A director I spoke to who wishes to remain private stated, “Why should I have to open up our library’s catalog to the state when we are the ones who have invested our time and budget in building our collection? It does not seem fair that it is state mandated and [that] accreditation may be lost if we do not comply.”^[1],[2] The Texas State Library and Archives Commission has made it mandatory for accredited public libraries in Texas to “batchload” their records to WorldCat to implement Navigator, “the statewide interlibrary loan program [that] embodies several grant programs that work together to enable library users access to materials not available at their local library. It also works with other programs in Texas, the Southwest, and the country to promote resource sharing and provide greater access to information for all Texans.”^[3]

Transitioning to a group catalog is a lengthy process and a bit of a hassle to complete. Staff must watch eight Kickoff Webinars, sign and submit agreement forms to the state (or else lose accreditation as a library), batchload every collection—and then Navigator training begins. Only when all of this is completed can your library finally go live!^[4] If you do not have a seasoned cataloger or knowledgeable IT staff on hand, the whole process can be very difficult. Constant communication with OCLC and the state library is a must if you are in this situation.

But should a library with a small service population and a budget not even an eighth the size of a metropolitan library’s have to open up its collection to avoid being red-flagged or risk losing their E-Rate? The whole process is dependent on budget and, ultimately, biased towards more generously funded libraries. I do not blame the director I spoke with for being territorial about his collection, which is funded by taxpayers. Which begs another question: Why weren’t the taxpayers asked whether they wished to open up their collection to the entire state? I also understand, however, the progress the state library is implementing. A group catalog means more options for library users, which can lead to better research. Having Navigator as a tool has its pros and cons, like most other things in life. So depending on which side you are on, Navigator can be a good thing or not such a good thing.

Has your library dealt with a transition to OCLC’s Navigator? Where do you side on this issue?

References

[1] Unnamed library director in discussion with the author, July 19, 2016.

[2] “Update on statewide interlibrary loan program status,” minutes of the Texas Library Systems Act Advisory Board (MS Word document), March 19, 2015: §6.

[3] “Interlibrary Loan,” Texas State Library and Archives Commission, April 7, 2016.

[4] “Implementation Process,” Texas Resource Sharing, August 2, 2012.

The post Group Catalog and OCLC’s Navigator: Burden or Blessing? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

OCLC held its final print run of library catalog cards, bringing to extinction a product that reached its peak production of 131 million cards in 1985. As libraries began to add electronic catalogs, production numbers slowed. Even OCLC eventually created their own cloud-based management system that rendered the cards obsolete. One of the last holdouts? Concordia College Library, who was only using the printed cards as a backup anyway.

Those of us of a certain age remember scouring the card catalogs, often winding our way through a maze of title, author, subject, and cross-reference notes to find the neatly-typed information that would lead us to the right book. As information went digital, many libraries sent those beautiful card catalogs to basements or even auctioned them off as fundraisers. Now they’re often a sought-after flea market item or likely available as an expensive replica at Pottery Barn.

But what to do with those cards? If your library is like mine, the staff has some tucked away in cabinets, nestled next to date due stamps and card pockets. In case you find a few, here are some uses for them in your library:

1. Coasters. Never near the keyboard of course.
2. Get out the stapler and make a fabulous bulletin board background.
3. Let your smaller patrons play with them. A few years ago at my library, we tied Library Science into the Science theme and let children ‘play’ library. They stamped and stickered to their hearts content, just like in the old days.
4. Jazz up your library duds. Search ‘recycled paper jewelry’ on Pinterest and you’ll have a lovely necklace in no time.
5. Spend some time trying to match the cards up with the books in your library. You’ve got nothing better to do anyway.
6. Sell them on Etsy. Really.
7. Patrons love crafty programs. Check out the Grains of Earth blog for a fun post titled “10 Great Ideas for Upcycling Library Catalog Cards”. Think holiday gift giving!
8. Disable access to your online catalog on April Fool’s Day and have the patrons use the cards. It will be fun to watch.
9. School Media Specialists may want to throw a bunch in the air and have the students put them in Dewey order.
10. And finally, follow the folks at OCLC and recycle them for donut money. Yes, according to the CNN article, the environmentally conscious staff there will still continue to buy donuts even though their stack of catalog cards will soon disappear.

I can’t say I’m too sad to see catalog cards go, maybe because it feels like it happened years ago. Now if we could only get those online catalogs to work the way we want them to… 
https://www.oclc.org/news/releases/2015/201529dublin.en.html

The post Closing the Drawer on Library Catalog Cards first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Some Words Stay the Same
There are certain genres of books that cross multiple reading levels and ages. Action books are in picture books, tween, and teen books. Humorous books are in learn-to-read, first chapter, chapter, tween, teen, and adult. SciFi and Fantasy start in chapter books then continue through tween, teen, and adult. Even more important than the words being the same is that the notations on the books remains the same. We have certain colors and images that denote particular genres. A young girl reading a SciFi book will know that the image that denotes a tween SciFi book will also be used to denote an adult SciFi book. A young boy can read a humorous Elephant and Piggie book from learn-to-read and a Captain Underpants book from the chapter book section. Then in a few years, he can read a book by Christopher Moore in the adult humorous section.

Some Words Change with Age
For younger children, we use the term “chiller” for scary books, but in teen and adult we use the word “horror.” For young children, “Seen on TV” is the genre where all the books that match television shows and movies reside. For adult books, the genre is “Movies & TV.”

Genres are Different Sizes at Different Reading Levels
We have discovered that not all genres appear to have the same level of popularity across all age groups. In fact, we’re not sure any genre maintains the same level of popularity! Some of that discrepancy has to do with what is popular in the community. For example, the tween section has a very sizable fantasy genre. It takes up a much larger proportion of the overall collection than the adult fantasy genre does when compared to the entire adult collection. In the adult section, mysteries represent a huge portion of the overall collection but in teen materials, it is a much smaller percentage. It doesn’t mean that the same genres shouldn’t be there, but it does mean that we can’t assume that the popularity is the same across the board.

For us, the idea for maintaining as many similar genres as possible was to help patrons of all ages easily browse for books they wanted. It also meant that as their reading abilities improved they could know that the same types of books they had enjoyed would always be there. While it doesn’t work perfectly every time, we have been surprised at how many people, particularly children, have appreciated the thought and effort we put into this.

Melanie A. Lyttle is the Head of Public Services Madison Public Library. You can watch her YouTube channel, Crabby Librarian, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rv5GLWsUow. Shawn D. Walsh is the Emerging Services and Technologies Librarian at Madison Public Library.

The post Putting Your ENTIRE Fiction Collection into Genres first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

How do you decide what’s in a series? There are two really great websites that we have found quite helpful. One is Kent District (MI) Library’s What’s Next Database.  It’s really good for figuring out what books belong in a series, especially since the book itself may not always tell you. The other site another library suggested to us was Fantastic Fiction, which allows searches by ISBN.  Between the two sites they really cover practically any book we have owned.

How are you keeping track of your series? Just so everyone working on your series project knows what’s going on, you need to keep a list of what series you have. This is especially important if you have separated your fiction into genres. You don’t want part of a series in mystery and part of series in historical fiction if the series is a historical mystery. In our library we started with a spreadsheet and quickly realized that we needed more. So we designed a relational database that holds series information. It has a web interface so staff can input information and search for information. It also holds details about subseries as well.

What are you doing with subseries and series finished by other people? Subseries turned out to be an interesting challenge because things like Star Wars books or Dragonlance books were all related, but they were written by many different authors. For books that were in a series but had a subseries, the series was used for alphabetizing on the shelf and the subseries appeared on the label in the “series spot.” Then there were the series begun by one author (eg., Robert Ludlum, Robert B. Parker, and others) but the remainder of the series was finished by a different author. To keep the series together, the spine label reads the original author’s name, not necessarily the actual author.

How are you handling not having every book in a series? It’s perfectly fine if the answer is you aren’t doing anything. You may have book one of a series but not any subsequent materials. You may have book three and not any other books. We pose this question because inevitably there will be a patron who comes to you and says, “I found book three on the shelf. Do you have books one and two?” If you’re part of a consortium, it’s most likely that you can get the first two books from another library. However, from a collection development perspective you will want to decide to either only have first books and see if people want more, or you may decide to see if anyone cares that you have book three but not the other two, before buying the first two books you don’t currently have. We say this a lot, but every library in every community is different. What works in one place may not be appropriate for another.

How are you telling patrons a book is in a series? Some consortia have online catalogs that allow notes to be put in for individual books. This means a series name and number could be put there. We have seen this more with juvenile books series than adult materials. Sometimes the book’s call number is the series and number only. We are fortunate that our book labels allow us to print the series name and number of the spine of the book. In addition, we are using a field that will display the series as a note in our public catalog display.

Many readers like to find a series and stick with it until the end. Helping them find that series is one of the services that we provide as librarians.

Melanie A. Lyttle is the Head of Public Services Madison Public Library. You can watch her YouTube channel, Crabby Librarian, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rv5GLWsUow. Shawn D. Walsh is the Emerging Services and Technologies Librarian at Madison Public Library.

The post To Series or Not to Series…Does it Matter? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Do you have commonalities between large numbers of books in your collection? There are some major groupings libraries tend to use to divide books into genres. Common ones include mystery, science fiction, fantasy, westerns, inspiration, and romance. Do these groupings represent what you would consider a sizable portion of your collection?

Are there special niche books that are particularly important in your community that should be kept together? Some libraries like to keep local authors together on shelves. Other libraries choose potentially more narrow genres to group together like suspense, horror, historical fiction, or urban fiction. There can also be chick lit, humorous, book and TV, Amish, teen books for adults, sagas, supernatural, and war stories. Some libraries have a large collection of books that are recommended by the staff, and these books are all grouped together. What is really special in your library?

Do you have a defensible reason for changing either to separated genres OR putting together books that were separated before? Some communities, for whatever reason, tend to have more adults who read within a particular genre as opposed to reading a particular author. Would breaking the collection into smaller groupings, like genres, encourage more browsing or help patrons find what they are looking for more quickly? If you have books separated into genres, combining all fiction books together saves shelf space if you need more room. People are going to resist change whatever it is. When they want to talk about the change, you need to have answers for them.

How are you letting the staff and the public know changes are coming? Whether you have a newsletter, Facebook, newspaper articles, or some other way to tell the public, you’ll have to do it more than once. You may even want to get the staff and public’s opinions before you make a final decision about what to do with your fiction collection. Whatever decision you choose, make sure your staff is able to answer questions about why books were moved from “where they’d always been.” Preparing staff makes the change easier for both staff members and patrons.

Whatever you decide to do, someone isn’t going to like it. That’s just the way it goes. However, providing clear signage to help people find what they’re looking for will help quite a bit. However, making sure your decision is the right thing for your community is ultimately the most important thing.

Melanie A. Lyttle is the Head of Public Services Madison Public Library. You can watch her YouTube channel, Crabby Librarian, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rv5GLWsUow. Shawn D. Walsh is the Emerging Services and Technologies Librarian at Madison Public Library.

The post Separate or Keep Together? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Three primary factors had to be considered when researching replacement options. As I said, space is at a premium so any hardware I would bring in would need a small footprint. Price is always a factor. I needed something that remained relatively inexpensive. Finally, because of the very specific function this device needed to serve, easy customization was also a required feature. After careful consideration and research, it was decided that the Raspberry Pi was my solution.

Raspberry Pi is a credit card sized computer that has low power consumption, can connect to a TV or monitor, uses a standard keyboard and mouse and runs a variety of Linux based operating systems known for easy customization. A kit that includes everything you might need runs for about $60, and once fully assembled, takes up about as much space as a baby’s footprint. Because each existing OPAC already utilized a flatscreen monitor as well as a USB connected keyboard and mouse, there were no additional hardware costs beyond that of the Raspberry Pi itself. Replacing an aging OPAC for $60 was a price point I could not ignore.

Once my kit was received, the hardware was assembled and OS active within 5 minutes, after which I could attempt the customization needed to make the device behave as I desired. Simply put, I needed our OPAC machines to automatically boot into our online catalog. I needed web navigation disabled so that only the catalog was accessible. I also wanted the device locked down so that there was no way to interact or view the Raspberry Pi’s GUI or command terminal. Through a text based command terminal available in Raspbian, I was able to input the changes I desired and have the new OPAC up and running within an hour. I have outlined the process in greater detail below.

Raspberry Pi OPAC Install: How-to

This simple instructional will outline the process of setting up a Raspberry Pi web OPAC from scratch. You will require a Raspberry Pi with the Raspbian OS installed on the micro SD card. What’s that you say? Well, most Raspberry Pi kits come with NOOBS (New Out Of The Box Software) installed on the SD card already. I recommend the kits from Cana Kit (www.canakit.com). While you can manually download and burn an OS disk image to a blank SD card and buy all the necessary components, it is easier and actually more cost effective to use a kit with a pre-loaded card.

Installing the OS
The first order of business is to install your operating system (OS). Since an OS is simply a set of basic programs and utilities that make your computer (in this case your Raspberry Pi) run, for this project I recommend Raspbian. Raspbian is a free OS that has been optimized to run on a Raspberry Pi.

If you have followed my recommendations, you took the smart step of purchasing a Raspberry Pi kit that includes an SD card pre-installed with NOOBS. If you didn’t take my advice, download Raspbian, burn the disk image to an SD card, boot up and install, open a terminal window and then re-join the rest of us.

Okay, next, we will insert our SD card containing NOOBS into the Raspberry Pi, connect the Pi to a monitor (via the HDMI port) and a mouse and keyboard (via USB), attach a wireless USB dongle or ethernet cord, then connect the power supply. The Raspberry Pi will automatically boot.

When booting for the first time using NOOBS (or holding ‘SHIFT’ on reboot for recovering an existing install) you will encounter the Pi Recovery Screen. Here is what you do:

1. Select and install Raspbian
2. Follow the setup instructions
3. Turn on the GUI (graphical user interface) if required.

Now that the OS is properly activated, we will customize it to act as a dedicated OPAC by entering a few new commands. For this we will need to install a web browser in order to access our online catalog.

To Install Browser:

1. Open Terminal (if running from GUI)
2. Install updates by entering: sudo apt-get update && apt-get upgrade –y
3. Install Chromium by entering: sudo apt-get install chromium x11-xserver-utils

Next we will disable sleep so that our new OPAC machine stays on.

To Disable Sleep:

1. Edit the lightdm.conf file by entering: sudo nano /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf
2. Add the following lines to the [SeatDefaults] section:

xserver-command=X –s 0 dpms

To Hide Cursor When Not Active:

1. Install Unclutter by entering:

sudo apt-get install unclutter

To Configure LXDE:

1. Edit the LXDE autostart file by entering:

sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE/autostart

2. Comment out everything by adding # in front of each existing line and then add the following lines:

@xset s off

@xset –dpms

@xset s noblank

while true; do 

                                chromium –kiosk –incognito http://yourlibrarycatalogue.html

done

Then Reboot:

Reboot the Raspberry Pi by entering: sudo reboot

Your install is complete. Once the reboot finishes, your Raspberry Pi will auto-boot directly into your web based catalog search page. It is now impossible to navigate to any other website or access any other function on the Raspberry Pi.

Congratulations!

The author and two additional shelve spaces – thanks to the Raspberry Pi!

You have accomplished three goals:

1. Established a dedicated OPAC machine for catalog searches that cannot devolve into long email/internet journeys.
2. Used a baby footprint for hardware that creates space where there was none.
3. Achieved all this at a fraction of the cost of a full desktop computer.

Needless to add, your boss is also going to love you (In fact, this conclusion has been added by Jed’s boss).

The post Building Small, Cheap, Dedicated Catalog Stations: Do-It-Yourself Raspberry Pi OPACS first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Choosing your genres…This may seem obvious, but choose all your genres before you get started and stick with it until the end. Look at what books seem to circulate well. Look at review magazines or other publications to see how they group fiction materials. Take a survey of your patrons to get ideas. However, we also strongly suggest you pull some books from a section of your shelves. Look at what genres they represent. Does your collection gravitate towards a specific direction? However, keep in mind that if you choose to create niche genres, these will be more fluid. When the books go out of style, you may want to dissolve the genre and return the books to other areas. Or someday there may be a new niche where a large number of books are published, and you may want to keep all these books together. For example, with the craze for vampires and other supernatural entities, our library decided to create a supernatural genre to keep these books together. And, in the future when vikings or something else become extremely popular, we may need to create a new collection.

Where do you go to determine genres…Many book vendors have genres listed within their online catalogs.  OCLC’s WorldCat has genres specifically listed in their catalog entries as well. But keep in mind that both OCLC and also the commercial vendors are judging each book individually. Also, if you are part of a consortium, see where other libraries have placed books or series of books. This may give you ideas about what genres you would like to include in your library.

When to take a broader look at your collection…When you are putting books into different genres, you will find that some authors write in multiple genres. Some libraries classify strictly based on genres, while others try to keep author’s works together. This is particularly important if the library is in a community where reading an author’s entire body of work is important. However, our advice to you is do one author at a time, and pay attention to books in the authors’ series. You may find that throughout a series, each book has a different genre assigned to it. At the very least, you need to keep all the books in an author’s series together.

How are you keeping track of what you have done…Is there a master list somewhere that says this author goes in this genre, or this chunk of an author’s work goes here and this chunk goes there? It’s more than likely that you will have multiple people work on this project. How does everyone make sure they know what is going on and don’t either duplicate already completed work or do something that doesn’t match previous patterns?

When a patron disagrees with you…There will be patrons that don’t agree with what genre you have assigned to a book or a series of books. They may want to suggest additional or different genres to use. Not all their suggestions will be great, but listen to them because some will be very helpful. Take notes, and tell them you will consider what they say. It may not change what you ultimately do, but your patrons will feel they have been heard.

Good luck with your genre-fying project. It will be great.

Melanie A. Lyttle is the Head of Public Services Madison Public Library. You can watch her YouTube channel, Crabby Librarian, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rv5GLWsUow. Shawn D. Walsh is the Emerging Services and Technologies Librarian at Madison Public Library.

The post Genre-fying Your Library’s Fiction Collection first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Color coding was becoming “a thing” already at the library. We used Demco Alpha Labels on our paperbacks, DVDs, and Blu-Rays. Anything that was red was a young adult material, yellow for adult, green for tween, and blue for children. Our PR person used these same colors as borders around signs for library programming. A subtle blue border meant a children’s program, while yellow was an adult program.

The idea about two years ago was to expand the concept of color coding areas to the entire library. Looking into several different possibilities, it was decided to go with the Colormarq product because it appeared the most adaptable. Not only were we going to use color, but we were going to reorganize the entire collection. Stripes of color were going to help us do just that!

We had been researching libraries that had used a BISAC classification system for parts of their collection and had decided that was what we wanted to do. Colormarq could give us up to five stripes of color so we could have several different levels of color classification. The changeover process has moved much more slowly than we would have liked. Every time we think we have gotten everything included, we discover something we forgot. Trying to decide how to organize both fiction and non-fiction for all reading levels so there are no duplicate color patterns is quite a challenge.

As you would expect, younger patrons are embracing the colors and groupings much more quickly than the adults. Our youngest patrons know that blue-red-lime green is where all the beginning reader books that have cartoon characters are. It doesn’t matter to them that the blue stripe indicates it’s a children’s book, the red stripe underneath means “learn to read,” and the lime green stripe is “seen on tv.” It’s simply where THEIR books are.

Our volunteer shelvers and paid pages were skeptical at first, yet are coming to see the benefits of the color groupings. It’s easier to find things that “helpful” patrons have put back on the shelf in the wrong place. It’s even easier to get some materials back on the shelf because you can look quickly at color strips instead of words in small print on spine labels.

Only a third of our collection is color coded and labeled so far. This coming year is the “year of the label” as our entire staff devotes all their free time and energy at work to completing the color labeling process. And of course we couldn’t say enough good things about Bill Gunn at Colormarq, and how understanding he has been as we keep changing our minds about things! This coming year will be quite an adventure, and we can’t wait to see how everything turns out in the end.

Melanie A. Lyttle is the Head of Public Services Madison Public Library. You can watch her YouTube channel, Crabby Librarian, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rv5GLWsUow. Shawn D. Walsh is the Emerging Services and Technologies Librarian at Madison Public Library.

The post Color In the Library – Organizing Materials By Color first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

During my career as a librarian and, in particular, as a supervisor, I interviewed many candidates for the position of cataloging librarian. Few were prepared to answer the question, “What are the essential qualities of a successful cataloging librarian?” The most popular response given was “detail oriented.” While the very nature of working as a cataloging librarian requires comfort in managing detailed tasks, there exist many more qualities essential to an effective and efficient cataloging librarian. The following ten qualities will help you achieve success in cataloging.

1. Competence

There is nothing more important in cataloging than professional knowledge; this includes theoretical background as well as technical skills for cataloging. Knowledge of cataloging tools is a must-have. Basic cataloging tools include the following:

• Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2) and/or Resource Description & Access (RDA)
• MARC 21 Formats for Bibliographic Data
• WebDewey and/or printed Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)
• Library of Congress Classification (LCC)
• Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
• Library of Congress Subject Cataloging Manual (LCSCM)
• OCLC Bibliographic Formats and Standards
• Library of Congress-Program for Cooperative Cataloging Policy Statements (LC-PCC PSs)
• Library of Congress Name Authorities
• CONSER Cataloging Manual (for Serials)

A cataloging librarian must not only know how to use these tools and this knowledge, but also how to keep abreast of the latest changes and updates. Cataloging tools and rules change regularly to reflect or accommodate changes or new developments. Reading professional publications is helpful for learning about updates and changes in cataloging tools and building plans to keep up with them.

Understanding whole functions of the integrated library system (ILS)—that is, relationships between cataloging, serials control, circulation, online public access catalog (OPAC), and acquisition functions—is necessary to create the most useful records for catalog users. Understanding the cataloging module inside and out is a key requirement. Does the cataloging module provide effective authority control? Does the cataloging module allow input of detailed holdings and status information? Does the cataloging module provide for indexing on any bibliographic fields or subfields for searching? The answers to these questions are helpful in learning and mastering the cataloging module.

Knowing how to use one national bibliographic utility (e.g., OCLC or Skyriver), including the authority file, is another requisite skill. Understanding the relationship between AACR2/RDA and MARC coding is important for creating original bibliographic records in the bibliographic utility. Also important is being familiar with the criteria for deciding when to contribute a new record to the bibliographic utility to avoid duplicate records and unnecessary efforts.

2. Accuracy

In the Internet Age, searching the library catalog is essential. Accurate inputting of item descriptions and access points in the record that can accurately represent an item is necessary for effective retrieval by catalog users.

Typos and MARC coding mistakes in the bibliographic record affect searching results in the OPAC. Some mistakes in the item record affect an item’s loan period or location information. Typos in call numbers affect patrons’ browsing and staff’s shelving. It often requires relabeling spine labels. Inaccuracies from typos and other mistakes in the bibliographic or item records create extra work for the staff to fix them. Correcting mistakes is very expensive but will be avoided if the job is done correctly the first time. Furthermore, while the staff is correcting the mistakes, patrons are inconvenienced by the unavailability of an item. Accurate keyboarding skills are necessary for inputting information in the records correctly. Every effort should be made to avoid mistakes in editing or inputting information in the records.

3. Efficiency

No library has an unlimited budget. Most libraries are nonprofit organizations and are responsible for spending money effectively and efficiently instead of focusing on generating revenues. Accordingly, cost-effectiveness in cataloging should be pursued; a cataloging librarian should have a strong sense of economy in cataloging and provide the best quality record for the least cost. A cataloging librarian needs to be cognizant of increasing efficiency while cataloging as well as of the factors that can affect the achievement of these goals.

The method for editing records matters. These days, to save cataloging time and cost, most cataloging librarians utilize the records from a bibliographic utility by editing its records according to the institution’s needs. As an editing method, screen editing (editing live) should be used instead of paper editing (writing out copy to be edited later) because paper editing is very costly and inefficient (see the article “Increasing Technical Services Efficiency to Eliminate Cataloging Backlogs”).¹ Utilizing macro functions and shortcuts not only eliminates the repetition of steps, but also reduces the amount of time typing entries. The method for editing records should be reassessed periodically. The editing method that minimizes costs and maximizes efficiency should be utilized.

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.

4. Consistency

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.

Consistency comes from the cataloging librarian’s logical and consistent mind-set. Cultivating and strengthening the logical and consistent mind-set is necessary because it affects the integrity and organization of the whole library collection.

5. Adaptability

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. All these changes affect the cataloging librarian’s workflow and workload. Being aware of, and understanding, these changes in the department and library help the cataloging librarian adapt to the new workflows and workload easily.

6. Judgment

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. In original cataloging, there is a great deal of interpretation in trying to fit actual contents within the scope of existing subject headings, classification, and cataloging rules. AACR2 and MARC were established a long time ago when we did not have online and digital materials. Even though they were revised many times, they do not cover every possible scenario. Cataloging judgment is needed where “if in doubt,” “if appropriate” or “supply” is presented in the cataloging rules and standards. A cataloging librarian should be comfortable making good judgments in handling gray areas and differences in interpretation of cataloging rules and standards. Good judgment based on logical reasoning and cataloging principles is necessary.

There are many resources that provide good examples and explanations to help support making good judgments in cataloging—LC-PCC PSs, LCSCM, Cataloger’s Judgment,² and Maxwell’s Handbook for AACR2,3 for example. Also, other cataloging librarians’ wisdom or judgments can be obtained by joining electronic discussion lists such as OLAC-L and the AUTOCAT electronic discussion list.

7. Problem Solving

In implementing cataloging rules and standards, a cataloging librarian faces many issues with practicality or causing inconvenience to patrons. Cataloging rules and classification are evolving systems, so there are always periodic updates. A cataloging librarian should be comfortable in deciding what or how much to implement from the updates for his or her library. He or she also should be comfortable in deciding how to achieve the optimal balance both between quality and quantity and between consistency and flexibility.

Problem-solving skills based on logical reasoning are necessary to resolve small and big issues of practicality in cataloging. A cataloging librarian needs to be able to see the big picture of a collection to find long-term solutions, not just quick fixes. The solutions should be cost effective, realistic, practical to implement, and convenient and easy for patrons. If a library is a part of a consortium, the consortium’s cataloging policies and rules should be considered in finding solutions. Sometimes some exceptions to cataloging rules need to be considered to provide convenience for library patrons.

Once the solutions are found and decisions are made to implement them, following through with them is important. It is also important to have the professional courage to fix or change course right away if there are mistakes in the solutions or decisions made.

8. Commitment

Supervisors want a cataloging librarian who seeks a challenge and tries to exceed expectations. He or she should be willing to find answers to a question about cataloging or to find a solution to a problem. A strong sense of responsibility to perform at the highest level should be cultivated. Striving to be known for excellence brings not only success on the job but also satisfaction and fulfillment.

A cataloging librarian should periodically review the job description and technical requirements and work to improve or enhance his or her abilities. A continuing commitment to do the best job is necessary for more productive cataloging.

A cataloging librarian needs to have a good understanding of the documented local procedures, policies, and practices in cataloging to provide consistency throughout the collection and for future use. However, documentation alone does not result in productive cataloging. Memory plays an important role in increasing productivity in cataloging. A cataloging librarian should make a continuing commitment to remember local procedures, policies, practices, and cataloging rules until they become automatic, allowing him or her to be more productive in cataloging.

9. Research Ability

The growth and development of the library profession depends on extensive research. Research is an important tool for advancing knowledge. A cataloging librarian deals with and organizes a variety of subject areas. He or she needs to systematically research the subjects, terminologies, and languages that he or she is not familiar with. The ability to find the information necessary to solve problems and make decisions is useful. Being familiar with research guides and reference resources, whether printed or online, and having research skills are helpful for doing authority work or classification and subject analysis.

10. Self-Discipline

The honor system is the best system. Self-control is the best control. Self-monitoring one’s own work ethics and habits and inspecting one’s own work is the best quality control. A cataloging librarian should have ownership of his or her work.

The self-motivated plan is the best plan. A cataloging librarian should develop his or her own daily, weekly, and monthly plans to increase cataloging productivity. He or she should set up his or her own short- and long-term professional career development plans or programs to improve and maintain professional knowledge in cataloging. Investing for the future is crucial to success in any career.

The work of the cataloging librarian is to examine physical items or electronic resources to be cataloged. It involves repetitiveness of scanning or typing and sitting and reading a computer screen for extended periods. Sometimes this can cause health problems. It is important to take care of one’s health to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain, or eye problems. To be more productive, the workstation should be configured to support neutral body positioning and facilitate a comfortable posture.

A cataloging librarian has coworkers, but most of the time works alone and independently. He or she needs to be comfortable working alone independently, not easily distracted by background noise, and able to concentrate on his or her own work. Conclusion Success as a cataloging librarian requires a commitment to acquire and maintain professional knowledge in cataloging and maintain high productivity in both quality and quantity. The roles and duties of the cataloging librarian are important because circulation and reference staff and patrons rely on and use the information that a cataloging librarian inputs into the ILS. He or she needs to make diligent and systematic efforts to input the data in the ILS accurately so it can be easily searchable by catalog users. Periodically ask yourself, “Do I have the essential qualities for this position?” and commit to doing all the things that would enable you to answer yes. Good luck on your cataloging librarian position!

REFERENCES

1. Myung Gi Sung, “Increasing Technical Services Efficiency to Eliminate Cataloging Backlogs,” Public Libraries 43, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 2004): 347.
2. Jay Weitz, Cataloger’s Judgment (Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2004).
3. Robert L. Maxwell, Maxwell’s Handbook for AACR2 (Chicago: ALA, 2004).

The post Ten Essential Qualities for Success: A New Cataloging Librarian’s Guide from a Supervisor’s Perspective first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

We have heard it all before, “Where are the books about animals?” and “Where are the cookbooks?” We have done our best to section out popular parts of the fiction and non-fiction collections, like mysteries and career development books respectively, but patron needs’ still demand division in children and adult collections alike. Several libraries across the country have explored alternatives to traditional numeric and alphabetic classification systems.

In 2007, the Maricopa County Library District (Ariz.) opened the Perry Library with a classification system now coined as “ShelfLogic.” Utilizing logical, plain-word language, patrons in Maricopa search for materials in a scheme similar to searching for materials in a book store – by subject and genre. This “Deweyless” library allows for easy browsing while not sacrificing searching by specificity. This classification system was adapted from the book industry’s Book Industry Standards and Communications (BISAC).The community’s response to this change has been so overwhelmingly positive that the Maricopa County Library District has opened every new branch since with ShelfLogic and they are in the process of retro-converting the existing libraries’ holdings to this model.

Inspired after a visit to Maricopa, librarians from the Rangeview Library District (Colo.) reconsidered their classification system . In 2009, the Rangeview Library District (also known as Anythink Libraries) was the first library system to adopt a BISAC-based model at all of its libraries. The District modified the system a little though. They use a hierarchical system similar to the Dewey Decimal System coined as “WordThink.” Spines are labeled with a broad categorical title and a narrower term. For example, a book about drawing would be found under the category of “Art” in the subsection of “Drawing.” Books are then shelved alphabetically in their subsections.

The Darien Library (Conn.) reorganized their collection in a small, but meaningful way. Upon receiving patron feedback, the library reorganized their children’s collection to be more empowering to youth and adult patrons alike. The First Five Years collection breaks resources down into nine, color-coded sections: Favorites, Stories, Growing Up, Transportation, Rhymes & Songs, Concepts, Celebrations, Folk & Fairy Tales, and Learn to Read. Patrons found the reorganization to be very user-friendly, and staff found that, as a result of selecting under which category books would be housed, they were able to deliver more effective reader’s advisory.

Beyond the children’s room, the adult non-fiction collection at Darien is a hybrid of Dewey’s findability and the bookstore model’s browability. Breaking down the inherent barriers in Dewey that separate language and travel, for example, patrons can browse for similar materials in connected “glades” or “neighborhoods.” Armed with the positive feedback of reorganizing the children’s non-fiction, Darien Library is now in the processing of planning to reorganize the children’s non-fiction collection as well.

When considering a new classification system though, always return to one of the fundamental collection development: what do the patrons want? Users’ experience and input was critical to each reorganization. While the Deweyless movement is still young, it is no less important to the concern for access. In the ever-growing landscape of collections, ability to access materials is key to a user’s experience and motivations should be well-founded before reorganization.

What classification systems does your library use?

Has your library thought of implementing an in-house classification system?

The post Is Dewey Dead? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.