There are two issues here. 1. Are catalogers valued? and 2. Are
catalogers the main thing holding libraries back?
#1. I certainly believe that a huge percentage of libraries (esp.
academic libraries) value there catalogers. If they didn't, why would
they still have them? I know of only one academic library that has
announced that they "are effectively “getting out of the cataloging
business”." [1] If catalogers where not valued, I'd think we would be
seeing many more libraries follow suit.
#2 assumes that libraries are being held back. Accepting this point for
a majority of libraries, I think in individual libraries, you could
point to person A or department B and say that they are holding that
particular library back because they don't want or don't agree with the
need for change. In order for this to be catalogers being the main thing
holding libraries back, a supermajority of the people holding the
profession back would need to be catalogers. While I have not seen any
statistics on this (not have any clue of a way to get accurate ones) it
has not been my experience that any one area of the library profession
has a lock on "holding libraries back." It is equally (or more) likely
that instructional services, administration, reference, and yes, even
the systems people are holding any particular library back as it is that
it is the catalogers.
So yes, catalogers are valued and no, catalogers are not the main thing
holding libraries back in this day and age.
This of course leads to the question as to what is the main thing9s0
holding libraries back, but I will leave that question as an exercise to
the reader.
Edward
[1]
http://ulatmac.wordpress.com/2006/12/03/getting-out-of-the-cataloging-business/
> On Tue, Feb 10, 2009 at 3:11 PM, Shirley Lincicum
> <shirley.lincicum_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I just got out of a really frustrating meeting with the director of my
>> library. I'm left wondering, does anybody out there (other than
>> catalogers) value anything that catalogers do? Or are catalogers the
>> main thing holding libraries back in this day and age?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Shirley
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
Received on Tue Feb 10 2009 - 16:51:08 EST