Ruth Kitchin Tillman
Cataloging Systems and Linked Data Strategist
Penn State University
I am the Cataloging Systems and Linked Data Strategist at the Penn State University Libraries. My role spans traditional and emerging technologies from launching a new version of the Libraries’ catalog, to exploring opportunities in linked data, and otherwise supporting projects of the Cataloging and Metadata services department. I have previously worked with library repositories, as the Digital Collections Librarian at the University of Notre Dame's Hesburgh Libraries and as the Metadata Librarian at NASA Goddard. My MLS specialization is in archives, with a personal concentration on metadata and accessibility. I've self-described as a “platypus” because my career has spanned and split the worlds of librarianship and archives without being a traditional form of either and always involving various forms of metadata.
While still in school, I created EADiva.com, a beginner-friendly version of the EAD 2002 tag library. I have created an EAD3 version of the site while continuing support of the previous version. In my time as co-chair of the EAD Roundtable, I led the creation of an official FAQ. I believe in lowering barriers to understanding metadata/descriptive practices. Many people who are intimidated by something sounding technical can learn if it's presented in the proper fashion and with an assumption of their competence in other areas.
Interests
- Linked data
- Cataloging and metadata ethics
- Labor and maintenance
- Quilting and texile arts
- Death positivity (see http://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/death-positive)
Education
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Master's Degree in Library Science, 2013
University of Maryland iSchool
