Episode 690: Rejecting Neutrality

Episode 690: Rejecting Neutrality

Catalogers discuss rejecting neutrality in the creation and management of subject headings, taking special notice of the Library of Congress's insistence on (some version of) "neutrality." Guests: Deborah Tomaras, Metadata and Resource Management Librarian at Marist University; Tina Gross, Metadata Analyst at University of Minnesota. First broadcast July 24 2026. Playlist [https://www.wrek.org/read/playlist-for-lost-in-the-stacks-july-24-2026-rejecting-neutrality-episode-690] "We asked Deborah to explain why this quite common term, which has been around since the 1950s, and has literary warrant, was not accepted as a subject heading in 2024."

Episode 689: We Don't Have A National Library... Or Do We?

The show team, with the help of cataloger Sofia Slutskaya, discusses the Library of Congress and tries to answer the question, "We don't have a National Library... or do we?" Guest: Sofia Slutskaya, Head of Resource Description at Emory University Libraries. Transcript at: https://hdl.handle.net/1853/81867 [https://hdl.handle.net/1853/81867] First broadcast July 10, 2026. Playlist [https://www.wrek.org/read/playlist-for-lost-in-the-stacks-july-10-2026-we-dont-have-a-national-library-or-do-we-episode-689] "As a cataloger, I need a more precise definition."

Episode 688: Discarding the Analytic Solution

A Georgia Tech faculty member describes how using AI to write MATLAB code improved a course on chemical reactor design and the benefits of discarding the analytic solution for complex, real-life problems. Guest: Dr. Michael Filler of the Georgia Tech School of Chemical And Biomolecular Engineering. First broadcast June 26 2026. Transcript at https://hdl.handle.net/1853/81864 [https://hdl.handle.net/1853/81864] Playlist [https://www.wrek.org/read/playlist-for-lost-in-the-stacks-june-26-2026-discarding-the-analytic-solution-episode-688] "You are expected to use AI tools in this course."

Episode 687: Clickbait

The show team discusses the 2013 blog post "The End of the Library [https://techcrunch.com/2013/10/13/the-end-of-the-library/]" by M.G. Siegler, clickbait that argued that the economics of ebooks and the existence of the Internet meant that libraries had to change or disappear. First broadcast June 12 2026. Transcript at https://hdl.handle.net/1853/81848 [https://hdl.handle.net/1853/81848] Playlist [https://www.wrek.org/read/playlist-for-lost-in-the-stacks-june-12-2026-the-end-of-the-library-episode-687] "Today's episode is called 'The End of the Library.' No it's not, it's called Clickbait."

Episode 686: Get In The Car, It's Summer

The show team has an unthemed conversation for this summer free cut. They discuss travelling to see art, Google Maps, having your assumptions tested, failure as growth, and if the phrase "get in the car, it's summer" has any significant cultural meaning. First broadcast June 5 2026. Transcript at https://hdl.handle.net/1853/81828 [https://hdl.handle.net/1853/81828] Playlist [https://www.wrek.org/read/playlist-for-lost-in-the-stacks-june-5-2026-get-in-the-car-its-summer-episode-686] "Yeah, it's not really working for me."