Sheila A. Bair
Metadata & Cataloging Librarian
University Libraries
Western Michigan University
Work phone: (269)387-5160
sheila.bair@wmich.edu
EDUCATION
Master of Library and Information Science
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2005
Course work emphasized the academic library, cataloging and metadata. Courses
included the Organization of Information, Cataloging, Indexing, Metadata, XML,
Collection Development, Reference, Ethics, Management, Marketing, and the Academic
Library.
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts and Sciences
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Mich., 1972
PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE
Metadata and Cataloging Librarian
University Libraries, Western Michigan University, June 2006-present
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Head, Cataloging Unit
•
Planning and creation of metadata, training and consultation for library
digitization projects
Interim Co-Head Cataloging/Processing
University Libraries, Western Michigan University, Jan. 2005-June 2006
•
As acting Interim Administrative Coordinator for the Non-Print Cataloging Unit
and the Processing Unit, hired, fired, trained, supervised, and evaluated 4.5 (FTE)
staff members and 6 student assistants.
•
Monitored workflow coming into the department and kept resources flowing
smoothly through the department by identifying possible problem areas,
collecting and analyzing relevant data, conferring with the other coordinator as
necessary and making decisions as needed.
•
Monitored and provided oversight for database maintenance and correction
projects.
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Sheila A. Bair
Coordinator, Print Materials Cataloging
University Libraries, Western Michigan University, 2000-2005
•
Performed original and complex cooperative cataloging of books, maps, music
scores, and theses, applying the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR2),
Library of Congress Authority file, Library of Congress Subject Headings,
MARC21, International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD), OCLC
Bibliographic Formats and Standards, the Music and Sound Recordings Online
Manual, Cartographic Materials 2nd ed., and other national standards, using OCLC
and Voyager.
•
Managed the print materials cataloging unit, including workflow, hiring, firing,
training, supervision, and evaluation of 1 staff member. In this capacity I hired
and trained four staff members, three of which are currently productive members
of the cataloging unit. Responsibilities have included the creation of a
departmental Map Cataloging Manual, including local policies and procedures.
Helped in the development, design, and creation of the Cataloging Department
website.
•
Created metadata for digitization projects, requiring knowledge of major metadata
schemas and frameworks, including Dublin Core (DC), Metadata Object
Description Schema (MODS), Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard
(METS), Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Resource Description Framework
(RDF), TEI (Text Encoding Initiative), Visual Resources Association (VRA)
Core Categories for Visual Resources, Categories for Description of Works of Art
(CDWA), Cataloguing Cultural Objects (CCO) guide, Content Standard for
Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM), Online Information eXchange (ONIX),
and Extensible Markup Language (XML).
•
Created metadata in Luna Insight, using DC mapped to CDWA, for the Indexes
for Maps of the World, a collection of digitized index maps annotated to show
WMU holdings. Worked with the Digitization Center, Head Regional History
Collection and Archives, and Head Technical Services to plan and create
metadata and information architecture for the Civil War Diaries project. This
included creating DC and MARC records and a TEI header for each diary, and
marking up the texts for scholarly research.
Co-operative Cataloger
University Libraries, Western Michigan University, 1999-2000
•
Cataloged books, theses, and sound recordings for which the existing records
required classification, subject analysis, and extensive editing for bibliographic
information and data.
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Sheila A. Bair
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Performed original cataloging for materials for which no record existed, creating
records for OCLC and the local online catalog.
Library Assistant, Resource Sharing,
University Libraries, Western Michigan University, 1995-1999
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Borrowed books for patrons, performing bibliographic searching, verification,
transmission, notification, and processing of requests, using OCLC, RLIN,
WorldCat, and the National Union Catalog.
PUBLICATIONS (peer reviewed)
Bair, Sheila and Susan Steuer. 2013. Developing a premodern manuscript application
profile using Dublin Core. Journal of Library Metadata, 13(1): 1-16.
http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1027&context=library_pubs
Bair, Sheila and Susan Steuer. 2011. Digital resources for Cistercian studies at Western
Michigan University. Cistercian Studies Quarterly, 46(2): 221-226.
Bair, Sheila, Scott Garrison, and George Boston. “Taming Lightning in More Than One
Bottle: Implementing a Local Next-Generation Catalog Versus a Hosted Web-Scale
Discovery Service.” In ACRL 2011, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 30-April 2,
2011. (Chicago: American Library Association, 2011)
http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/library_pubs/21/
Bair, Sheila, Myung-Ja Han, and Jason Lee. "Creating Metadata Best Practices for
CONTENTdm Users." In Proceedings of the International Conference on Dublin Core
and Metadata Applications: DC-2010, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 20-22, 2010.
(Dublin, OH: Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, 2010): 74-78.
http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/library_pubs/13/
Bair, S. and Carlson, S. 2008. Where keywords fail: Using metadata to facilitate digital
humanities scholarship. Journal of Library Metadata, 8(3): 249-262.
http://works.bepress.com/sheila_bair/6/
Bair, S. and Pamela Cowart. 2007. Digitization projects and metadata. Against the Grain,
19 (1): 1-20.
http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/library_pubs/15/
Bair, S. and Pamela Rebarcak. 2006. Metadata: The magic behind the scenes.
Gatherings, 38 (Summer): 1-2.
Bair, S. 2005. Towards a code of ethics for cataloging. Technical Services Quarterly, 23
(1): 13-26.
http://works.bepress.com/sheila_bair/8/
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Sheila A. Bair
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
OCLC. 2010. Best Practices for CONTENTdm and other OAI-PMH compliant
repositories: Creating shareable metadata.
http://www.oclc.org/gateway/support/best_practices.pdf (I contributed to this document
as part of the CONTENTdm Metadata Working Group)
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY PUBLICATIONS
Bair, Sheila and Pamela Rebarcak. 2006. Metadata: The magic behind the scenes.
Gatherings, 38 (Summer): 1-2.
PRESENTATIONS and WORKSHOPS
Selecting a Next-Generation Cloud-Based ILS System: Why, How and What
(with Barbara Cockrell, Ed Eckel, and Keith Kelley)
Michigan Library Association Academic Libraries Annual Conference
East Lansing, Michigan, May 29, 2014
Cataloging Medieval Manuscripts, from Cassiodorus to Dublin Core (RBMS
workshop, invited, with Susan Steuer and Debra Taylor Cashion)
RBMS 54th Annual Preconference
Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 23-27, 2013
Double Your Disruption? Discover Happier Users: Local vs. Cloud-based Discovery
Systems (with Scott Garrison and George Boston)
Michigan Library Association Annual Conference 2011
Kalamazoo, Michigan, October 26-28, 2011
Metadata: Grounded in Theory, Realized in Practice (invited)
Michigan Archival Association 53rd Annual Conference
Beaver Island, Michigan, June 14-15, 2011
Creating metadata best practices for CONTENTdm users (with Myung-Ja Han)
DC-2010: International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 21, 2010
Best Practices for CONTENTdm: the CONTENTdm Metadata Working Group
(invited; with Myung-Ja Han)
OCLC Users Group
American Library Association Annual Conference
Washington D.C., June 28, 2010
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Sheila A. Bair
Best Practices for CONTENTdm Users Creating Shareable Metadata (with Myung-Ja
Han)
ALA ALCTS Cataloging Norms Interest Group
American Library Association Annual Conference
Washington D.C., June 26, 2010
Metadata for Medievalists I: Introduction to Metadata Formats (workshop)
44th International Congress on Medieval Studies
Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 7, 2009
Descriptive Metadata for Images (training presentation requested by Kalamazoo
College)
University Libraries
Kalamazoo, Michigan, December 11, 2008
Inventing a Web 2.0 Catalog: VuFind at Western Michigan University
(with Birong Ho)
Michigan Library Association Annual Conference 2008
Kalamazoo, Michigan, October 22-24, 2008
Metadata Planning for Digitization (workshop; part of Digitization of Primary
Materials for Medievalists)
43rd International Congress on Medieval Studies
Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 9, 2008.
Cooperation, Communication, and Collaboration: 3 C’s of Workflows at WMU
University Libraries’ TSD (with George Boston and Randle Gedeon)
Michigan Library Consortium Technical Services Conference
Lansing, Michigan, April 15, 2008.
Beyond Access: Transforming Primary Sources
Michigan Academy
Kalamazoo, Michigan, March 7, 2008
Metadata Planning: Keys to Communication (invited)
Acquisitions Institute at Timberline
Timberline Lodge, Oregon, May 21, 2007
Morimondo Digitization Project and the Institute of Cistercian Studies
42nd International Congress on Medieval Studies
Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 11, 2007
PANELS
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Sheila A. Bair
Describing Digital Images of Medieval Manuscripts using Dublin Core: Projects and
Proposals (panelist with Wayne Torborg, Hill Museum and Manuscript Library, and Eric
Johnson, Ohio State University, Myung-Ja Han, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
presiding)
47th International Congress on Medieval Studies
Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 10-13, 2012
UNIVERSITY PRESENTATIONS
RDA Changes to MARC Records
University Libraries
Kalamazoo, Michigan, March 4, 2011
What’s New in Authority Control: FRAD, FRSAD, Linked Data
University Libraries
Kalamazoo, Michigan, December 3, 2009
Metadata for Images
University Libraries
Kalamazoo, Michigan, November 16, 2009
Introduction to Metadata
University Libraries
Kalamazoo, Michigan, August 28, 2009
A Very Brief Introduction to XML
University Libraries
February 14, 2008
POSTER SESSIONS AND ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS
Towards a premodern manuscript application profile (with Susan Steuer)
DC-2010: International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 21-22, 2010
Catch the Wave: Building a Digital Image Library without Wiping Out (with Miranda
Howard)
American Library Association Annual Conference
Anaheim, California, June 28, 2008.
Beyond Access: Transforming Eight Civil War Diaries
2nd Chicago Colloquium on Digital Humanities and Computer Science
Chicago, Illinois, October 21-22, 2007.
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Sheila A. Bair
Prologue to Metadata: What You Need to Know Before You Digitize (with Pamela
Cowart)
Charleston Conference
Charleston, SC, November 8-11, 2006.
DIGITAL PROJECTS
Cistercian Liturgy Series. Metadata planning, creation, training, supervision.
http://www.wmich.edu/library/digi/collections/liturgy/series/
Costume History Collection. Metadata planning, management.
http://luna.library.wmich.edu:8180/luna/servlet/WMUwmu~85~85
Early Americas Digital Archive Contributions. TEI markup
Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Alvar. Relaçión general.
http://www.mith2.umd.edu/eada/html/display.php?docs=cabeza_ms1.xml&action=show
Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Alvar. Comentarios.
http://www.mith2.umd.edu/eada/html/display.php?docs=cabeza_ms2.xml&action=show
Higher Learning Commission Self-Study Collection. Metadata planning, training,
supervision.
http://digitalcollectionswmich.cdmhost.com/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=%2Fp124301coll9
Image Catalog. Metadata planning, creation, training, supervision.
https://login.libproxy.library.wmich.edu/login?auth=luna&qurl=http://luna.library.wmich.edu:818
0/luna/servlet/view/all?pgs=21&res=1&cic=WMUwmu~74~74
Index Map Collection. Metadata planning, creation, training, supervision.
http://luna.library.wmich.edu:8180/luna/servlet/view/all?pgs=50&res=1&cic=WMUwmu~73~73
Liturgy O.C.S.O. Journal of Gethsemani Abbey. Metadata planning, creation, training,
supervision.
http://digitalcollections-wmich.cdmhost.com/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=%2Fp15032coll3
Medieval Document Collection. Metadata planning, creation, training, supervision.
http://luna.library.wmich.edu:8180/luna/servlet/view/all?sort=Manuscript_Identifier%2C
Resource_Identifier%2CTitle%2CDate_Original&pgs=50&res=1&cic=WMUwmu~77~7
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South Asia Maps Collection. Metadata planning, creation, training, supervision.
http://luna.library.wmich.edu:8180/luna/servlet/WMUwmu~84~84
United States Civil War Collection. Metadata planning, creation, supervision, TEI
markup, template creation and mapping to Dublin Core for CONTENTdm version.
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/civilwar1/
http://digitalcollections-wmich.cdmhost.com/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=/p124301coll6
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Sheila A. Bair
World War II Propaganda Collections. Metadata planning, creation, supervision.
http://www.wmich.edu/library/digi/collections/mowen/
EDITORSHIPS
Guest Editor, Special Issue on Linked Data, Semantic Web and Libraries, Journal of
Library Metadata, Volume 13, number 2, 2013.
Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Library Metadata (formerly Journal of Internet
Cataloging)
Co-edited the February 2007 issue of Against the Grain (with Pamela Cowart)
WORK ON GRANTS
Special Collections CLIR: Hidden Collections
I contributed the technical and metadata portion of the grant narrative towards a
Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) grant, Cataloging Hidden Special
Collections and Archives: Building a New Research Environment. This grant would have
provided monies for training and hiring a graduate assistant for the creation of Encoded
Archival Description (EAD) electronic finding aids. (unsuccessful: 2008 and 2009; 2010
not submitted)
KIA Institute of Museum and Library Services Grant
Worked with the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts on a successful Institute of Museum
and Library Services grant as part of the Museums for America Collections Stewardship
Program. I provided guidance in the creation of metadata. (successful: 2009)
NEH Grant
Worked with professors Pablo Pastrana-Pérez and Catherine Julien on the
metadata portion of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to mark up, in the
Text Encoding Initiative (TEI), several medieval Spanish documents (unsuccessful:
2008).
NEH/IMLS Grant
Contributed the technical and metadata portion of the grant narrative for
Cistercian Scriptorium: Texts and Contexts, grant application to NEH/IMLS program for
Knowledge Advancement (unsuccessful: March 2007)
Library of Michigan Digitization for Preservation and Access Grant
Provided technical information and consultation for the Library of Michigan
Digitization for Preservation and Access Grants for Michigan Libraries grant application
for the grant titled Lighthouse Keeper Logbooks Digitization. This work was done in
collaboration with Dr. Sharon Carlson, University Archivist, Bettina Meyer, Assistant
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Sheila A. Bair
Dean for Resources, and Paul Howell of the Systems office (unsuccessful: December
2006).
Library of Michigan Digitization for Preservation and Access Grant
Provided technical information toward the Library of Michigan Digitization for
Preservation and Access Grants for Michigan Libraries grant titled Civil War Diaries
written by Bettina Meyer, Assistant Dean for Resources, and I co-wrote the metadata
portion of the final grant report (successful: June 2005).
SELECTED WORKSHOPS & CONFERENCES
48th International Congress on Medieval Studies
Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 9-12, 2013
Ohio Valley Group of Technical Services Librarians (OVGTSL) Annual Conference
Oxford, Ohio, May 15-17, 2011
DC-2010: International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 20-22, 2010
American Library Association Annual Conference
Washington, D.C., June 25-28, 2010
Society of American Archivists
Implementing DACS in Integrated Content Management Systems: Using ARCHON
Austin, Texas, August 10-11, 2009
American Library Association Annual Conference
RDA, FRBR, and FRAD: Making the Connection (preconference)
Chicago, Illinois, July 10-13, 2009
Michigan Academy of Science, Arts & Letters
Kalamazoo, Michigan, March 7, 2008
Ohio Library Council Technical Services Retreat
Mohican State Park, Ohio, April 1-2, 2008
Michigan Library Consortium Technical Services Conference
Lansing, Michigan, April 15, 2008
43rd International Congress on Medieval Studies
Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 9, 2008
American Library Association Annual Conference
Anaheim, California, June 28, 2008
10 Sheila A. Bair
TEI@20
College Park, Maryland, October 20-November 3, 2007
Can You Hear Me Now? Digitizing the Voices of the Past
Muncie, Indiana, September 20, 2007
Acquisitions Institute at Timberline
Timberline Lodge, Oregon, May 19-22, 2007
XML and the Text Encoding Initiative Workshops
42nd International Congress on Medieval Studies
Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 10, 2007
EndUser, ExLibris
Chicago, IL, April 26-28, 2007
ACRL 13th National Conference
Baltimore, Maryland, March 29-April 1, 2007
Metadata and Digital Library Development Workshop
ALCTS and Library of Congress Workshop
Chicago, IL, December 11-12, 2006
American Library Association Annual Conference
New Orleans, LA, June 22-28, 2006
SERVICE
Local Digital Collections Committee
Member, 2011-present
Art and Cultural Activities Committee
Member, 2010-present
Western Michigan University Libraries
CONTENTdm Metadata Working Group, OCLC
Member, 2009-present
Group comprised of metadata librarians interested in creating a 'best practices' guide for
sharable CONTENTdm-housed Dublin Core metadata.
International Education Council
Western Michigan University, 2009-2012
Summon Beta Technical Working Group
Western Michigan University Libraries, 2009-present
11 Sheila A. Bair
Group of representatives from Technical Services and Systems working with Serial
Solutions to improve the web-scale discovery service Summon and set it up for use at the
WMU Libraries.
VuFind Task Force
University Libraries, Western Michigan University, 2008-present
Vufind Formats Working Group, 2008-2009
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As part of the VuFind Task Force I have worked with a team to identify
formatting recommendations for the basic and advanced search pages, including
the search and search limit drop-down box choices. I have also helped to identify
problems and offer recommendations for improved functionality. As part of this
project, Michael Whang, Birong Ho, and I did preliminary usability testing of
VuFind with a group of UL staff and faculty. We then developed questionnaires,
consent forms, and procedures for conducting usability tests on VuFind and
WestCat, obtained approval from the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board,
and completed two rounds of usability testing with groups of WMU
undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty.
Executive Committee
University Libraries, Western Michigan University, 2008-present
Co-Chair 2009-2010
Preservation Committee
Chair, Disaster and Response Subcommittee
University Libraries, Western Michigan University, 2007-2011
MEMBERSHIPS
American Library Association, 2003-2011
Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, 2003-2011
Library & Information Technology Association, 2003-2011
HONORS
Member Beta Phi Mu