**Apologies for Cross-Posting**

"Mashcat" was originally an event in the UK in 2012 which was aimed at bringing together people working on the IT systems side of libraries with those working in cataloguing and metadata. Three years later, Mashcat is a loose group of metadata specialists, cataloguers, developers and anyone else with an interest in how metadata in and around libraries can be created, manipulated, used and re-used by computers and software. The aim is to work together and bridge the communications gap that has sometimes gotten in the way of building the best tools we possibly can to manage library data.

There is a monthly Twitter chat using the hashtag #mashcat, a Slack channel (an online discussion/chat room) and a website at http://mashcat.info<http://mashcat.info/>. To join the Slack channel, you can contact @ostephens<https://mashcat.slack.com/team/ostephens>, @yo_bj<https://mashcat.slack.com/team/yo_bj>, @cm_harlow<https://mashcat.slack.com/team/cm_harlow> or @gmcharlt<https://mashcat.slack.com/team/gmcharlt> on Twitter.

We are currently planning some Mashcat events for late 2015 - early 2016. We plan to hold three webinars, as well as a face-to-face MashCat event (in the US) either before or after an existing conference in early-mid 2016. We are looking for feedback on what topics people would like to see covered in these events, and also advice on the best conference to which we might attach a face-to-face MashCat event - please let us know by completing our short survey, available here: http://bit.ly/mashcat-survey. Please respond by Friday, July 31st.

Thanks!

Christina Harlow
Cataloging & Metadata Librarian
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
306Z1 Hodges Library
865-974-0029
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