Cataloging Futures

MARC--Controversial literature

I don't really agree with this post: Radiohead and the death of MARC cataloging, but I'm always on the lookout for librarians weighing in on the future (or non-future) of the MARC format.

A year and a half ago - without any librarians seeming to notice - the MARC cataloging standard officially became obsolete. For years now librarians have noted that MARC is great for describing books but not other media types. The problem lies largely in the fact that MARC and AACR2 are geared to describing single, owned, and published material (i.e. monographs). Moreover, most libraries still focus almost exclusively on purchasing books. But the internet, the abundance of multimedia formats, and their meteoric expansion have slowly eaten away at our old-steady reading partner....

I’m not saying that it will be easy to fix this problem. Providing access to a digital resource requires specific tools and specific technological skills. Fixing or replacing MARC is even more problematic! Nonetheless, librarians don’t have a much of a choice about what to do. Digital resources aren’t going anywhere soon and the good old days are gone for sure. An airbag may have saved Thom Yorke’s life once but he’s shown that unless libraries get their act together we all may be dead.

Another new cataloging blog: From the catalogs of babes

Here's another new cataloging blog worth reading: From the catalogs of babes.

I’m the cataloger at a fashion and design school library. I only recently finished my MLIS. I’m a “babe in the woods” of the profession, but I believe I have the possibility of wisdom. The nature of information is changing so rapidly that cataloging often lags behind. I believe that many rules and traditions of cataloging are due for an upgrade. I may be young and inexperienced. Some of my ideas may not be feasible. But at least I have them. At least I’m trying.

Before religion and theology, I studied fashion design right out of high school (Parsons School of Design), so I look forward to reading this blog and reminiscing about fashion school, way back when.

Reference librarian's thoughts on the benefit of cataloging

It's often reference librarians who recognize the value of cataloging and metadata. You'll want to read Cliff Landis' excellent post, The Future(?) of Cataloging:

And no, I’m not talking about folksonomies and tagging here. Although they are fun and very useful, they are no replacement for standards-based high-quality metadata. I would never want my library’s catalog to look like my personal photo collection–with spotty tagging and organization at best! Reference librarians, library staff, other catalogers and users all make use of high-quality cataloging metadata for locating the specific items that they need. All it takes is a single mistake in a cataloging record to ensure that an item is lost to its user forever. Catalogers: take it from a Reference Librarian–what you do is important.

Cliff also shares his thoughts on the importance of internships, mentoring, and training LIS students.

New blog: Future4catalogers' Blog

Heidi Hoerman, a long-time faculty member of the School of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina has just started a new blog: Future4catalogers' Blog. She writes:

As I have said before, I have no horse in this race.I am not on any of the committees or task forces. I am blissfully cosseted in the classroom where my prognostications have no organizational, budgetary or staff impact. But I am a cataloger dyed-in-the-wool and the changes we will undergo are not incremental (RDA is incremental change) but instead are total upheaval. [emphasis mine]

Heidi, welcome to the cataloging/metadata blogosphere! Glad you're here!

Via First Person Narrative