This just cries for me to relate the true (not apocryphal) story of one
student's reaction after we loaded the big, first batch of govdocs MARC
records into UF's NOTIS catalog in the early 90s after which circulation
of the collection went up about 700% almost immediately. Remember, this
is a full depository library that had devoted almost an entire floor to
gov docs for many decades. So this young woman walks into the documents
department and exclaims to the first librarian she encountered "this is
just great that you got all these documents from the government; they
are a wonderful addition". Thus is the power of discovery. Sort of
like Columbus and the New World. ;-)
- Michele
On 10/1/2010 2:52 PM, Naomi Young wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 1, 2010 at 11:54 AM, Daniel CannCasciato
>
>> Jimmie also wrote: "I also wanted to highlight the importance of fully cataloging storage collections . . . Our pre-1976 documents are now the target of a major cataloging project . . . "
>>
>> Wow, that's nice to read about. I've often wondered about circ statistics for unused older materials and wondered how much better cataloging would affect the circulation or use of those materials. Back in the old days, we, as a profession, used to routinely under-describe and under-analyze materials. Some of the reason was probably philosophical, but I think a lot it was based on the physical limitations of card or book catalogs. As Jimmie wrote, Hooray and Happy Friday.
>>
>>
> Jimmie is too modest (or too busy, or both) to have mentioned that
> these newly-cataloged items *are being requested" now that they are
> showing up in routine catalog searches. So the effort she is
> coordinating has an immediate and actual, not a merely theoretical,
> benefit to researchers.
>
> Naomi
> speaking for myself on a Friday afternoon
>
>
>
--
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Michele Newberry Assistant Director for Library Services
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Gainesville, FL 32606 fclmin_at_ufl.edu
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Received on Fri Oct 01 2010 - 16:39:09 EDT