renee's blog

Since I started taking this course, I've been checking out professional catalogers' blogs. It's been new to me as I've never really paid attention to the cataloging world and really didn't know much about catalogers - except that they love mahjong. Anyway, I recently started reading this blog written by a Canadian cataloger. It's clever and interesting and actually makes cataloging interesting - but, that's not why I'm bringing it up. I read one of her older posts about what makes a good cataloger and within the discussion a British colleague wrote something about job candidates shooting themselves in the foot by mentioning that they catalog with Dewey. So, I've been thinking about that. What gives? I get that larger libraries use LOC, but this librarian is British, so that can't be it. Maybe England uses a different cataloging standard? I could look it up, but I'm too exhausted (more on that later). Or, is Dewey just an antiquated system ...

There comes a point during a semester where everything kind of clicks. The “aha” moment, I believe Oprah calls it. I think I’ve finally achieved that clarity in cataloging. I guess it has something to do with the way I learn. I almost need to see the bigger picture before I can start to understand the details – or appreciate why they matter. Approached the other way around and I get hung up on little things, not understanding how it all fits. Now I see the bigger picture. And, thank the library gods because I was starting to go a little bonkers. I’m still hitting snags with the details – I’m not sure how great I did on the access points quiz I just took- and I foresee having to tote along my AACR guide when cataloging, but at least I understand how it all fits together. Now I’m starting to think more about cataloging in the library world. What does it mean to be a cataloger? Are they simply recorders of bibliographic information - preoccupied with spelling, punctuation, and Dewey’s dec...

This is my first post for LIBS 6120 Cataloging & Classification. First thoughts: In the beginning, I hated it. That sounds horrible. But, hear me out. This is my first online course. I'm a very hands-on type of learner - and embarrassingly traditional. I need people around to teach and learn and motivate. This, I suppose, is normal. Anyway, this all online thing has been new and trying, but I'm getting there. Mostly it’s about creating a schedule and sticking to it. Still, I'd like to have a few study pals. About cataloging, I'm thinking this may not have been the best course to start out with. I feel this way for two reasons; a) because tackling the whole first-online-course thing on top of all of the details(!) of cataloging has been extremely time consuming, and b) because it's so demoralizing. I guess reason b is because of reason a, so maybe there is only one reason. Anyway, it's hard to stay motivated about a new career path by starting out tackling th...