http://librariesinteract.info/2008/04/15/cataloguing-and-library-graduates/ Blog central for Australasian Libraries Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:23:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://librariesinteract.info/2008/04/15/cataloguing-and-library-graduates/comment-page-1/#comment-31847 Debra Sat, 19 Apr 2008 01:11:30 +0000 http://librariesinteract.info/?p=467#comment-31847 How little graduates know about cataloguing has been forcefully demonstrated to me in the last couple of years, where I have directly employed three new graduates - one had a fairly good grip on cataloguing, but the following two had little or no skills or experience at all (no fault to them, their other skills are marvellous). The funny thing is that it was the library assistants (to whom I've taught the rudiments of cataloguing) who ended up "teaching" the qualified staff how to do the basics, before I could even consider delegating higher level cataloguing tasks. It's frustrating! OK, in the era of supplier assisted acquisitions, in-house cataloguing isn't going to be that important; but intuitively I know that a sound knowledge of what AACR dictates, and how a MARC record is built up gives me a huge advantage in how I approach a search, and show other people how to search with confidence; keywords are fantastic, granted, but for an alternative when keywords just don't cut it, you really need to know how LC Subject Headings work. Good on ACOC for stating the obvious. How little graduates know about cataloguing has been forcefully demonstrated to me in the last couple of years, where I have directly employed three new graduates – one had a fairly good grip on cataloguing, but the following two had little or no skills or experience at all (no fault to them, their other skills are marvellous). The funny thing is that it was the library assistants (to whom I’ve taught the rudiments of cataloguing) who ended up “teaching” the qualified staff how to do the basics, before I could even consider delegating higher level cataloguing tasks. It’s frustrating! OK, in the era of supplier assisted acquisitions, in-house cataloguing isn’t going to be that important; but intuitively I know that a sound knowledge of what AACR dictates, and how a MARC record is built up gives me a huge advantage in how I approach a search, and show other people how to search with confidence; keywords are fantastic, granted, but for an alternative when keywords just don’t cut it, you really need to know how LC Subject Headings work. Good on ACOC for stating the obvious.

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