Electronic discussion lists enable virtual conversations to take place. They allow you to communicate and share information with large groups of librarians with in New Mexico, across the nation, and around the world. When you join, you receive emails from people who have posted to the list and you have the ability to post emails to the list that are received by all of the members. Below you will find a collection of lists that are relevant to libraries. To join, click on the link provided and follow the directions for subscription.
Local Lists | Nationwide/Worldwide Lists
Local Lists
Native American Libraries Special Interest Group in New Mexico – NALSIG
- This listserv is no longer available, please contact Cassandra Osterloh (Cassandra.Osterloh@dca.nm.gov) for more information.
NEW MEXICO LIBRARIANS – The New Mexico State Library sponsors several electronic discussion lists. The primary purpose of these lists is to disseminate information about the State Library’s projects and programs. New Mexico librarians and staff are encouraged to subscribe to one or more of the lists described below. Communication between the state library and other library institutions throughout the state is extremely important, and use of these discussion lists helps to facilitate communication and discussion of topics important to New Mexico’s library community.
Current New Mexico State Library Electronic Discussion Lists:
NMPUBLIB: Focused discussion list for New Mexico public libraries [Subscribe]
NMSL-GOVINFO-L: Focused discussion list for New Mexico libraries interested in the Federal and State government documents programs. Individuals can subscribe to the list by sending a message to: listserv@list.unm.edu, Leave the Subject field blank. In the body of message type (with no other text): subscribe NMSL-GOVINFO-L Firstname Lastname
NMYTHSERV: Focused discussion list for New Mexico libraries interested in youth services [Subscribe]
New Mexico Library Association
- The NMLA listserv is available for the New Mexico Library Association. It is a place to share information, including minutes of NMLA board meetings, legislative updates, and job openings.
- To subscribe visit the New Mexico Library Association’s Website.
Nationwide/Worldwide Listservs
Acquisitions Librarians – AcqNet
- ACQNET is a forum in which acquisitions librarians and others interested in acquisitions may exchange information and ideas, and find solutions to common problems.
- For subscription information visit the AcqNet website.
Cataloging – AUTOCAT
- The chief advantage of Autocat, as of all such lists, is that it expands the pool of knowledgeable people to whom an individual can turn for help, easily and quickly. A cataloger faced with a publication in, what to that library, is a very exotic language for which it lacks adequate resources can get help; e.g., one library helped another in cataloging a work in Zulu while a bit earlier a library in Finland helped a library in Mississippi catalog a work in Estonian. Questions on interpretation of AACR2, organization of technical services units, appropriate MARC coding, formulation of subject headings, appropriate class numbers in LCC or DCC, announcements of forthcoming meetings, reports of past meetings, announcements of job openings, the conditions under which Minimal Level Cataloging should be applied, the use of Core Level records, how to describe the pagination of an unpaged volume, sexism in LC subject headings, these and other topics are all grist for Autocat’s mill.
- For subscription information visit the AUTOCAT website.
Children’s and Youth Services Librarians – Pubyac
- PUBYAC is an Internet discussion list concerned with the practical aspects of Children and Young Adult Services in Public Libraries, focusing on programming ideas, outreach and literacy programs for children and caregivers, censorship and policy issues, collection development, administrative considerations, puppetry, job openings, professional development and other pertinent services and issues.
- To subscribe visit the Pubyac website.
Children’s literature – CCBC-Net
- CCBC – Net provides opportunities for spontaneous as well as guided discussions of contemporary literature for children and young adults (including multicultural literature, translated books, outstanding and award-winning books of this and earlier years; books about equity themes and topics); the book arts; book publishing, including alternative press publishing for the young; and intellectual freedom issues involving minors’ access to books in classrooms, school library media centers and public libraries. Occasionally guests will be invited to serve as moderators for a short duration, such as a week, thus expanding opportunities for all subscribers to be in dialogue with some of the educators, librarians, book creators and critics whose ideas stimulate dynamic discourse. Specific book discussions will be announced in advance. Scheduled discussions will be in addition to the spontaneous discussions initiated by CCBC-Net subscribers.
- To subscribe visit the CCBC-Net website.
Children’s Literature – Child_Lit
- Child_Lit is an unmoderated discussion group convened for the express purpose of examining the theory and criticism of literature for children and young adults. The list exists for anyone interested in discussing aspects of these broad fields, including authorship, illustration, publication, promotion, readership, reception, criticism and literature’s changing social functions and implications. child_lit is specifically conceived to foster the sharing of ideas by researchers engaged in original scholarship. The ‘purpose’ per se is to be occasionally revisited and possibly revised to meet the evolving needs of the discussion group, but discussants are instructed to keep the prevailing version of the purpose in mind when posting discussion topics.
- To subscribe visit the Child_Lit website.
Circulation Issues – CIRCPLUS
- For subscription information visit the CIRCPLUS website.
Fiction Advisory – Fiction_L
- Fiction_L is an electronic mailing list devoted to reader’s advisory topics such as book discussions, booktalks, collection development issues, booklists and bibliographies, and a wide variety of other topics of interest to librarians, book discussion leaders, and others with an interest in reader’s advisory. Fiction_L was developed for and by librarians dealing with fiction collections and requests; however fiction lovers worldwide are welcome to join the discussion. Among the topics discussed have been: genre study, bibliographies, workshops, audiobooks, reading clubs, and print and electronic resources The discussion is not limited to fiction, but rather covers all aspects of reader’s advisory for children, young adults and adults, including non-fiction materials.
- For subscription information visit the Fiction_L website.
Government Documents – GOVDOC-L
- A discussion forum about government information and the Federal Depository Library program. Most subscribers are librarians in and out of government, although many private and public information producers are represented as well.
- For subscription information visit the GOVDOC-L website.
Library Job Postings on the Internet
- We encourage individuals, personnel offices, and other organizations from around the world to use the list to post job advertisements, employment opportunities, job sharing program information, or similar types of LIS career information. Potential employers are not required to subscribe to the list in order to submit an advertisement.
- For subscription information visit the Library Job Postings on the Internet.
Public Librarians – PUBLIB
- The PUBLIB is for the discussion of issues relating to public librarianship. Particularly appropriate issues for discussion on PUBLIB include, but are not limited to: Collection development, acquisitions, management and weeding, including traditional and new media; reference services; issues related to library facilities–security, new buildings, renovations; policy and guidance; trustee relationships; Internet access for staff and public; intellectual freedom; library administration; sundry library “how-tos” and queries for equipment; personnel issues; public library jobs and related conferences.
- For subscription information visit the PUBLIB website.
Public Libraries and the Internet – PUBLIB-NET
- PUBLIB-NET only includes those posts related to the Internet in public libraries.
- For subscription information visit the PUBLIB-NET website.
Reference Librarians – Project Wombat
- Project Wombat is a discussion list for difficult reference questions, continuing in the tradition of the now-defunct Stumpers list. Anyone may join, or submit a question.
- To subscribe, go to http://lists.project-wombat.org/listinfo.cgi and click on the version you prefer. (That’s also where you can find the list archives — currently extremely truncated — and the subscription configuration options.)
School Librarians & Media Specialists
- American Association of School LIbrarians: AASL information
Systems Librarians –SysLib
The SYSLIB-L list serves as a vehicle for the discussion of topics related
to systems librarianship and for the collection of information related to
systems librarianship. Postings may include, but are not limited to, job
postings, technical questions, philosophical discussions, and education.
- For subscription information visit the SysLib website.
Other library-related listservs