Library Cataloging Digital Content in Preparation for Hearken Release

Sarina Siljander | Hearken Update --

Digital work is not new at the LLC office. For over two decades now LLC has been, for example, producing digital music for sale in the form of compact discs (CDs). Articles, presentations, books and other content has been created using digital platforms. The part of this digital work that has been slowly changing over the years is the availability of this type of content for general consumption.

Since the early 2000s, the LLC website has provided a platform for such things as live and archived sermons, presentations from larger services, and videos. For about the last ten years, music has been available via digital platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music. Books and periodicals have been made available via epub files, though these publications were only used by very few. The Voice of Zion and Shepherd's Voice have been available as audio files. In 2020 we saw an even bigger need for more digital content and this area of work underwent significant growth.

All LLC digital publications have been saved and stored in ways that made sense in the time they were produced and in the way that they were used. This week begins the work of library cataloging all of LLC digital content to make it readily available and searchable for all digital needs, with Hearken being the primary impetus for this work.

In essence, this means creating a digital filing cabinet. This cabinet will contain layers of folders where content will reside. Each file within the folder will contains its own metadata, i.e. labels that describe and identify the file making the files much easier to search.

Many have asked if the current publication methods will change once Hearken is released. Our plan is to still continue to release books, periodicals and music as we have been. We don't know what the future will bring. We look forward to your continued feedback and requests as we work to publish content and make it available in ways that you find useful and uplifting to your life of faith.

Adrian Pirness working with an Apple computer at the LLC office in the 1990s.