If I Could Do Library School Over Again

Posted on August 21, 2009 | 15 Comments

I would take cataloging.  What was I thinking?  I’ll tell you.  I was thinking that I was never going to need cataloging, that’s what.  Boy was I wrong.   The cataloging of film is a tricky, tricky thing.  In this library, it is inconsistant, and often unexplainable.  Current cataloging standards are too restrictive and unwilling to bend.  At least I think they are.  I wouldn’t really know.  I only have what I am told and I am not 100% sure they really know either.  All I know is when a film is remade, it is a completely different item.  It is not another edition, it is a totally different thing and deserves it’s own record and call number.  I just wish I had the knowledge base and documentation to back it up.  Until then, it is just me against the cataloger.  I am totally the loser in this fight.  Off to find a continuing education course…

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15 responses to “If I Could Do Library School Over Again”

  1. Bryan | August 22, 2009 at 4:55 pm |

    I saw mention of your post at Planet Cataloging (http://planetcataloging.org/). You have made the bigtime! 🙂 It’ never too late to learn some cataloging. Start with an introductory book like Taylor’s “Organization of information” (http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/404646683) or her “Introduction to cataloging and classification (http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/66527059). Or ask the catalogers at GT for other book recommendations. In the beginning, do not get too hung up on the encoding, whether it be MARC, XML or whatever. You’ll go nuts. Many do when they look at it too soon, and then they think they hate cataloging. Get comfortable with the concepts first and then worry about specific applications. That’s at least how I would approach it if I were starting from scratch.

  2. Ivy | August 22, 2009 at 5:28 pm |

    >Current cataloging standards are too restrictive and unwilling to bend. At least I think they are.

    Don’t feel bad–I’m a cataloger and I feel the same way.

    If you’re talking about remakes, like King Kong (1933) vs. King Kong (2005), then yes, they are completely different and require different bibliographic records. The best solid documentation I could personally find for this is in Deborah Fritz’ “Cataloging with AACR2 & MARC21” (ALA 2004), section 7-3, where is offer step-by-step instructions for record-matching video materials. I actually got this book as part of Book Blitz, and if you’re looking for a continuing education course, I would certainly recommend that series or any of the other classes from the MARC of quality (marcofquality.com).

    Video materials are not my strong point, so if you need more info, I’d suggest perhaps contacting or posting your question to the OLAC list (http://www.olacinc.org/drupal/).

    The best thing is that it’s never too late to learn.

  3. Kiyomi | August 22, 2009 at 6:44 pm |

    There is actually a 2006 version of the book Ivy mentioned which is great! You might want to keep your eye out for when they finally release RDA which is supposed to help address these issues, it is CR2. I am hoping there will be a new ALA book RDA/MARC21 to reference when the time comes.

    If you have specific questions try subscribing to Autocat, it is a cataloging ML, just a word of advice, always ask for where to look for instructions on how to do something so that you can confirm for yourself that the advice is good.

    I would also point out that there are some fields like 500 and 9XX fields that allow you to put in extra information you need that other institutions don’t necessarily need.

    http://listserv.syr.edu/archives/autocat.html

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  5. robinwendler | August 31, 2009 at 3:32 pm |

    Also look at Martha Yee’s works about the cataloging of moving image materials . She has done more careful thinking about this area than anyone I know. Scroll down on this page: http://myee.bol.ucla.edu/workspub.htm

  6. Dave Tyckoson | September 2, 2009 at 9:23 pm |

    I did take cataloging, even though I am very much a reference librarian, and found it so valuable that I even took advanced cataloging. The foundation in the organization of knowledge that I learned in these classes has been invaluable.

    If you are in library school now, take cataloging. It won’t hurt you and it will probably do you a lot of good.

  7. Dodie Ownes | September 2, 2009 at 11:26 pm |

    I fought kicking and screaming when I entered U of Chicago’s GLS in ’79, I would not be a cataloger. But damn, it was the height of retrospective conversion, NUC to online, using systems run by gerbils running their wheels … but I could type 90 wpm and was not afraid. It was the best accident that could have happened. Working with Judy Nadler and the rest of the tech services staff at Regenstein Library taught me how to apply all that classroom theory – dare I say it made ‘cataloging come to life’? Those that are proud of remembering MARC alpha/numeric codes and field indicators know what I mean.

  8. Lisa Bogart | September 3, 2009 at 12:57 am |

    Your post confirms my feeling! I am biting the bullet and enrolled in a cataloging course as part of my degree program at Drexel. I am hoping it isn’t too awful! This is for me one of those I know its good for me but…

  9. Deborah Dubois | September 3, 2009 at 1:48 pm |

    In my humble opinion, no one should be allowed to graduate from Library School without taking cataloging. It is one of the foundations of our profession-organizing information to make it accessible. Understanding the organization of information makes you a better librarian no matter what type of librarian or information specialist you end up being.

  10. Bill Sowers | September 3, 2009 at 2:32 pm |

    Cataloging is a means to an end… period. If we dwell too much on the “means” (i.e. the rules) we often lose sight of the end…. getting a seeker and what is sought together in a clear and easy manner. The rules are there to help, not hinder, and often a rule is something that can be approached from different angles and implemented in various ways that benefit your users.

    Also cataloging is changing… catalogers are working on new ways to present/display access to information which will (hopefully) make things less daunting.

    Don’t be afraid to learn how to catalog. It may seem overwhelming but it’s a rewarding way to connect people and information. Even if you just learn the basics it will give you an insight to how your catalog works and may offer you an opportunity to approach that film cataloger with suggestions on how to improve access/description in his/her records.

    I’ve been cataloging for 23 years. I have a decent knowledge of the rules, MARC Format, etc. But… my goal is not a perfect record, it’s connecting someone to an item in my library or on the Internet. I listen to the reference staff and patrons… what confuses/helps them and I act on that using the rules like a guard rail on a highway. They do not bind me but allow me to work within a general framework for the greater good.

    The last thing I want to do is throw rules at folks who come to me and ask why a catalog record makes no sense. My first response is “How can we improve access then?” It’s a great opportunity to work with public service people and patrons and learn a bit about how folks approach/use a catalog.

    Bill Sowers
    State Library of Kansas

  11. Stan Schulz | September 3, 2009 at 4:57 pm |

    Cataloging is so basic to librarianship I can’t imagine being a librarian without that fundamental underpinning.
    The arbitrary and capricious aspects of cataloging are peripheral to the core concept of imposing a commonly agreed upon set of rules and conventions to describe discrete elements of a random universe — while factoring in what we think will be the interests of ultimate end users.
    Sometimes we miss something. My personal example is a hobby interest. There is no element of the elaborate searching and classification system imposed on U.S. Patents that allows one to systematically sort out the ones that include a human figure in the drawings. (http://www.angelfire.com/mech/mvwcnews/pp.html)
    I am currently working through someone else’s arbitrary set of “categories” (think subject headings) to enter local sites of civic & historic interest into waymarking.com … One local building fit into the “EPA Superfund Site” category. At least they all can be located by using the local ZIP code.
    Stan Schulz, Library Director
    Kilgore Memorial Library, York NE

  12. Elisa | September 4, 2009 at 1:13 am |

    Cataloging was required at my library school. It wasn’t my fave class. Now I work at a large public library and our books are done by an outside vendor or internally.
    At least I can still read a MARC record.

  13. Candy Blessing | September 4, 2009 at 1:57 am |

    If you want to learn the theory and basics of cataloging in a school or public library setting, I also recommend Standard Cataloging for School and Public Libraries by Sheila Intner and Jean Weihs, which is the text I use in my cataloging course at Mansfield University. I believe that a collection is only as accessible as the catalog allows. Without accurate descriptions and access points in your catalog serving as road signs to the materials on your shelves, as well as your subscription databases and e-books, your collection is basically hidden from your patrons. You and your patrons will benefit from your understanding and application of cataloging and classification concepts. It is a win win situation if you increase your knowledge in this important area of our profession.
    Candy Blessing,
    Cataloging Instructor
    Mansfield University, Mansfield, PA

  14. Beverly Hills | September 8, 2009 at 2:54 pm |

    I think of librarians as “putter onners” and “taker offers”. If you know how something is put on the shelf you’ll know how to take it off. If you know how others take things off the shelf you’ll know how to put them on.

    Cataloging rules help both kinds of librarians by creating a common ground.

    Beverly D. Hills, MSLS
    Cataloging & Web Services
    Tidewater Community College
    Virginia Beach, Virginia

  15. Lindsay Cummings | October 21, 2009 at 2:29 pm |

    Guess I should consider this when I choose my next set of classes! Thanks for the post! And your pez heads are delightful… 🙂

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