Editorial

I have two important pieces of news to share. The first is that my term as the Library Resources and Technical Services (LRTS) Editor ends next year. I will chair my last LRTS Editorial Board meeting at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago in June 2021. A search committee will be formed and will look for the next LRTS Editor. My term officially ends in December 2021 so that there will be overlap between the new editor and me. This will enable a smooth transition between editors, and I will mentor the new editor. If you are interested in serving as the LRTS Editor, please apply. Or if you know someone who is interested, nominate that person (I was nominated). It is a rewarding experience and I have worked with many amazing people during my years as the LRTS Editor. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity. I am considering my next steps after my term has concluded.

The other item of business that I am excited to share is that ALCTS is partnering with LITA and LLAMA to organize the Exchange, a three-day virtual conference. You may remember that ALCTS first organized the Exchange in 2017. The 2020 Exchange draws on the combined strengths of the three divisions, and the theme is “Building the Future Together.” The Exchange will take place May 4, 6, and 8, 2020, with Emily Drabinski and Rebekkah Smith Aldrich serving as keynote speakers. The conference program will focus on leadership, change management, continuity, sustainability, and collaboration, and will include presentations, virtual posters sessions, and lightning rounds. Those who register will have access to live presentations, and the content from the conference will be available to them for a year. Visit https://exchange2020.learningtimesevents.org/ for more information. The Exchange also has a blog (https://exchange2020.learningtimesevents.org/exchange-2020-blog-posts/), which includes an interview with the presidents of ALCTS, LITA, and LLAMA and an excellent post about the virtual poster sessions. The Exchange is an outstanding conference that you will not want to miss.

I close with an overview of the contents of this issue of LRTS:

• “Genre/Form Access in Library Catalogs: a Survey on the Current State of LCGFT Usage,” by Colin Bitter and Yuji Tosaka, details the analysis of a survey on the current state of usage and policies regarding Library of Congress Genre and Form Terms.
• In their paper “Comparison of Key Entities Within Bibliographic Conceptual Models and Implementations: Their Definitions, Evolution and Relationships,” Michele Seikel and Thomas Steele discuss FRBR, FRAD, FRSAD, LRM (IFLA Library Reference Model) plus the RDA Toolkit and BIBFRAME. They compare the models and descriptive standards, and examine and analyze the differences among the entities, their definitions, and properties.
• Sandra Wong’s paper “Database Discovery: From a Migration Project to a Content Strategy” discusses the CUFTS ERM developed at Simon Fraser University and decisions the library made with an impending migration to Ex Libris’ Alma and Primo for its integrated library system and discovery layer.
• “User Experience for Technical Services (UXTS),” describes an observational study conducted by Emma Cross and Shelley Gullikson. They provide a technical services perspective on user experience (UX) research into student searching behaviors.
• Book reviews courtesy of my colleague Elyssa Gould, LRTS Book Review Editor.