I'm in Ottawa for the American Theological Library Association Annual Conference. The theme of our technical services discussion last night was--Why be a cataloger? We focused on the personal and professional rewards of cataloging in a period of rapid change and "vocational angst."
One of my ATLA colleague, Blake Walter, did a nice write up of this discussion over on his blog, Views on Theological Librarianship. Check it out.
** Deadline Extended 1 Week -- Now June 20 **
The Code4Lib Journal [ http://journal.code4lib.org/ ] is accepting proposals for articles, book & software reviews, code snippets & algorithms, conference reports, opinion pieces, etc., for its September issue. The Code4Lib Journal strives to fill a communication niche above simple description of software implementations but below pure theoretical digital library investigation. The editorial committee is looking for content that is practical, demonstrates how to exploit technology to create digital library collections and services, or offers insight and forethought regarding the use of computers in any type of library setting.
While articles in the journal should be of a high quality, they need not follow any formal structure or guidelines. Writers should aim for the middle ground between, on the one hand, blog or mailing-list posts, and, on the other hand, articles in traditional journals. We want publishing in the journal to be easy and painless, helping the community to share timely, relevant information that is currently shared all too rarely.
The Journal welcomes submissions at any time on a rolling acceptance basis. We publish quarterly in March, June, September, and December. Proposals received by Friday, June 20, 2008, will receive consideration for publication in issue 4, late September 2008. Upon provisional acceptance, authors will be given an article deadline, typically 6-8 weeks before journal publication. Proposals are typically abstracts sent in the body of an email to c4lj-articles@googlegroups.com
Send in a submission. Your peers would like to hear what you are doing.
Ken Varnum
Coordinating Editor, Issue 4
Code4Lib Journal
Here's an interesting post by Allan Cho, The Future of Digital Librarians. He looks at the issue of skill set needs and LIS education. Here he writes of the difficulty of studying and learning new technologies for on-the-job librarians.
In my own experience as an information professional, I find that these skills are sorely lacking in my own education. I'm finding it increasingly my own initiative to get caught up in the literature and the technologies. Who really has time to learn OAI-PMH metadata standards, XML, EAD, and TEI? Many librarians keep abreast of their field -- but on top of their current duties. But the problem remains that LIS schools do not to train technicians even though that is what they're doing - their mandate is to nurture scholars. Which I can understand. Yet, we can't fit a square peg into a circle. There lies the conundrum: something's got to give. But what? That has remained the intense tension in the field of LIS since its inception. With the advent of the Web and newer technologies, this gap will only widen.
Hot off the press. Check out this new cataloging intiative:
... As a result of the preconference, ALCTS/CETRC created a Task Force on Competencies and Education for a Career in Cataloging. The Task Force will serve as a subcommittee of ALCTS/CETRC and will assess the current state of education and employment in cataloging, recommending new programs that seek to promote continuing education and training in the profession. The Task Force will serve as an umbrella organization for three new initiatives: 1) A Cataloging Education Fellows Program; 2) A program to connect cataloging practitioners and employers with library educators; and 3) A clearinghouse that links to available resources and career opportunities in cataloging.
There's a call for volunteers:
If you would like to volunteer to be a member of the Task Force, please click the link below.
In light of our conversation about upgrading the cataloger's skill set, you'll want to read this post article by Roy Tennant on professional development. His three main points:
- Take time to learn
- Try something new
- Stop doing something
It's a great read!
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