I confess, I was once a hard-core cataloging traditionalist. I use to wax eloquently about Thomas Mann and Michael Gorman (2 librarians I still respect a lot). But more and more I see things differently. I'm now much more in the "modernist" camp (or actually the moderate, eclectic freethinker camp) in the sense that I've embraced the future--I'm there.
I've written about the need for catalogers to upgrade their skill set. Now I'd like to recommend this mental exercise if you haven't gotten around to tackling anything on that hefty skill set to-do list.
A few weeks ago, I made the paradigm shift (in my head, not my job description) from cataloger to metadata librarian. So, I recommend this exercise. It's a small, but significant step toward change. Just start thinking of yourself as a metadata librarian, and then see where that takes you.
Another related recommendation: change what you read. For example, during my holiday break I'll be spending some quality time with:
- RDA drafts (rereading)
- FRBR (rereading)
- FRAD
- Dublin Core Abstract Model (DCAM)
- A very cool book titled, Thinking on the Web (if you're looking for a good book that explains the Semantic Web--this is it.)
So, traditionalists, take a break from AACR2/ISBD/MARC and embrace the future! And hey, earth to Gorman: we are the metadata community (some of us just don't realize it yet).
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