At 01:20 PM 9/17/2007, Deb Bergeron wrote:
>While I realize that creating a well-designed catalog for all users
>(including catalogers) is a controversial subject, what I don't quite
>understand is why this is an issue when we now have the ability via
>open-source to develop dual-catalog interfaces that 'play well' with ILS
>modules, thus giving us the ability to design for both the patron and
>the staff (librarians/catalogers). What am I missing?
I think the future of cataloging as a profession first came
up because the Library of Congress (LoC)decided not to create series
authorities. There was gossip on the cataloging listservs had LoC
doing away with subject headings. I think it woke a lot of catalogers
up that the traditional catalog, which is now online might very well
go away. So cataloging jobs would change or disappear. Change can be
a very frightening thing for folks especially when they've spent
their lives doing their work the same way.
My own opinion is that I want a catalog that is available
24/7 on all those nifty and expensive electronic devices that
everyone (but me) has today. I also want a more robust keyword
searching mechanism than is currently available (at least on
Voyager). I also want to be able to add more keyword searchable
information to bibliographic records. If that means not using MARC so
be it. A well-designed metadata schema, a few standards for entry, an
ILS that supports it et voila! We can begin to give library users (at
all levels)what they want in the way they want it.
I also think that before sitting down to the nuts and bolts
of how to do this that the library users need to be surveyed. What do
all library users at all kinds of libraries want? Or feel they need?
The answers would, I suspect, change the way in which ILSs are
designed, the way in which information literacy classes are taught,
and also change the way in which catalogers do their jobs.
Sorry...I'll go back to lurking now.
Jerri Swinehart
MLIS
Library Assistant III
Oakland University
Kresge Library
Technical Services
Rochester, MI 48309-4484
swinehar_at_oakland.edu
Received on Mon Sep 17 2007 - 12:13:54 EDT