Directed design, development and maintenance of Unit home page.
During term as chair of Cataloging Policy Committee, developed continuing series of Catalogers' Forums for development of skills of cataloging staff.

February 5, 1990 - September 8, 1992: Assistant Librarian, Monograph Cataloging Unit, Graduate Library University of Michigan Performed full, MeSH, and Brief Record cataloging. Edited OCLC and RLIN records. Composed authority records for NACO project. Provided training and revision support for paraprofessional catalogers. Supervised two clerical employees and one student. Assisted in unit planning and coordination of work with other units. Participated in library-wide committees, including acting as head of Graduate Library Exhibits Committee
Accomplishments:

Elected Secretary of Librarians' Forum.
As chair of Library Exhibits Committee, led in the establishment of the Library's first written exhibits policy and supervised the mounting of five major exhibits.
Planned and directed the cataloging of 4,000 Engineering Technical Reports.
Designed process for annually updating changed MeSH headings in the library catalog.
Trained two catalogers to assign MeSH headings.
Taught MARC for Non-catalogers and Merged Headings workshops.
Developed basic PC software skills.
Designed electronic spreadsheet for Unit cataloging statistics.

June 1, 1989 - February 5, 1990: Technical Library Assistant, Monograph Cataloging Unit, Graduate Library University of Michigan Performed minimal level original cataloging and classification. Edited OCLC and RLIN records for inclusion in library catalog. Assisted in training of searchers. Composed authority records for library catalog.
Accomplishments:

Helped design and carry out training plan for Unit searcher.
Developed knowledge of written German to support cataloging.

October 31, 1988 - June 1, 1989: Library Assistant, Monograph Cataloging Unit, Graduate Library University of Michigan Performed pre-catalog searching in OCLC, MIRLYN, RLIN and manual files. Entered catalog records into LC/MUMS and RLIN databases. Provided occasional support to other units.

June 1983 - October 1988: Library Assistant, Associated Information Consultants, Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Contract employee for Warner Lambert/Parke Davis Pharmaceutical Research Division Library) Worked independently as well as in conjunction with permanent staff in the following areas: Was responsible for screening and routing all document delivery requests and performing all pre-order searches. Trained high school coops in library use and document delivery procedures. Also corresponded with government agencies and foreign publishers in order to maintain reference and serials collections, assisted and instructed patrons in use of reference works, ordered and processed new books and serials using OCLC acquisition system and processed serials using Faxon/Linx turnkey system. Answered reference questions and performed author/title searches and citation verifications using Dialog and OCLC databases. Assisted in cataloging non-book materials.

1977-1981: Volunteer, Ann Arbor Public Library, Ann Arbor, Michigan Worked on Loving Branch book inventory and weeding, maintained card catalog, compiled bibliographies, assisted with Summer Reading Game.

1976-1977: Bookkeeper, Jaffa Properties, Jacksonville, Florida Developed charting methods to predict changes in local housing starts, audited campground and convenience store accounts, posted income and expenses for five home building companies and two apartment complexes.

1974 - 1975: Reference and Serials Librarian, Lake County Public Library, Merrillville, Indiana Answered reference questions, administered serials collection, developed procedures and authored manual for serials personnel, gave lectures to community groups on library services, instructed patrons in use of library materials, compiled and designed graphics for bibliographies, participated in collection development, annotated new serials announcements for in-house and general publication.

1973-1974: Library Assistant, Library Science Library, University of Michigan Responsible for all library services in evening hours, including answering reference questions, circulating books, maintenance of card catalog, serials control.

PUBLICATION:

"Enterprise Digital Asset Management System Pilot: Lessons Learned," Information Technology and Libraries (Dec. 2007), v.26, n.4, p.4 (co-author).
High Level Subject Access Tools and Techniques in Internet Cataloging: Haworth Press, 2002 (editor)
Cataloging the Web: Metadata, AACR, and MARC 21: Scarecrow Press, 2002. (co-editor)
"Exploding Out of the MARC Box," Cataloging and Classification Quarterly, v. 30, no. 3/4, 2000. (co-author)
"Technical Services Management Issues in the Metadata Environment," Technicalities, v. 19, no. 6, June/July, 1999.
"Descriptive Metadata: Emerging Standards," Journal of Academic Librarianship, v. 24, no. 5, September, 1998.
"Reducing Complexity in Bibliographic Systems," In Finding Common Ground: Neal Schumann, 1998. (co-author)

PRESENTATIONS

Co-Presenter, Reorganizing to Focus on Electronic Resources, Michigan Library Association Academic Libraries 2011, May 2011.
Co-Presenter, Copyright Management Review System Training, Indiana University, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin, 2010.
Speaker, Michigan Library Association, "The Michigan Atlases and Histories Digitization Project", 2006.
Speaker, American Library Association Annual Conference, "Metadata Enrichment for Subject Access," 2004.
Speaker, DALNET In-service training, "Introduction to Metadata for Digital Projects," 2002.
Program Chair, ALCTS/ALA Atlanta Annual Conference, "Fish, Fungus and Photos," 2002.
Speaker, Association for Systematics Collections Annual Meeting, "Flora and Fauna of the Great Lakes Region," 2001.
Speaker, LITA National Forum, "Talking Policy: Making Decisions About Access to Electronic Resources in a Large Research Library," 2000.
Speaker, Wisconsin OCLC User's Group, "Stalking the Wild Metadata," 1997.
Speaker, Ohio Valley Group of Technical Services Librarians Annual Meeting, "Helping Catalogers Prepare for Digital Libraries," 1996.
Speaker, "Building Partnerships: Collaborative Techniques for Libraries," University of Michigan Summer Institute, 1996.
CoAuthor, Presentation at Digital Resources in the Humanities '96, "The Humanities Text Initiative: a Collaboration among Text Producers, Editors, and Catalogers," 1996.
CoAuthor, Presentation at Finding Common Ground, Harvard, 1996, "Reducing Complexity in Bibliographic Systems."

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITES:

Chair, ALCTS Metadata Enrichment Task Force, 2002-2006.
Member, ALCTS Program Committee, 2001-2004.
Member, ALCTS Networked Resorces and Metadata Committee, 2001-2005, chair, 2002-2004.
Editorial Board, Journal of Internet Cataloging, 1999-2004.
Member, CC:DA Preconference on Metadata Planning Group, 1999-2000.
Co-Developer, "TEI/MARC Best Practices," 2000-2003.
Esther J. Piercy Award recipient, 1998.
Member of ALCTS Task Force on MetaAccess, 1995-97.
Member of ALCTS Metadata Institute Planning Group, 1996-1997.
Member of NDLF Metadata Task Force, 1996-1997.
Paper reviewer, ACRL Eighth National Conference, 1997.
Invited participant in ISO/IEC Joint Workshop on Metadata Registries, Berkeley, CA, 1997.

EDUCATION:

A.M.L.S., University of Michigan School of Library Science, 1975, (Beta Phi Mu Honors)
B.A., University of Michigan, 1973, Major: Art History

LANGUAGES: Italian, French, some German, Hebrew, Romanian, and Spanish

Revised: 4/14/2011