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The ARLIS/NY Cataloging Discussion Group met Monday, June 24 at the
Watson Library of the Metropolitan Museum to address the topic of training
library assistants. Billy Kwan of the Met moderated the event, which was
attended by catalogers from the Met, MOMA, Columbia U., Frick Art Reference
Library, Whitney Museum Library and NYU.
The disucussion covered topics such as the training responsibilities
of professional catalogers, and the various skills and levels of autonomy of
the library assistants doing copy cataloging at the different institutions.
Training experiences mentioned included the use of manuals and the sessions
for assistants available at METRO. The group also shared their experiences
relating to the maintenance of staff morale, the shifting of tasks brought
about by automation, the maintainance of quality in the database, and the
question of how much training is too much.
The Watson Library would welcome copies of training documentation from
other institutions. Anyone willing to share should contact Billy Kwan
(e-mail: [log in to unmask] ; tel.: 212 650-2437).
The next meeting will be Aug. 5, at 3:30 in the Watson Library for a
wrap-up of the ALA meeting.
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