> The ARLIS/NY Cataloging Discussion Group met on Mon. Dec. 18th, 2000 at
> the Museum of Modern Art.
>
> 23 attended.
>
> Danny Fermon opened the meeting by offering a summary of the employee
> strike at MoMA in which members of the Professional and Administrative
> Staff Association/Local 2110 /UAW/AFL-CIO walked off the job Apr. 28th and
> ratified a contract on Sept. 9th 2000 after a difficult 135 day struggle.
> He characterized the settlement as an especially sweet victory because all
> the union's demands were met including the implementation of an agency
> shop, which the museum said it would never give, and because the union
> became strengthened even though it had to endure a barrage of "textbook"
> union busting actions launched by the museum before and during the strike.
> He pointed out that the success in any strike is tempered by the stresses
> suffered, the tear in the fabric of the institution, the loss of friends
> to other institutions (four members of the library staff moved on to other
> endeavors after the strike ended), and the problems of coming back to
> departments where strikers are victims of retaliation or generally
> ungracious, unwelcoming behavior.
>
> The topic of discussion: the use of temporary and part-time work in
> library cataloging.  Fermon cited his experiences as a non-professional,
> remembering when filing cards in the catalog was strictly a professional
> activity until the advent of automation when library assistants were
> finally allowed to participate in filing cards.   Given increasingly
> advanced responsibilities over the years, the assistants were trained in
> cataloging some material at minimal level.  He pointed out how it
> stimulated his own move towards becoming a librarian, suggesting that
> "seeding" the profession is a happy collateral consequence of moving tasks
> down the hierarchical scale.
>
> Daniel Starr (MoMA) asked how many in the room were currently using
> temp./part-time labor in their libraries and how many had ever used
> temp./part-time labor.  Most either were using them or had before.  He
> noted problems and difficulties such as the lack of motivation of
> employees who work after hours and who are not fully invested in the life
> and welfare of the institution.  Others observed that temps often don't
> fully interact with the staff in daily operations.   Carol Rusk (Whitney
> Museum of American Art) said that given those limitations, selection
> criteria were difficult to formulate, and Janet Rozene (Fashion Institute
> of Technology) felt that the underlying reason for resorting to temporary
> or part-time work was budgetary--most institutions were not willing to pay
> for full time positions with benefits.
>
> Emily Roth (Uris Library/Metropolitan Museum of Art) related how part-time
> cataloging jobs came in handy at a particular juncture in her career and,
> that although not perfect for everyone, temporary/part-time work could be
> a useful employment niche for some.
>
> Vicky Bohm (Watson Library/Metropolitan Museum of Art) observed that her
> experience at the Watson was somewhat opposite of Danny Fermon's at MoMA.
> The professionals used to be the sole custodians of the "higher"
> cataloging functions and the para- and non- professionals did the typing,
> filing, editing, and, ultimately working with MARC copy from RLIN.
>
> When giving responsibilities to temps, Sherman Clarke (NYU) reminded that
> you needed to find work that didn't require frequent consulting or
> confirmation, because the job often took place off hours when staff was
> not around.
>
> Given the off hours and the lack of attachment to the institution, Liz
> O'Keefe (Pierpont Morgan Library) felt that a pressing issue for her was
> security.  Emily and Carol concurred.
>
> The issue of money came up again.  When Carol related that she had to use
> an intern for a particular project because there was no money for a full
> time staff member, Janet said this underscored her earlier observation
> that institutions are opting for "cheap" solutions instead of committing
> to full-time staff needs.  She added that there were unseen costs in
> repeatedly hiring and training new temps.   Liz asked if Janet's
> experience with full-timers wasn't the same; do full timers stay any
> longer than part-timers?  Janet concurred that, indeed, some full-timers
> don't stay for the long haul.
>
> Liz brought up the issue of OCLC service vs. RLIN's.  RLIN does not
> support weekend inputting/updating, a limitation for week-end part time
> cataloging.
>
> Daniel Starr identified a number of threads in the otherwise desultory
> direction of the discussion: security, recruiting, funding, project based
> jobs, and he added work station and space issues.  This focused the
> discussion to more practical concerns.
>
> Steven Cohen (Pratt Institute) wondered what the job market was like for
> our group.
>
> During the discussion Vicky cited the Watson's use temps from an
> outsourcing agency and Sherman mentioned OCLC's TechPRO's job contracting
> service as an option.
>
> Daniel Starr asked if we couldn't explore a "service" within our group.
> How about using the ARLIS/NY website for posting jobs?
>
> Janet mentioned that if ARLIS/NY wouldn't work, the AUTOCAT listserv was
> as a good choice because it's an active list with a wide distribution.
>
> Carol said that the ARLIS/NY website was not well known, which lead to
> discussions of how to "improve" the site or make it more available.   Is
> the site registered?  What are the costs?  Do key words like "employment
> opportunities" need to be added?  To Danny Fermon's suggestion of posting
> to the ARLIS/NA website came the answer that there's a fee for posting.
> Erin Elliott (Pratt Institute [working part-time at the Morgan]) said she
> used the Jobline at Pratt.
>
> Heidi recommended sending postings to area library schools.  Mark Bresnan
> (Frick Art Reference Library) wondered if library school students were up
> to the task.   Heidi said it depended on the project; most cataloging
> being learned on the job anyway.  Rodica Preda (Frick) suggested that one
> cataloging course in library school was not enough.  Someone mentioned
> that the interviewing process could help identify the better employees.
>
> But for Maria Oldal (Pierpont Morgan Library) interviewing wasn't even
> enough for vetting prospective full-time catalogers.  The Morgan has
> sometimes asked applicants to bring examples of their work (i.e., MARC
> printouts).
>
> The issue of training came up.
> Heidi has used the Library of Congress' Cataloging Concepts: Descriptive
> Cataloging (1993).
>
> Daniel Starr observed that training manuals were difficult to develop
> because changes took place too fast to keep the manual current.
>
> This lead to a discussion of quality control.  At the Morgan, mutual
> checking of work is part of the routine.  Liz felt it's a way to keep up
> with rule changes and Maria said that this resulted in enriched quality of
> work.
>
> For Daniel Starr, spot checking was more than enough, especially as, after
> a point, corrections are a matter of opinion or personal "style."  Maria
> did agree that each cataloger had a recognizable style.  Liz warned,
> however, that without checking, incorrect practices might go unnoticed.
> Mark agreed; sometimes catalogers' works are laws unto themselves.
>
> Vicky related that it was the paraprofessionals at the Watson who often
> did the editing and correcting.  Danny Fermon said that the issue of
> whether to spot check or probe deeper was the same situation confronting
> any editor: does one change the work so much that the original is no
> longer recognizable or is good editing one where individuality is left
> alone.  Wasn't a "second pair of eyes" all that mattered?   At MoMA, he
> has two reliable, well-trained volunteers check each others' work.
>
> The next meeting will be Feb. 5th or 26th.
> The venue has not been decided, but Vicky Bohm will be negotiating with
> Danny Fermon and he will announce the decision at a later date.
>
>
>
> Daniel Fermon
> Assistant Librarian
> Museum of Modern Art Library
> 11 W. 53rd Street
> New York, N.Y.
> (212) 708-9434
>
>

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