KWL – 224 – Building Library Catalogs with Jaclyn Derlatka

#224 – Building Library Catalogs with Jaclyn Derlatka

Librarian Jaclyn Derlatka sits down with Steph and Joni this week to discuss her role as the department head for children’s and adult fiction at Whitby Public Library, and how she curates the library’s collection. Jaclyn talks to us about using Overdrive and Hoopla to build the digital library, what publishing trends she’s noticed recently, and how the pandemic has affected libraries.

Librarian Jaclyn Derlatka sits down with Steph and Joni this week to discuss her role as the department head for children’s and adult fiction at Whitby Public Library, and how she curates the library’s collection. Jaclyn talks to us about using Overdrive and Hoopla to build the digital library, what publishing trends she’s noticed recently, and how the pandemic has affected libraries.

• Jaclyn tells us about the programs run at the library for readers of all ages, from foundational literacy skills and story for kids times to teen programming, and how they use this programing to foster a sense of community
• She explains how these programs have been affected by the pandemic, what she’s learned throughout the pivot to remote events, and how the digital collection has expanded due to Covid-19
• Jaclyn explains the best ways for authors to get involved at their local libraries, including getting to know the staff and figuring out the needs and capacity of the library, and she discusses when and how author events work at her library
• She discusses how the library acquires new books, both physical and digital copies, how often she gets to make personal recommendations, and what she hopes to see more of on her library’s shelves
• Jaclyn talks to us about Overdrive and Overdrive promotions, pricing your books for libraries, and which lending model she finds the most effective as a librarian
• She tells us about which reading trends she has noticed lately, how she believes libraries will change in the coming years, and how readers can support their local libraries

Useful Links
Whitby Library’s website
Overdrive
Hoopla
Ted Barris
Susanna Kearsley
J. Torres
Ontario Library Association Super Conference
I Read Canadian
The Eyes of Darkness
Beartown
About a Rogue
Mexican Gothic
Bec McMaster

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“I am the Department Head for Children’s and Adult Fiction at the Whitby Public Library. This essentially means that I manage our children and teen programmers as well as lots of collections (print and digital). As you can imagine, demand for our digital resources has spiked during COVID-19, so I’m been focusing a lot of my collection development time on boosting our content on OverDrive. We’ve also launched a number online programs for kids and adults during the pandemic, which has been a new experience for my staff, but a rewarding way to connect with our patrons when we can actually see them.” – Jaclyn Derlatka