Creating a Presentation

 Log 14

Creating a Presentation

Student: Austen Esch

Supervisor: Shelley Barba

 

April 7, 2025, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

I'm taking a walk around the room and looking at the posters on the walls. I'm getting prepared to create a presentation that I will give to Shelley.

I started putting together a record of all the changes I’ve made while fixing subject headings. The goal of doing this is to use this information to create a presentation. The purpose of the presentation is to demonstrate how to correct subject headings in a way that aligns with Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). Shelley told me it could eventually be used as a training tool for new librarians at Texas Tech. I’ve been noting down different kinds of issues I’ve encountered, like headings that are not authorized, incorrect formatting, or vague terminology, and how I resolved each one. This way, the presentation can serve as a guide for navigating the trickier parts of subject heading cleanup. I started drafting the content in Microsoft Word, where I’ve been outlining major points and gathering examples from my actual work.

Eventually, I plan to transfer the draft into a PowerPoint format to make it more visual and presentation-ready. Shelley told me that she and her assistant, Macgregor, will be the only ones attending the initial version of the presentation. This made me feel a bit more at ease about the whole thing. She emphasized that it’s meant to be a very informal setting, so I shouldn’t feel too nervous about it. She also said that the purpose of the session is to test out the idea of training based on real practicum experiences. This made me feel like my work is contributing something valuable. Having this opportunity to present something I’ve been working on directly to the people I’ve been learning from is exciting and a little nerve-wracking, but I’m also looking forward to seeing how it all comes together.

 

April 9, 2025, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

I'm working on turning my notes on fixing the subject headings into a presentation. I will be creating a PowerPoint that makes the presentation more engaging. 

              I made more progress on my upcoming presentation about fixing subject headings. Shelley sent me some examples of what kind of workflow I should describe, which helped me better understand how to structure my content. I finalized the Word document where I outlined my workflow from receiving the Excel sheet to checking each subject heading on the Library of Congress Subject Headings website, and then emailed it to Shelley. She reviewed it and gave me the green light to move forward with creating the PowerPoint version. Although Shelley told me that using PowerPoint is optional, I feel that it will help make the presentation clearer and more polished. Having visuals will allow me to show examples of subject headings and the steps I take to confirm or correct them, which I think will be useful for future library staff. I have had to do some presentations for classes I took in high school and undergrad.

As I’ve been working on my PowerPoint, I’ve also continued to make progress on the next group of subject headings. This batch is noticeably longer and more complex than the previous one. As a result, it's been taking me more time to get through them compared to the last batch. Many of the entries include multiple subject headings, some of which are not authorized or use outdated terminology. I’ve had to double-check nearly every one to ensure that it’s compliant with the Library of Congress standards. Even though it’s tedious work at times, I can tell that I’m becoming much more confident and efficient as I go. It’s encouraging to know that the work I’m doing now is not only helping Tech’s records but will also form the basis of a helpful training resource for others.

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