Week 12 ~ Cataloging, Part II

This is our second week focusing on reading about cataloging. We're not only cataloging books, but we are also discussing series, periodicals, equipment, websites and the benefits of using some fields in MARC records.  Below are the questions that our instructor has put on the discussion board to stimulate conversation about a very "dry" topic. She has also told us that we may feel free to come up our own discussions.

K&R refers to our book, CATALOG IT! A Guide to Cataloging School Library Materials (2nd edition) by Allison Kaplan and Ann Riedling.

From our Instructor
Here are some more discussion questions from Kaplan and Reidling - feel free to add your own!

K&R [p.125] talk about the possibility of using the same record for a hardcover and paperback copy of the same book. I have occasionally done this, but it makes my blood run cold. Any library OCD stories of your own you’d like to share?

K&R [p.137] mention how much kids love series books. What has your experience been with them? Any you particularly love/loathe?

K&R [p.139] bring up the point that some people ignore the 5XX tag because they don’t have a use for it now but they might in the future. How important do you think it is to look ahead at what libraries might become?

K&R [p.151] say, “The librarian who skips the 5XX tag is doing a disservice to his or her community.” Do they ever make you feel guilty about the occasional shoddy cataloging? Why do I ask? Oh, no reason…

K&R [p.152] talk about cataloging equipment – do you do this at your school or have you observed it? How does it work? How about magazines? [p. 154]

K&R [p.159] bring up the idea of cataloging websites. Do you think this is feasible? What about a direct link from your catalog to a delicious site? Do you think it is more important at elementary level then secondary?

I think Kaplan and Reidling's book will be a "go-to" book for me for years to come!  I love having good resources to use and I can definitely see this on my personal library shelf!

Week 11 ~ Cataloging, Part I

This week we're focusing on reading about cataloging. Below are some of the questions that our instructor has put on the discussion board to stimulate conversation about a very "dry" topic. She has also told us that we may feel free to come up our own discussions.

K&R refers to our book, CATALOG IT! A Guide to Cataloging School Library Materials (2nd edition) by Allison Kaplan and Ann Riedling.

From our Instructor
K&R [p.2] say our materials should "accurately reflect the academic and leisure reading needs of our learning community". Do you think with budget slashing, both need should be given the same weight?

K&R [p.13] talk about curriculum mapping - have you seen it in your schools - or schools in which you have observed?

K&R [p.45] mention reading programs like Accelerated Reading. What is your opinion of these?

K&R [p.70] say that YA fiction can be hard to catalog if you haven't read it . What is the LMS's obligation to read the fiction she catalogs?

K&R [p. 89] discuss graphic novels, genre fiction and the like being placed in separate categories for ease. They say, "If we are trying to make independent library users of our students, before messing with assigned numbers, we should ask, 'What is more important, information literacy skills or quick access?'" What do you think?

Reading this material has been a great refresher for me since I took cataloging a few years ago.  One thing I use as a cross check when I'm stuck is the Library of Congress, after all, they are the Grandaddy!