Laura J. Smart
@ljsmart.bsky.social
Secret agent smartypants. Original infodiva. Metadata maven. Foul mouthed. Opinions mine all mine. Baketigweyaang Deshkan Ziibi #ldnont
photo alt text Laura J. Smart wearing hot pink computer glasses in their office @ UWO. Bookshelf in background
photo alt text Laura J. Smart wearing hot pink computer glasses in their office @ UWO. Bookshelf in background
@profdownie.bsky.social
I’d buy it just to keep Farhi from having it. I bet some more historical buildings become high rises.
I’d buy it just to keep Farhi from having it. I bet some more historical buildings become high rises.
Marienbad, the Carling Street old-world eatery, and Chaucer’s Pub are on the market as owner Jerry Pribil wants to take a step back from the restaurant business and focus on his work as a city councillor #ldnont
lfpress.com/news/local-n...
lfpress.com/news/local-n...
Downtown London landmark hits market for $3.5M: 'Emotional'
“There's always an emotional attachment to a business that's been here 50 years."
lfpress.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:08 AM
@profdownie.bsky.social
I’d buy it just to keep Farhi from having it. I bet some more historical buildings become high rises.
I’d buy it just to keep Farhi from having it. I bet some more historical buildings become high rises.
Reposted by Laura J. Smart
Metadata Rising
Earlier in my career, I was working on an infrastructure protection task and we were reconciling data from several sources that addressed the same road network. The data from the locality was authoritative, but it lacked some information we needed so we were conflating other data…
Earlier in my career, I was working on an infrastructure protection task and we were reconciling data from several sources that addressed the same road network. The data from the locality was authoritative, but it lacked some information we needed so we were conflating other data…
Metadata Rising
Earlier in my career, I was working on an infrastructure protection task and we were reconciling data from several sources that addressed the same road network. The data from the locality was authoritative, but it lacked some information we needed so we were conflating other data to the linework. I commented on the general lack of metadata and the government team lead said something like "We'll never get this done if we wait for that. Overlay everything and use your experience to toss out the outliers. We're shooting for consensus, not perfection." …
blog.geomusings.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Metadata Rising
Earlier in my career, I was working on an infrastructure protection task and we were reconciling data from several sources that addressed the same road network. The data from the locality was authoritative, but it lacked some information we needed so we were conflating other data…
Earlier in my career, I was working on an infrastructure protection task and we were reconciling data from several sources that addressed the same road network. The data from the locality was authoritative, but it lacked some information we needed so we were conflating other data…
today in #metadata #librarian land: North/Nord shared print Indigenous Historical Periodicals Inventory designing API calls to knock off the “easy” record matches in Western’s Omni catalogue before sending staff to the stacks to verify holdings and material condition at risk titles. New big project
November 25, 2025 at 12:28 PM
today in #metadata #librarian land: North/Nord shared print Indigenous Historical Periodicals Inventory designing API calls to knock off the “easy” record matches in Western’s Omni catalogue before sending staff to the stacks to verify holdings and material condition at risk titles. New big project
today in #metadata #librarian land: Ex libris is going to disband their advisory group for authority processes in Alma and rely on the annual sys enhancement voting process (where AUTHORITY IMPROVEMENTS NEVER GET ENOUGH VOTES). Self defeating spiral, rat bastard vendors enshittifying things.
November 24, 2025 at 8:20 PM
today in #metadata #librarian land: Ex libris is going to disband their advisory group for authority processes in Alma and rely on the annual sys enhancement voting process (where AUTHORITY IMPROVEMENTS NEVER GET ENOUGH VOTES). Self defeating spiral, rat bastard vendors enshittifying things.
Today in #metadata #librarian land: too many back to back meetings 11am-2pm, listening to job candidate presentation, submitting that article proposal to Journal of Library Metadata, figuring out if we can suck up the obscene article processing fee for Gold #openaccess (no. yay for Green).
November 24, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Today in #metadata #librarian land: too many back to back meetings 11am-2pm, listening to job candidate presentation, submitting that article proposal to Journal of Library Metadata, figuring out if we can suck up the obscene article processing fee for Gold #openaccess (no. yay for Green).
Thinking a lot about Canadian metadata sovereignty led to wanting to know more about the history of national union catalog development. Just found two sweet sweet sources. I remember UTLAS and AMICUS and have the protest letters when OCLC got it all. This goes a bit deeper.
November 21, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Thinking a lot about Canadian metadata sovereignty led to wanting to know more about the history of national union catalog development. Just found two sweet sweet sources. I remember UTLAS and AMICUS and have the protest letters when OCLC got it all. This goes a bit deeper.
With update to Win 11 I had to install a new instance of MarcEdit. The Z39.50 config for Alma is an effing PITA that took me forever to get working on Win 10. The same config is not working on my new instance and I want to scream.
November 21, 2025 at 5:14 PM
With update to Win 11 I had to install a new instance of MarcEdit. The Z39.50 config for Alma is an effing PITA that took me forever to get working on Win 10. The same config is not working on my new instance and I want to scream.
today in #metadata #librarian land: Prof wrongly blaming a bad citation in discovery layer on AI & slagging the library for allowing AI incursion into catalog. Vendors sent bad data to harvester, we sent them a ticket. System has regular quality checks, millions of accurate cites. Kindly fuck off.
November 18, 2025 at 6:58 PM
today in #metadata #librarian land: Prof wrongly blaming a bad citation in discovery layer on AI & slagging the library for allowing AI incursion into catalog. Vendors sent bad data to harvester, we sent them a ticket. System has regular quality checks, millions of accurate cites. Kindly fuck off.
The gods have smiled upon me. A lake effect snow dump happened on a night my sweetie was here. You know you’re loved when you get excellent coffee in bed and a shovelling out to save your fragile osteoporotic spine.
November 17, 2025 at 12:33 PM
The gods have smiled upon me. A lake effect snow dump happened on a night my sweetie was here. You know you’re loved when you get excellent coffee in bed and a shovelling out to save your fragile osteoporotic spine.
ISBN. notice it doesn’t say anything about classification and shelving. We use ISBN in cataloging to choose records, reconcile duplicates, analyze different editions. It does provide consistency. Only error? Library barcodes don’t use ISBN, publisher barcodes do.
Best friend from high school texted me this from a trivia night. She said she didn't think the question was accurate. I-- and every other librarian my friend knows-- agreed the question was WRONG. It's so wrong in so many ways.
#Skybrarians 📚
#Skybrarians 📚
November 17, 2025 at 12:28 PM
ISBN. notice it doesn’t say anything about classification and shelving. We use ISBN in cataloging to choose records, reconcile duplicates, analyze different editions. It does provide consistency. Only error? Library barcodes don’t use ISBN, publisher barcodes do.
Many dear friends in the group, most dear friends attending, many coming from afar. So.much.sadness that it's not safe nor affordable for me to cross the border for the reunion. Some of the best memories of my life involve these folks. Unsurprisingly sold out! lastheplace.com/2025/11/09/t...
The Mutaytor Returns for a One-Night Reunion in Los Angeles - LA's The Place | Los Angeles, Magazine
Music - The Mutaytor Returns for a One-Night Reunion in Los Angeles LA's The Place | Los Angeles, Magazine
lastheplace.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Many dear friends in the group, most dear friends attending, many coming from afar. So.much.sadness that it's not safe nor affordable for me to cross the border for the reunion. Some of the best memories of my life involve these folks. Unsurprisingly sold out! lastheplace.com/2025/11/09/t...
Super impressive work! urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=.... Loving the mixed methods, loving the theoretical framework. Loving that our local research project used basically the same eval criteria independently over the past year of data gathering. Validity, reliability ftw.
Machine Learning for Metadata Creation in Libraries: An Exploratory Study of AI Tools for Subject Cataloguing and Classification
urn.kb.se
November 14, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Super impressive work! urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=.... Loving the mixed methods, loving the theoretical framework. Loving that our local research project used basically the same eval criteria independently over the past year of data gathering. Validity, reliability ftw.
AI companies slurping up Open Access content, at a scale resulting in what amounts to denial of service attacks makes me feel like gathering torches and pitchforks. Sheer robber barony.
November 14, 2025 at 1:41 PM
AI companies slurping up Open Access content, at a scale resulting in what amounts to denial of service attacks makes me feel like gathering torches and pitchforks. Sheer robber barony.
Reposted by Laura J. Smart
Celebrate Trans Awareness Week with The ArQuives Digital Exhibitions. Free all year around 💻 💡
Genderqueer in Canada: https://ow.ly/ANaC50XoVs9
Gender Review: https://ow.ly/Njzl50XoVsb
Gendertrash: https://ow.ly/H4gi50XoVs8
Rupert Raj and Trans Activism: https://ow.ly/WIWY50XoVsa
Genderqueer in Canada: https://ow.ly/ANaC50XoVs9
Gender Review: https://ow.ly/Njzl50XoVsb
Gendertrash: https://ow.ly/H4gi50XoVs8
Rupert Raj and Trans Activism: https://ow.ly/WIWY50XoVsa
November 13, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Celebrate Trans Awareness Week with The ArQuives Digital Exhibitions. Free all year around 💻 💡
Genderqueer in Canada: https://ow.ly/ANaC50XoVs9
Gender Review: https://ow.ly/Njzl50XoVsb
Gendertrash: https://ow.ly/H4gi50XoVs8
Rupert Raj and Trans Activism: https://ow.ly/WIWY50XoVsa
Genderqueer in Canada: https://ow.ly/ANaC50XoVs9
Gender Review: https://ow.ly/Njzl50XoVsb
Gendertrash: https://ow.ly/H4gi50XoVs8
Rupert Raj and Trans Activism: https://ow.ly/WIWY50XoVsa
today in #metadata #librarian land: obligatory AI in the Libraries working group getting formed. Drew straws with coworkers for who volunteers (guess who "won"). We can't ignore it. It's rife in Alma/Primo. I'm finishing a research paper on AI enhanced metadata. Still feels like shooting our feet
November 12, 2025 at 4:28 PM
today in #metadata #librarian land: obligatory AI in the Libraries working group getting formed. Drew straws with coworkers for who volunteers (guess who "won"). We can't ignore it. It's rife in Alma/Primo. I'm finishing a research paper on AI enhanced metadata. Still feels like shooting our feet
that morning thing where you dread opening the blinds because it snowed and you don’t want to see how much shovelling is required. Especially when you have lower spine pain from osteoporosis that flared in the night because you had the audacity to rollover in your sleep
November 11, 2025 at 11:18 AM
that morning thing where you dread opening the blinds because it snowed and you don’t want to see how much shovelling is required. Especially when you have lower spine pain from osteoporosis that flared in the night because you had the audacity to rollover in your sleep
awoke this a.m from a nightmare that I missed a meeting. I was hyper focused on a task, lost track of time. At next meeting my colleagues handed me a list of all I had done wrong in 4 years working there. Then got up one by one and read them into the minutes. I can’t shake the emotional residue
November 9, 2025 at 12:25 PM
awoke this a.m from a nightmare that I missed a meeting. I was hyper focused on a task, lost track of time. At next meeting my colleagues handed me a list of all I had done wrong in 4 years working there. Then got up one by one and read them into the minutes. I can’t shake the emotional residue
“human-in-the-loop” connotes noose around the neck.
November 8, 2025 at 11:43 AM
“human-in-the-loop” connotes noose around the neck.
So hard to review vendor AI enhanced metadata while they know the issues & fix them as you're doing your research. Our snapshot is dated. Thing is, their processes and eval rubric ARE IN A BLACK BOX. We extend decades metadata quality eval lit. The point is validity, reproducibility, and open data
November 7, 2025 at 8:44 PM
So hard to review vendor AI enhanced metadata while they know the issues & fix them as you're doing your research. Our snapshot is dated. Thing is, their processes and eval rubric ARE IN A BLACK BOX. We extend decades metadata quality eval lit. The point is validity, reproducibility, and open data
I.love.this
Strength training is political. We have a right-wing which has taken over physical fitness spaces, and hijacked “warrior culture”.
We need a muscular progressivist visions. We need to be strong to build the world we want.
Building my guns for the revolution. 💪🏾✊🏾 #Swoletariat #ResistanceTraining”
We need a muscular progressivist visions. We need to be strong to build the world we want.
Building my guns for the revolution. 💪🏾✊🏾 #Swoletariat #ResistanceTraining”
November 7, 2025 at 6:04 PM
I.love.this
Grrrrrrr. I don't even have kids. I voted carefully in school board elections because IT MATTERS. Municipal political control was a move that fundamentalists and extremists used in their long game to take over and force their views on us. School boards influence school libraries. /soapbox
Imagine your child struggling in class, so you turn to your local trustee for help.
Under Bill 33, Doug Ford will replace that trustee with a $350,000 Conservative insider—someone you didn’t elect, can’t remove, and who doesn’t answer to you.
Under Bill 33, Doug Ford will replace that trustee with a $350,000 Conservative insider—someone you didn’t elect, can’t remove, and who doesn’t answer to you.
November 7, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Grrrrrrr. I don't even have kids. I voted carefully in school board elections because IT MATTERS. Municipal political control was a move that fundamentalists and extremists used in their long game to take over and force their views on us. School boards influence school libraries. /soapbox
today in #metadata #librarian land: sadness that I can't cross the border for CODE4LIB. It's in Pittsburgh, one of my favorite cities, where I can see many dear friends while being at the best prof dev conf in my field, able to save $$ because it's a drivable distance and won't need a hotel. Tempted
November 7, 2025 at 1:25 PM
today in #metadata #librarian land: sadness that I can't cross the border for CODE4LIB. It's in Pittsburgh, one of my favorite cities, where I can see many dear friends while being at the best prof dev conf in my field, able to save $$ because it's a drivable distance and won't need a hotel. Tempted
today in #metadata #librarian land: tinkering with some OAI-PMH, finishing proposal for Special Issue on AI Implementation in Library Metadata for JLM, some meetings, cheerleading some coworkers bummed out about a thing, smdh at budget cuts think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu...
AI in libraries
The promises, challenges, and real-world impacts of integrating AI into metadata work
think.taylorandfrancis.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:10 PM
today in #metadata #librarian land: tinkering with some OAI-PMH, finishing proposal for Special Issue on AI Implementation in Library Metadata for JLM, some meetings, cheerleading some coworkers bummed out about a thing, smdh at budget cuts think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu...
Reposted by Laura J. Smart
The long-running ideological war on libraries, education, and government workers is not separate from AI boosterism. It is the same ideological war on human knowledge and expertise. In some cases AI is being used to directly supercharge this effort:
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge
"Fascism and AI, whether or not they have the same goals, they sure are working to accelerate one another."
www.404media.co
November 6, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The long-running ideological war on libraries, education, and government workers is not separate from AI boosterism. It is the same ideological war on human knowledge and expertise. In some cases AI is being used to directly supercharge this effort:
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...