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Minutes of the CDG Meeting, 11/29/99
The most recent meeting of ARLIS-NY's Catalogers' Discussion Group was
held on Nov. 29, 1999 at the Pierpont Morgan Library , and was chaired
by Elizabeth O'Keefe of the Morgan.
The topics discussed related to standard documentation for catalogers
and catalog users. Cataloger's Desktop is widely used at libraries such
as MOMA, Columbia, FIT and the Morgan Library, and as such was a
starting point for discussion. At Columbia librarians suffered system
crashes and expressed reluctance to part with the paper version of
USMARC and other cataloging tools. It emerged that learning how to use
Cataloger's Desktop is largely a matter of instinct and individual trial
and error for many, although librarians at Columbia noted that Cornell
has developed useful in-house documentation.
With the days of LCNAF's availabilty via LC 's telnet connection
numbered, concern was expressed that authority records will only be
available by searching RLIN or OCLC--it is uncertain that LC will make
these available for free again. At the Frick, authority files are
purchsed annually, and additional records are occasionally passed onto
their OPAC during the course of the year. Sherman Clarke of NYU noted
that relying on RLIN or OCLC for authority control can lead to gaps in
up-to-dateness. LCSH is available on NYU's Bobcat, and Sherman noted
that end users often bewail finding subject headings which do no
correlate with materials held by the library, though users are
forewarned of this possibility in advance.
AAT was also missed as a possible component of Cataloger's Desktop-while
there is a link to this posted via Cataloger's Desktop, it is not easy
to use, with its confusing system of hierarchies and the absence of
explanations regarding the derivations of terms. Still other links from
Cataloger's Desktop were found to be obsolete.
Few present employed the LC classification scheme which is available as
a separate component of Cataloger's Desktop, as local schemes are widely
prevalent. Many rely on Word documents for this . Hotlinks can now be
inserted to facilitate usage of these schemes, though few seemed to have
employed these as of yet.
Interestingly, many catalogers are loath to relinquish their outdated
RLIN cataloging manuals, preferring to annotate them or simply use with
caution. The problem is that the documentation provided by RLG'swebsite
is parsimonious in comparison with its old paper format, which provided
useful examples still valued by catalogers. And the constant scrolling
involved at RLG's site is bothersome. Some librarians prefer to print
out documentation and save the hard copy.
The second part of the discussion dealt with the documenation of
cataloging procedures and work flow. Experiences varied widely. For
example, librarians at Columbia use NOTIS, which hasn't had any new
releases lately but rather bug fixes, etc. The librarians have compiled
their own documentation, while systems people apprise them of new
developments with related software. In general, word-of-mouth is still
prevalent in the cataloging community where systems are concerned,
although there are useful documents concerning local procedures and
cataloging resources posted on library web pages. Yale and Princeton
have posted cataloging resources, while the Librarian's Resource Center
in Toronto also has useful links. Columbia and the Frick have posted
useful documents as well. Many librarians consult Cataloguer's Toolbox.
Additionally, the listserves of vendors such as Voyager are good
sources of information, though one must have a contract to use some of
these. The archives of the Voyager listserv are posted at
http://sparky.gmu.edu/waiscom/voy-l.html.
The third portion of the meeting concerned documentation for OPAC users.
At libraries such as MOMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, end users
benefit from the fact that librarians perform both reference and
cataloging functions. It was generally agreed that compiling "frequently
asked questions" tips seemed to work well, as people are more
comfortable with instruction in this way than with printed guides. Some
users find personalized instruction unwelcome, fearing the appearance of
ignorance or invasion of privacy. However, as Janette Rozene of FIT and
others noted, searching an OPAC's search history log will provide an
interesting glimpse into end user behavior. Many abandon hope after
deploying faulty search strategies. Some type foul words into the system
in frutration. Misspellings and the inclusion of articles are common
stumbling blocks. On the other hand, end users provide useful
information regarding errors in cataloging, particularly in spelling.
Other common complaints centered around differing locations for like
items, name headings and difficulties arising from the variant spellings
of words (i.e. color/colour).
The next CDG meeting is slated for January 24th, possibly at NYU's Bobst
Library.
--
Peter Gammie
Cataloger, Reference Collection
The Pierpont Morgan Library
29 East 36th Street
New York, NY 10016-3403
TEL: 212 685-0008, Ext. 329
FAX: 212 685-4740
NET: [log in to unmask]
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