Zach Fischer, our new Cataloging and Metadata Librarian!
Bunch Library made a lot of changes this summer,
including welcoming Zach Fischer, our new Cataloging and Metadata Librarian. Lina Terjesen, Music Librarian, took a few
minutes to sit down and find out more about him.
Where are you
from?
I’m from Colorado.
I went to the University of Kansas for my BA in Classical Antiquity then
the University of Colorado Boulder for my MA in Classics. I just relocated to Nashville from Austin, TX
where I went to the “other UT” for my MSIS (Master of Science in Information Studies). While in school at UT Austin, I worked in the
library as one of the many catalogers and librarians cataloging ETDs
(electronic theses and dissertations) and curating other projects in the
digital repository, and books, of course.
What is
cataloging, and why is it important?
Cataloging is describing, organizing, and maintaining
information. It’s important because if a
resource is not cataloged properly, students won’t be able to find it. If it is
cataloged properly, they can find it quickly.
Do you have any
projects coming up that you’re excited about?
I’m excited about forming a digital repository, which
will be a dedicated electronic storage for the long-term preservation of
materials. I’m also excited about
converting our cataloging polices to RDA (Resource Description and Access), a
new set of guidelines for describing information and integrating information
resources.
What excites you
about Belmont?
I’m excited by the prospect of forming a digital repository,
working with a small, user-oriented staff, and living in another music city.
What is your
favorite thing about Nashville?
It’s green! At UT Austin
there are not too many trees; in Colorado, there are trees, but they are
different and sparse and on fire every summer.
Here, they’re green and perky!
Do you have a
least favorite thing about Nashville?
Flooding! I’m not
used to water having grown up in Kansas and Colorado. Here, there’s water everywhere!
Do you have any
interests or hobbies?
I LOVE British TV – Sherlock, Wallander, Torchwood,
Pramface – and I LOVE Classics (Latin, Greek, archaeology). I have been on two archaeological
excavations: a Medieval church near Ravenna, Italy and a Bronze Age site in Mitrou,
Greece (on a trip through UT Knoxville).
Any fun facts
about you?
I like cataloging! That’s the oddest thing about me.
That’s a little librarian humor, but we’re super-excited
and glad Zach is here. He hit the ground
running and has already made sure the resources we have in Bunch Library are
cataloged and classified correctly and easily found in our system and on the
shelves. If you see Zach outside of his
office be sure to say hi and welcome him to Belmont!
