- Affiliation:
- Cataloging
- Office Location:
- Herman B Wells Library E3501320 E 10th StreetBloomington, IN 47405
- Office Phone:
- (812) 855-0509
- Email:
- jnighan@iu.edu
About
As Senior Media Cataloger, Jack Nighan creates and enhances bibliographic and authority records to provide access to audiovisual materials in numerous formats. Jack catalogs streaming videos, Blu-rays, DVDs, VHS tapes, and film reels, spanning Western and non-Western languages and including non-Latin scripts such as Cyrillic, Devanagari, Chinese, Korean, Georgian, and Armenian. His work supports diverse collections on campus, including Media Services at the Herman B Wells Library and the Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive.
His research interests include the representation of languages and cultures in library catalogs. He recently published and presented on the topic of reparative cataloging of non-Russian music materials published in the Soviet Union. He is also interested in emerging trends in media and music cataloging, authority control, and entity management.
Jack taught as Associate Instructor in Music Theory at the Jacobs School of Music from Fall 2020 through Spring 2023, leading drill sections for undergraduate courses. In Fall 2022, he served as the instructor of record for an introductory music theory course, MUS-T 109: Rudiments of Music, supervising two Associate Instructors and developing the syllabus, daily lesson plans, and coursework. Additionally, Jack is currently chair of a Music Library Association task group dedicated to updating Supplement 3 of the MLA Best Practices for Music Cataloging. He is also a member of the MLA Cataloging and Metadata Committee, Content Standards Subcommittee and the MLA Linked Data Working Group.
Jack earned a Master of Library Science with a specialization in music librarianship and a Master of Music in music theory from Indiana University. During his time as a graduate student, he gained experience in cataloging and public services at the William and Gayle Cook Music Library and completed internships in both cataloging and acquisitions. He holds undergraduate degrees in music theory and music history from the University of Connecticut, where he performed as principal oboist of the symphony orchestra and wind ensemble. At UConn Library, Jack worked in access services, collections processing, and course reserves.