Everyday Cataloger Concerns: seeking public library cataloger participants for focus groups at ALA in New Orleans

Please excuse any cross-posting or duplication.


A group of researchers at the UW iSchool are investigating future directions
for cataloging research. We will be conducting focus group interviews in New
Orleans at the ALA Annual Conference to collect ideas for research that
specifically address practicing catalogers’ everyday needs.

If you are:

·       a *library cataloger* at an American library (any level of
cataloging including copy cataloging; any job title; any education level)
spending at least 50% of your time doing cataloging

·       available at the conference at least one of the following times:
Friday June 24 from12-12:45 p.m.; Saturday June 25 from12-12:45 p.m.;
Saturday June 25 from 5:30-6:15 p.m.; Sunday June 26 from 12-12:45 p.m. or
Sunday June 26 from 5:30-6:15 p.m. (please note for this session we are
especially seeking K-12 school library catalogers--even if you spend less
than 50% of your time cataloging please contact us if you are interested on
participating)

·       willing to share your ideas about current issues in cataloging (for
example, cataloging practice, tools, standards; online catalog design, etc.)
in a small group setting

please email Rachel Clarke at raclarke_at_uw.edu <acarlyle_at_uw.edu>.


Please include in your email the type of library with which you are
affiliated (public, academic, school, etc.) as well as the time(s) you are
available to participate.


If you have any questions, please feel free to email Rachel. Details about
the focus group venue will be provided.


Thank you,

The Everyday Cataloger Concerns Research Team (Allyson Carlyle, Rachel
Clarke, Morgan Bell)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Specific goals of the research:

·       Determine future research directions for catalog design, catalog
use, cataloging practice, and cataloging tools& standards that practitioners
think are important to pursue

·       Compare practitioner views about needs for the future of cataloging
with views expounded by the LC Task Force on the Future of Bibliographic
Control in “On the Record” (2008)



Sample focus group interview question:

·       If you could change one thing about cataloging or catalogs what
would it be and why?



Focus group interviews will be audio-recorded.