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Polly,
I'm glad you are being encouraged to take a traditional cataloging class.
My advice is, do it! Unless you already have a job in a library which uses
the Art & Architecture Thesaurus and ICONCLASS, learning the basics of AACR2
and LC cataloging practice will make you more marketable. Keep up the
independent study, especially after you graduate.
You may also want to look at:
"The Education of Catalogers : the view of the practitioner/educator" by
Anaclare F. Evans (Cataloging and Classification Quarterly, vol. 16(3), 1993.
... and the following, clipped from the LC Cataloging Newsline of June 1996:
THE FUTURE OF CATALOGING AS A PROFESSION
On May 29 a presentation was given to LC staff by three
library professionals: Ingrid Hsieh-Yee, Catholic University of
America, Elaine Svenonius, University of California at Los Angeles,
and Barbara Tillett, Library of Congress. The presentation was
entitled "The Future of Cataloging as a Profession" and was
sponsored by LC's Cataloging Forum.
Dr. Hsieh-Yee spoke of the technological advances in the
library world and discussed the cataloging of Internet resources.
She also said that cataloging "has a bright future as long as we
take part in shaping that future" and that "quality cataloging is
more important than ever."
Dr. Svenonius spoke of the lessening of importance and
availability of cataloging courses in library schools today. She
stated that the lack of training for new catalogers is creating a
crisis in the profession, and suggested that a conference be
convened, involving LC, ALA, library schools, and cataloging
professionals to address this concern.
Dr. Tillett shared her view that LC will continue to be a
major provider of bibliographic and authority records to the
--international library community. She stressed the need for LC to
reduce the cost of its cataloging operation. She noted significant
progress in the areas of international cooperation and
standardization, and said that continued progress, particularly in
Germany and Russia, will greatly benefit cooperative cataloging.
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Julia Wisniewski catalogs art books (when she's not bowling) at:
McKeldin Library rm. 2200
University of Maryland at College Park
College Park, MD 20742-7011
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http://www.wam.umd.edu/~jwisniew/homepage.html
