# Presentation: 706361

## Cataloger Competences for Public LibrariesPresented By:

***J. Randolph Call***
***Director for Technical Services***
***Detroit Public Library***
***5201 Woodward Avenue***
***Detroit, MI  48202***
***Telephone: (313) 833-4501***
***Fax: (313) 832-0877***
***E-Mail: rcall@detroit.lib.mi.us***

## Course Work Usually Seen on Transcripts of Prospective Catalogers

-  Required introductory course (one term in length).
-  Advanced cataloging and classification course (also one term in length).
-  Occasionally, one-term seminars on a facet of cataloging – technical services (for instance, serials or metadata).
-  Required, one-term Practicum working in a library.
-  A variety of classes in records management, indexing & abstracting, archival management, databases and information technology that can include useful concepts.

-  Data elements in bibliographic description.
-  MARC structure and tags.
-  Limited exposure to AACR 2.
-         a) Introductory course is heavily book-oriented.
-  LCSH
-  A very high level overview of Technical Services workflow.
-  A brief exposure to variant edition issues.
-  Hopefully some cataloging experience during their practicum.
-  DDC and LC Call numbers
-         a)  Briefly in introductory course.

***Contents of these Courses***

***What Do New Graduates Usually Know?***
***(Assuming no cataloging experience outside the curriculum.)***

- Not enough cataloging practice, varieties of examples, and levels of detail allow a new graduate to be an independent cataloger upon hire.
-  New graduates I interview have been exposed to enough to realize how much more detail they need to know.

***Concepts About How to Catalog***

## Overwhelming Bulk of New Title Cataloging Is Not Professional Work

-  Librarians are expected to perform more sophisticated work.

***Overwhelming****** Bulk of New Title Cataloging Is Not Professional Work***

##  Often shaky on understanding that how the local library system works may also modify what they learned.Cataloging Is  A Customer Service.  It adapts as patron needs and/or wants change. It is also one component in the larger workflow moving materials for the collections from order to shelf ready.  

***Local Policy and Procedure May Modify What They ***
***Learned***

##        My rule of thumb is three to six months on the job working one on one with a trainer to become routinely independent for copy cataloging Detroit Public Library’s monographic acquisitions. Beyond that, roughly another 18 months under a trainer’s supervision to become routinely proficient solving any problem referred by a copy cataloger (including serials issues), and original cataloging for a variety of forms of material including manuscript and rare materials. 

-        My rule of thumb is three to six months on the job working one on one with a trainer to become routinely independent for copy cataloging Detroit Public Library’s monographic acquisitions. Beyond that, roughly another 18 months under a trainer’s supervision to become routinely proficient solving any problem referred by a copy cataloger (including serials issues), and original cataloging for a variety of forms of material including manuscript and rare materials.

***How Long It Takes to Become a Routinely Independent Professional Cataloger***

## Production Atmosphere

-  Priorities, deadlines, and the technology used to accomplish both change often and radically as the Library adapts to changing patron wants and needs.
-  Overall expectation for the general collections is “good enough” for the patron to use, not as close to perfect as the cataloger can achieve.

***Production Atmosphere***

## Integrated Technical Services Workflow

-  Because of audit trails involved, problem solving for database maintenance involves consulting with Acquisitions and can include Circulation staff.

***Integrated Technical Services Workflow***

## How Much Is Expected In Addition to Cataloging?

-  Degreed Librarians are expected to be leaders in an organization overwhelmingly composed of clerical, paraprofessional, and “other” staff.
-  Expectation leads to Library special assignments and projects that may or may not be cataloging related and do not change productivity expectations.
-  Active participation in professional activities, but without affecting productivity expectations.

## How Fast Change Happens

## Leave the Basic “Nuts and Bolts” Curriculum at the Concept Level.

-  As long as our local systems and databases are built on current practices and standards, training new catalogers for the complexity I see at a large institution will always be a partnership between professional education and on the job training.

***How Could Library and Information Science Curricula Address These Issues?***

## Add Equipping Graduates With a Suite of Management Tools

-          a) Ideally, I would like to see every new graduate come to the job already familiar with and using some sort of a personal self-organizer; be it printed planner or software.
-  Project Planning and Management
-         a) Importance is having the discipline of identifying objectives, goals, steps, milestones, and the relative priorities and timeliness necessary to accomplish an overall objective.
-  Exposure to planning and managing budgets.
-  Training in what statistics can tell you and how to collect and analyze them.
-  Understand their own personal style of interacting with others (also called management style).

***Add Equipping Graduates With a Suite of Management Tools***