Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategies in Metadata and Cataloging: An Exploration of Strategies and Discussions (November 2025)

This webinar will examine EDI strategies and challenges in Metadata and Cataloging. We will first investigate what EDI is and why it is essential to this field of Librarianship. Next, we will explore a brief historical timeline that shaped the events of EDI in Metadata and Cataloging. After exploring its origins, we will examine the strategies other academic institutions have formulated, particularly our work at Clemson University with the Digital Collections. This webinar aims to explore, analyze, and understand EDI techniques in Librarianship and how they can be added or addressed in the audience's collections. Also, we hope that this webinar will create networking opportunities among various librarians who attend or contribute to the current conversation.

 

Learning Outcomes: 

By the end of the webinar, attendees will:

• Learn how to conduct EDI strategies in Metadata and Cataloging;
• Learn about the challenges and obstacles with this work and how to overcome them;
• Be able to collaborate with other institutions in the field with EDI work; and
• Learn about implementations and assessment strategies with EDI Metadata and Cataloging for future iteration.

Who Should Attend: Metadata and cataloging staff.

 

Presenters:

Jessica L. Serrao is the Metadata Librarian for Digital Collections at Clemson University, where she creates, enriches, and maintains metadata and standards for digitized historic materials. She holds an MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Concentration in Archives and Records Management, a Certificate in Digital Curation, and an MA in Public History from North Carolina State University. Jessica currently chairs Clemson Libraries’ Inclusive Description Task Force. Her work and research interests lie at the intersections of metadata, ethics, and inclusive representation of marginalized groups in the archival record.

Tomeka Jackson is the Linked Data Librarian at Middle Tennessee State University. Prior to this, she was a Library Resident at Clemson University Libraries. Before her residency, she worked at Kennesaw State University as a Cataloging and Metadata Assistant from 2018-2022. In addition, she has held positions at the Smyrna Public Library in Smyrna, Ga., and the Cobb County Public Library in Marietta, Ga. She also worked as a project archivist for the Atlanta History Center and volunteered at the Delta Flight Museum in Hapeville, Ga. She was named an Emerging Leader by the American Library Association in 2022. Jackson earned her master’s in library and information science from the University of South Carolina and a master’s in heritage preservation and a bachelor’s in history, both from Georgia State University.

Tech Requirements