Cataloging and metadata blogs in 2010

Later today I'm giving a presentation on cataloging and metadata blogs for my SEPTLA colleagues (we have a long-standing Catalogers' Interest Group). So, thought I'd share this list on the blog also. It represents English language blogs only and is not comprehensive, but rather a selection described in the next paragraph. I apologize if I missed a cool, active cataloging blog. Please add to the comments if you think of one.

This is a list of 31 cataloging and metadata blogs that have been currently active in 2010. The frequency of content varies depending on the author’s approach to blogging. This list also represents focused blogs whose content is cataloging, metadata, and related issues, rather than those that cover a variety of topics or are diary-like personal accounts. Just a reminder—the best way to keep up with blogs is to use an RSS feed reader such as Google Reader or the feed subscription function built into most web browsers, such as Internet Explorer.

• Planet Cataloging: http://planetcataloging.org/ “Planet Cataloging is an automatically-generated aggregation of blogs related to cataloging and metadata designed and maintained by Jennifer W. Baxmeyer and Kevin S. Clarke.”
• All things cataloged: http://allthingscataloged.wordpress.com/ Author, Saskia is a library cataloger currently based in Vienna, Austria, following stints in Stuttgart, Leipzig and London. This is a new blog, just started in August 2010.
• Bibliographic Wilderness: http://bibwild.wordpress.com/ Author, Jonathan Rochkind, is the Digital Services Software Engineer at Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries.
• Catalogablog: http://catalogablog.blogspot.com/ Author, David Bigwood, is the Cataloging Librarian at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, Texas.
• Cataloging Futures: http://www.catalogingfutures.com/ Author, Christine Schwartz, is the Metadata Librarian at Princeton Theological Seminary Library, Princeton, New Jersey. The focus of her blog is the future of cataloging and metadata in libraries.
• Cataloguing Aids: http://cataids.wordpress.com/ Author, Lynne LeGrow, is a cataloguer at the Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia, Canada.
• Celeripedean: http://celeripedean.wordpress.com/ Author, Jennifer Eustis, is a Cataloguing & Metadata Librarian, at Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts.
• Cooperative Cataloging Rules Blog: http://coopcatwiki.blogspot.com/ Author, James Weinheimer, is the Director of Library and Information Services at the American University of Rome. This blog accompanies the Cooperative Cataloging Wiki.
• Coyle’s InFormation: http://kcoyle.blogspot.com/ Author, Karen Coyle, is a “librarian with over thirty years of experience with library technology. She now consults in a variety of areas relating to digital libraries.” (http://www.kcoyle.net/reach.html)
• First thus: http://catalogingmatters.blogspot.com/ Author, James Weinheimer, is the Director of Library and Information Services at the American University of Rome. He is an active contributor to cataloging discussion lists such as AUTOCAT.
• From the catalogs of babes: http://catalogsofbabes.wordpress.com/ Author, Rachel “Ivy” Clarke, was a cataloger at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Library in Los Angeles, California during the time she wrote this blog. She recently left this position to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Washington’s iSchool in Seattle, WA. She recently stopped writing this blog in September 2010.
• Inquiring Librarian: http://inquiringlibrarian.blogspot.com/ Author, Jenn Riley, is a Metadata Librarian in the Digital Library Program at Indiana University. She just accepted a new position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to be Head of the Carolina Digital Library and Archives.
• Learning About RDA: http://learningaboutrda.wordpress.com/ Diane Hillmann’s blog for a class she taught on RDA in the spring of 2010. See more about Diane Hillmann at her blog, Metadata Matters, described below.
• Local Weather: http://mlbeacom.blogspot.com/ Author, Matthew Beacom, is a Metadata Librarian at Yale University.
• Lorcan Dempsey’s Weblog: http://orweblog.oclc.org/ Author, Lorcan Dempsey “is currently working for OCLC as Vice President, OCLC Research and Chief Strategist.”
• Metadata Blog: http://www.alcts.ala.org/metadatablog/ “The official blog of the Metadata Interest Group (MIG), a discussion group of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services division of the American Library Association.”
• Metadata, cataloging, & various librarian-like stuff: http://carolslib.wordpress.com/ Author, Carol, a full-time cataloging trainer writes this "semi-anonymous" blog.
• Metadata Matters: http://managemetadata.org/blog Author, Diane Hillmann, is “currently Director of Metadata Initiatives for the Information Institute of Syracuse (formerly Research Librarian, Cornell University Library and Director of Library Services and Operations of the National Science Digital Library (NSDL))” (http://managemetadata.org/about.php).
• Metadata: How a Cataloger Views and Interprets the World: http://metadata.posterous.com/ Author, Jeffery Beall, is “a Metadata Librarian at the University of Colorado Denver in Denver, Colorado. [He mentions on his blog] I research the strengths of metadata-enabled search systems and the weaknesses of full-text searching. An example of a weakness of full-text searching is the synonym problem: when you search for "leprosy," you miss all the resources that refer to the disease only as "Hansen's disease."
• Metalogger: http://metalogger.wordpress.com/ Author, Neil Godfrey, is a metadata specialist who is currently a bibliographic consultant with the Singapore National Library Board.
• Metalogue: http://community.oclc.org/metalogue/ “Metalogue is a forum for sharing thoughts on all things related to knowledge organization by and for libraries, hosted by Karen Calhoun, Vice President, WorldCat and Metadata Services for OCLC. “ As of October 15, 2010, this blog is being retired and readers are directed to the OCLC Cooperative Blog: http://community.oclc.org/cooperative/.
• Panlibus: http://blogs.talis.com/panlibus/ This is a multi-author blog written by the staff of the Talis library systems company. They do a lot of work in the area of the semantic web--cutting edge stuff.
• Quiescit anima libris: http://latinlibrarian.blogspot.com/ Author writes anonymously under the pseudonym “Scribe.”
• The Bib Blog: York University Libraries Bibliographic Services: http://www.yorku.ca/yul/bibserv/blog/ Author, F. Tim Knight, is Head of Technical Services at Osgoode Hall Law School Library, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• The Cataloguing Librarian: http://laureltarulli.wordpress.com/ Author, Laurel Tarulli, is the Collections Access Librarian at Halifax Public Libraries. Laurel is currently researching the social aspects of next-generation catalogs.
• The FRBR Blog: http://www.frbr.org/ Author, William Denton, is the Web Librarian at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• The Serials Cataloger: http://serialscataloger.blogspot.com/ Author, Lori Terrill, is the Principal Serials Cataloger at the University of Wyoming.
• Three Catalogers Walk Into a Blog: http://3catalogers.wordpress.com/ A multi-author blog. Richard Stewart, Jennifer B. Young, and Joy Anhalt focus on resources to help catalogers in their everyday work.
• TSLL TechScans: http://tslltechscans.blogspot.com/Blog for Technical Services Law Librarians.
• WadingIn: http://wadeatmac.wordpress.com/ Author, Wade Wyckoff, is the Associate University Librarian, Collections at McMaster University Library in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
• What’s the point?: http://www.pointsmean.blogspot.com/ An anonymous cataloger working in the U.K. Here from the first post:”Suffice it to say that I am a cataloguer (and have been for many many years - too many years, probably) and that I work in the United Kingdom. Although it hasn't always been the case, at the moment I am working in a public library. It's a fairly precarious position nowadays, and one of the things I want to explore through this blog is why this is so - why cataloguing is so little respected and valued. There will be lots of other things to say as well.”

Comments

[Laurel Tarulli]

Thanks for this, Chris! Enjoy your presentation today.

[Beth P Camden]

Chris:

Thanks for sharing this list. I noticed that the URL for "Inquiring Librarian" was incorrect

-Beth

[Christine Schwartz]

@Laurel The presentation went well. Except I never have a good answer when people ask "Why do I need to read blogs if I'm already reading cataloging listservs?" I suggested that people should give blog reading a try, and if they find it helpful, add it to their professional reading "stack."

After we talked about this awhile, it seems one of the advantages of blogs, and even more so Twitter, is that you can get at the latest reports, papers, articles, etc. quicker without all the discussion (sometimes disjointed) that you find on discussion lists, like AUTOCAT and NGC4Lib. (I'm planning on doing another presentation in the future on catalogers who use Twitter.)

I use listservs, blogs, and Twitter for professional development info and I think they all have their place. The bigger question for me is: What is enough? How much professional development info do I need to keep up with our profession? At the meeting we all agreed that the amount is overwhelming--we're definitely suffering from information overload!

@Beth Thanks very much for catching that error!

[Laurel Tarulli]

Chris,
I'm still so surprised that people ask why they need to read blogs when they belong to listservs. For me, while listservs are nice, I find that the handful of blogs I follow religiously provide me with a wealth of relevant information and allow for a more thoughtful approach (at times) to issues current and relevant to me. From a public library perspective, there's a lot I have to weed through in listservs, but blogs and twitter feeds are more appropriate to my work - and my everyday professional development.

Ah, "what is enough?" is a hard one! I know that while I follow only a handful of blogs, there are many more out there that I probably should be following. It's interesting, but it brings up a phrase my art teacher used to say to me "A good artist is one who knows when to put down his brush". Because of the wealth of information available, I think it's up to the professional to decide when it's enough - which means different things to different people. Not a good answer - but one I think we all struggle with.

[Susan Berdinka]

Thanks for the list - it is good to add a couple I didn't know about!

[Shefix]

Cool! :)