Hi All,
a couple of responses here. Rarely do catalogers as a professional group vote for "No change", though frequently we do decide that the change needed is not the same as that proposed. Then we're labeled (yes, I have been such) as stubborn or fossilized, etc. However, take a look at the professional changes over the years and what you won't find is a stagnant profession or practitioners. Also, the fact I'm not as enthused by something as much as someone else is, doesn't mean much of anything. I'm wowed by creation of new indexing terms for use in cataloging (still, almost 15 years on in doing so).
As for Deb Bergeron's question: " do we need a catalog at all?
Some libraries have experienced a decline in catalog usage, patrons
choosing electronic databases over items available in the catalog."
This also bring on the questions: do we need reference? Do we need administration? Couldn't our patron's needs be met (based on the criteria she cites) from a centralized statewide service, etc.? (I've always wanted to write a paper suggesting the outsourcing of administration. I think there are tremendous cost-saving benefits that could come of it.)
Also, we should look at the opposite of the question, from a marketing viewpoint. If fewer patrons are coming in to the library, is that the right behavior? Is that something we should encourage, or should we go out there and re-establish our place in the market?
I believe these are worth considering, but not based only on that meager (as she knew when posting) piece of information. We all work at places and those places have their own missions, responsibilities to taxpayers or corporate entities, etc. That, for me, is the framework we should use to discuss her question.
Daniel
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Daniel CannCasciato
Head of Cataloging
Central Washington University Brooks Library
400 E. University Way
Ellensburg, WA 98926-7548
dcc_at_cwu.edu
Received on Thu Sep 20 2007 - 10:37:50 EDT