About

e: itisjessiemccarty@gmail.com

b. 1997

Chicago, IL.

Jessie McCarty is a folkloric writer, information professional, and digital asset manager based in Chicago. I worked as a Technical Program Manager at Redwood Literacy, overseeing data systems, taxonomy development, and cross-functional initiatives that support clients and organizational infrastructure. I am currently pursuing an MLIS in Information Management, with a focus on bilingual and folk-metadata standards and systems migration.

Since 2022, I have worked across archives and digital collections for small businesses, utilizing hands-on cataloging experience with strategic systems thinking. My expertise centers on metadata design, categorization, and taxonomy governance. I am also well-versed in databases, CRM and POS systems, and information workflows that bridge operational and public-facing needs.

Alongside my information work, I am a multi-published writer with a background in bookselling and poetry. I am passionate about creative projects across the library and arts sector. I am now open to new roles.

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I am a 2025 Pushcart Prize Nominee and a Henry Stewart DAM Digital Future Leader, as well as a recipient of the TransTech Linux Foundation IT Associates Scholarship. My professional interests focus on ethical metadata, Indo-European (Celtic) cultural heritage, and data access. 

I am now seeking a full-time role related to creative project services and database coordination.


Education

School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2017-2022

  • Bachelor of Fine Arts, Creative Writing

The California Rare Book School, 2022-2024

  • Cataloging in DCRMB and AARC2

  • Italy International: Northern Italy

  • Librarianship in Praxis

Selected Panels

  • 2026,  “Folk Data! Tools for Describing Data & Memory for Human-Centered Systems”, 2026 IIIF Online Meeting Online. 

  • 2025, “Meaningful Metadata: Sorting Data for the Online Classroom,” Human and Machine Learning, Thirty-Second International Conference on Learning. Online

  • 2024, “Queer Bibliography: Queering the Explanatory Gap,” (ed. Nike Crawford), The California Rare Book School, Los Angeles. 

  • 2024, Committee Chair, Queer Bibliography, The California Rare Book School, Los Angeles. 

Teaching

  • 2025, “Folk Memory: A Workshop for Writing Folklore” The Center for Fiction, New York

  • 2023 - 2024, “A List is a Letter: Techniques for Writing the Catalog Poem” The Center for Fiction

  • 2023, “An Index is a Diary: Sorting Through Your Personal Lists” Index Space, New York