They create coherent catalogs, which enable a reliable search experience for users, many of whom use the catalog remotely without access to a librarian who can interpret results or respond to questions.
Skip to main content. Manage, train and mentor cataloging support staff, creating efficient workflows to catalog and process items added to library collections, thus supporting the information needs of users. Collaborate Work with systems librarians to configure catalogs and databases to provide optimal indexing and display of bibliographic records. Work with reference librarians to answer complex searching questions.
Work with collection development, acquisitions and serials librarians to create effective cross-departmental workflows. For example, this participant liked how the instructor put cataloging in the context of library work:. This participant stated that cataloging courses should give students a broader view and show how cataloging fits into the work of libraries:. Another participant answered that cataloging courses should reflect how cataloging affects the real world:.
The survey results suggest that cataloging practice hands-on creation of bibliographic records , effectiveness of the instructor, a balance of theory and practice, and a real-world context are elements that make a difference when learning cataloging. However, these elements are not disparate; they work together to help students learn cataloging. More research is needed to determine how these elements should work together to facilitate learning. From the results, it is clear that participants want beginning cataloging courses to include more cataloging practice.
This does not necessarily mean that more cataloging practice is needed in beginning cataloging courses. Although cataloging instructors might want to incorporate more practice into classes, it does not exclude other topics such as cataloging theory or cataloging management. Additionally, participants want more cataloging practice even though they claim that cataloging instructors have been including more practice for the last decade.
Therefore, is more cataloging practice necessary in beginning cataloging courses? It would be interesting to understand how much practice is actually being assigned in beginning cataloging courses, and how much cataloging practice should be assigned. It also would be interesting to understand what constraints exist in a cataloging course. This may affect how much practice can be assigned.
For example, beginning cataloging students are learning a very complicated skill, and there is a limit to how much learning can occur in one course. There are also time constraints in a quarter-long or a semester-long course. This type of research could be used to help students learn cataloging practice in a manageable way. Participants want more cataloging practice in beginning cataloging courses, but the results suggest that a balance of theory and practice is also important.
If so, what is that ideal balance? The survey results suggest that the effectiveness of the instructor is an important element in beginning cataloging courses, but more research is needed to determine how an instructor affects student learning and if an instructor affects student attitudes toward cataloging. The results suggest that cataloging instructors can affect student learning both positively and negatively, but it would be interesting to understand exactly how the instructor affects learning.
Cataloging is a complex skill to learn, and effective instruction is vital. It would be interesting to understand what makes an effective cataloging instructor. This could lead to better teaching and learning of cataloging. The results suggest that beginning cataloging courses should include some real-world context. To participants, it is important for cataloging to be framed in context of how the product of cataloging labor is important in different library environments.
This may help students understand how cataloging is an important part of the mission of libraries, and not a task divorced from the work of libraries. The intent of this research study was to understand the elements of a beginning cataloging course that make a difference when learning cataloging. The study garnered a large number of responses from various areas of library practice and education about which aspects of a beginning cataloging course were most effective in helping participants learn cataloging.
Cataloging practice, effectiveness of the instructor, balance of theory and practice, and a real-world context are four important elements that emerged from the data. Even though there were many participants who reported negative experiences in their beginning cataloging course, many more participants noted positive experiences and a greater understanding of the value of cataloging, especially after they began their professional careers.
This is encouraging. Future research should attempt to understand the most effective ways to teach cataloging to beginning students, and cataloging educators should pay close attention to these findings.
Improving the teaching and learning of cataloging not only benefits future catalogers, but all information professionals. Knowledge of cataloging principles and practices will help information professionals perform their jobs more effectively.
Moreover, positive learning experiences in a beginning cataloging course will, in turn, inspire a greater appreciation of cataloging work, something solely needed in the cataloging profession today. Question 8: Think about the specific aspects of the beginning cataloging course that you liked.
What, if anything, helped you learn cataloging? Question 9: Think about the specific aspects of the beginning cataloging course that you did not like. What, if anything, did not help you learn cataloging? Question What, if anything, was missing from your beginning cataloging course? That is, what specific things do you think could have helped you learn cataloging? Question Which of the following best describes your attitude toward cataloging when you started your beginning cataloging course.
Question Which of the following best describes your attitude toward cataloging at the end of your beginning cataloging course. Check all that apply. Table 1. Question 3: In what area of librarianship are your current and primary job duties?
Table 2. Question 4: How was your beginning cataloging course delivered? Online in a virtual classroom, perhaps using a learning management system such as Blackboard or Desire 2 Learn. Table 3. Question 5: Who taught your beginning cataloging course? Table 4. Question 6: How would you describe the content of your beginning cataloging course?
Table 5. Table 6. Note: Percentages are based on the number of instances of that category within participant answers, not the total number of participants in the study. Table 7.
Table 8. What Makes an Effective Cataloging Course? Hoffman Karen Snow ksnow dom. Literature Review A historical look at cataloging education shows two things: the importance of teaching cataloging theory versus cataloging practice fluctuates over time, and there is very little research about the elements that make a difference when teaching and learning cataloging.
It may be that the needs which are expressed by libraries are not their greatest needs. Perhaps there ought to be people trained in theoretical concepts who might sometimes point a questioning finger at the status quo, and think up new and possibly even disturbing theories of what libraries and librarians ought to be. Survey Demographics The study demographics show who took the survey. Professional Responsibilities Participants were asked about their current and primary position responsibilities.
Survey Results The survey instrument was designed to elicit responses from participants to answer the research question: what elements of a beginning cataloging course help students learn cataloging? Cataloging Course Delivery and Instructor Participants were asked how their course was provided, and who taught it.
That descriptive information was gathered over the years in library catalog records by librarians. This infrastructure is invisible to most of us as we use libraries, buy books or use search engines. For many, the idea of a library catalog conjures up the image of card catalogs. Early catalog records date back to , just after the French Revolution. The revolutionary government used playing cards to document property seized from the church.
The idea was to make a national bibliography of library holdings confiscated during the Revolution. For many years, library collections were organized individually. As the number of books and libraries grew, the increased complexity demanded a more consistent approach. The library sought to arrange its collections on that model into the 19th century. As the number of books and libraries grew, a more systematic approach was needed.
The Dewey Decimal System appeared in to tackle this challenge. Each class can be further divided for more specific descriptions. In the s, the library developed the Library of Congress Classification System. It is still used today to predictably manage millions of items in libraries worldwide. By the s, systematic descriptions made the transition from analog cards to online catalog systems a natural step. Workflow and procedures also affect efficiency. Materials should not be handled more than once.
The cataloging tasks should be prioritized by urgency and record availability from a bibliographic utility. Creating and utilizing reference cheat sheets for repeatedly used classification numbers helps expedite the process of classifying without always having to use the classification tool.
It is necessary to constantly assess workflow, eliminate redundant or unnecessary procedures or steps, and maintain an efficient workflow for expediting the process of cataloging to deliver materials to patrons in a timely manner.
Time-management and organizing skills affect efficiency. In addition to the regular cataloging workload, a cataloging librarian handles projects. These include reclassification, record maintenance, and elimination of backlog. To complete the project by the deadline, effective management of the workload and working hours based on priority is highly valuable.
Serious planning and effort should be made to develop strong time-management and organizational skills. Consistency is a key factor in organizing the library collection. The cataloging rules and standards should be applied consistently to provide a consistent level of cataloging quality. The classification numbers and subject headings should be assigned while considering the collection as a whole to provide and maintain subject consistency and uniformity throughout the library collection.
Standardization of descriptions and construction of access points should be done consistently as far as possible to increase the ability to share bibliographic and authority data. When national cataloging rules, tools, and standards cannot accommodate all the needs of your specific community, a cataloging librarian needs to establish local policies or practices.
These local policies, rules, and procedures need to be well documented for consistency and continuity within the library collection from current to future processes. Cultivating and strengthening the logical and consistent mind-set is necessary because it affects the integrity and organization of the whole library collection.
The library world is changing more rapidly than ever, especially in terms of technology and workflow. Libraries often will implement a new ILS or upgrade it. This usually provides new features and enhancements and often requires changes in the existing workflow. A cataloging librarian should be flexible enough to quickly unlearn the old ways and learn how to use the new features and enhancements of the system while being flexible enough to adopt new workflows for better productivity.
What counts as a sufficient reason to do something in one setting may not count in another setting. Decisions need to be revisited and reviewed as needed. Cataloging procedures and policies can be changed to reflect new decisions or to provide better service for patrons.
The amount of materials ordered fluctuates throughout the fiscal year according to availability and library budgets. The formats of library materials ordered change according to the demands and needs of the community and demographic changes.
Being aware of, and understanding, these changes in the department and library help the cataloging librarian adapt to the new workflows and workload easily. In assigning subject headings and classification numbers, applying cataloging rules, and inputting information into the ILS using MARC format, many issues arise causing uncertainty and ambiguity.
These issues are not always easily dealt with and require good judgment. Cataloging rules and standards are precoordinated.
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