A couple of weeks ago I attended a program at CMRLS on AACR2, RDA and FRBR. It was presented by Amy Benson, formerly of NELINET and now Archivist for Digital Initiatives at the Schlesinger Library. Amy always does a very good job. She researches her topic thoroughly and presents it with lots of humor and interesting anecdotes. This presentation was no exception.
Amy spent a lot of time laying the foundation by explaining that FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) is a conceptual model that identifies entities, relationships, and attributes. A bibliographic entity has 4 attributes: Work, Expression, Manifestation (the equivalent of a bibliographic record) and Item (one specific, physical piece). A work entity has a reciprocal relationship with a person entity when the work was created by a person and the person created the work. There are a lot more details which were carefully mapped out with the aid of diagrams.
There has been lots of discussion on AUTOCAT and other electronic discussion lists about FRBR and RDA (Resource Description and Access). Listening to Amy’s presentation helped me solidify my own feelings towards these ideas. I strongly agree with the FRBR principles. While it may seem strange at first, FRBR is really the way we organize books and other works. We want to know if a movie with a particular title is related to a book with the same title or if an audio version of a book is exactly the book word-for-word or if it has been modified. I like the way AquaBrowser and Endeca make use of the FRBR relationships in our online catalogs. I also think it’s easier for patrons when they know that a library has a title and don’t care which edition they borrow.
However, I am really ambivalent about RDA which is intended to replace AACR2 using FRBR principles. As someone who has cataloged art objects and other non-book materials, I am well aware of AACR2’s shortcomings. Yet, it works really well for books and other print material. Can a one-size-fits-all product like RDA really do both books and websites justice? As things stand now, no one is happy with RDA. Some think is goes too far and others not far enough.
I wonder how this will all shake out. We’ll begin to find out in the spring of 2009 when RDA is due to be published. Stay tuned!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
OLAC Conference Scholarship
OLAC (OnLine Audiovisual Catalogers) organizes a biennial conference for catalogers who work with – what else? – audiovisual materials. This is the place where people speak MARCese (“In 245 subfield c … “) and everyone knows exactly what they mean.
The 2008 conference will be held September 26-28 at the Renaissance Hotel in Cleveland Ohio and scholarships are available for first time attendees. The application and supporting materials must be received no later than May 15, 2008. The award will be announced no later than July 30, 2008.
Eligibility:Any personal member of OLAC who has never attended an OLAC Conference is eligible for the OLAC Conference Scholarship.Award Description:The award amount will be determined by the OLAC Board; it will be sufficient to cover reasonable estimated costs for registration, lodging, travel, and meals.Conditions/Requirements: The recipient must confirm in writing that he or she will attend. The recipient must attend the full conference, including the business meeting where the award will be announced, and the recipient must write a brief report for the OLAC Board indicating what he or she gained and found to be most helpful in his or her work.
Applicants must include the completed application form below, current resume, and a cover letter describing why the applicant wishes to attend the Conference, how the receipt/non-receipt of the scholarship will influence his or her ability to attend the conference, and potential applications to his or her present and future job responsibilities.
2008 OLAC CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORM(Please enter information and print the form or type/print neatly)
Name: (First MI Last)
Mailing Address:
Country:
Daytime telephone:
Email address:
Place of employment:
Position title:
Personal member of Online Audiovisual Catalogers since:
Brief description of job responsibilities/related non-print involvement/experience:
Send the application (printed or electronic) and supporting materials to:Pam Skittino
skittino@cooklib.org
OLAC Conference Scholarship CommitteeCook Memorial Public Library District413 N. Milwaukee Ave. Libertyville, IL 60048
For further information, please contact Pam Skittino at (847) 362-2352 x157 or skittino@cooklib.org
OLAC has great conferences. Every time I’ve attended I’ve learned a lot, met some really interesting people, and visited wonderful places. As part of the conferences’ programs, I’ve toured a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oak Park, IL as well as the National Geographic Society in Washington DC.
I encourage catalogers to apply for this scholarship. Good luck to all applicants.
The 2008 conference will be held September 26-28 at the Renaissance Hotel in Cleveland Ohio and scholarships are available for first time attendees. The application and supporting materials must be received no later than May 15, 2008. The award will be announced no later than July 30, 2008.
Eligibility:Any personal member of OLAC who has never attended an OLAC Conference is eligible for the OLAC Conference Scholarship.Award Description:The award amount will be determined by the OLAC Board; it will be sufficient to cover reasonable estimated costs for registration, lodging, travel, and meals.Conditions/Requirements: The recipient must confirm in writing that he or she will attend. The recipient must attend the full conference, including the business meeting where the award will be announced, and the recipient must write a brief report for the OLAC Board indicating what he or she gained and found to be most helpful in his or her work.
Applicants must include the completed application form below, current resume, and a cover letter describing why the applicant wishes to attend the Conference, how the receipt/non-receipt of the scholarship will influence his or her ability to attend the conference, and potential applications to his or her present and future job responsibilities.
2008 OLAC CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORM(Please enter information and print the form or type/print neatly)
Name: (First MI Last)
Mailing Address:
Country:
Daytime telephone:
Email address:
Place of employment:
Position title:
Personal member of Online Audiovisual Catalogers since:
Brief description of job responsibilities/related non-print involvement/experience:
Send the application (printed or electronic) and supporting materials to:Pam Skittino
skittino@cooklib.org
OLAC Conference Scholarship CommitteeCook Memorial Public Library District413 N. Milwaukee Ave. Libertyville, IL 60048
For further information, please contact Pam Skittino at (847) 362-2352 x157 or skittino@cooklib.org
OLAC has great conferences. Every time I’ve attended I’ve learned a lot, met some really interesting people, and visited wonderful places. As part of the conferences’ programs, I’ve toured a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oak Park, IL as well as the National Geographic Society in Washington DC.
I encourage catalogers to apply for this scholarship. Good luck to all applicants.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Another NETSL Success
On Friday, April 4, the Hogan Campus Center at Holy Cross College was packed as 280 Librarians attended the annual NETSL (New England Technical Services Librarians) conference. This year’s title was Cohabiting and Colliding: Print and Electronic resources.
If you weren’t there, you missed some great presentations and discussions (as well as a good meal). But all is not lost. PowerPoints and handouts are available to see on the NETSL website.
And congratulations to David Miller of the Levin Library at Currey College. David was the recipient of the NETSL Award for Excellence in Technical Services.
Don’t miss the fun next year. The conference will be held on a Friday in April in 2009. We don’t have a specific date yet, but when we do, it will be posted on the website. Information will be updated as we select a title and begin lining up speakers, so visit the site regularly.
If you weren’t there, you missed some great presentations and discussions (as well as a good meal). But all is not lost. PowerPoints and handouts are available to see on the NETSL website.
And congratulations to David Miller of the Levin Library at Currey College. David was the recipient of the NETSL Award for Excellence in Technical Services.
Don’t miss the fun next year. The conference will be held on a Friday in April in 2009. We don’t have a specific date yet, but when we do, it will be posted on the website. Information will be updated as we select a title and begin lining up speakers, so visit the site regularly.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Get Involved with MLA/TSS
Back in the 1980s when I was a relatively new staff member at the Western Mass Regional Library System, someone asked me if I'd like to run for Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect of the Technical Services Section of the Massachusetts Library Association. Saying "Yes" was one of the best moves I ever made professionally, socially, and intellectually.
Now you have an opportunity to meet new friends, develop leadership skills, serve others, and gain increased personal and professional satisfaction. As of July 1, there are two vacant positions on the MLA/TSS Executive Board. One is Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect (one-year term) and the other is Member-at-Large (two-year term).
If you would like to serve in either of these positions please contact Chair Wei Jeng-Chu at wjengchu@cwmars.org or Vice-Chair Cecile Bianco at Cecile.Bianco@umassmed.edu. The slate will be presented and voted on at the TSS Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 8th at the MLA Annual Conference.
There are no extra dues to be a TSS member. Simply check off TSS on your MLA member application or renewal. It could be the best move you've ever made.
Now you have an opportunity to meet new friends, develop leadership skills, serve others, and gain increased personal and professional satisfaction. As of July 1, there are two vacant positions on the MLA/TSS Executive Board. One is Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect (one-year term) and the other is Member-at-Large (two-year term).
If you would like to serve in either of these positions please contact Chair Wei Jeng-Chu at wjengchu@cwmars.org or Vice-Chair Cecile Bianco at Cecile.Bianco@umassmed.edu. The slate will be presented and voted on at the TSS Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 8th at the MLA Annual Conference.
There are no extra dues to be a TSS member. Simply check off TSS on your MLA member application or renewal. It could be the best move you've ever made.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
MLA has a lot to offer Technical Services staff
I hope you’re planning to spend some time at the Mass Library Association conference in Falmouth. Dates: May 6-9, 2008. The Technical Services Section has put together a dazzling array of programs.
First, on Tuesday, May 6 and the morning of May 7, there will be a pre-conference devoted entirely to The Future of the ILS (Integrated Library System). Speakers are Marshall Breeding, Director of Innovative Technologies and Research at Vanderbilt University Libraries and Eric Lease Morgan, Head of Digital Access and Information Architecture at University Libraries of Notre Dame. Also speaking will be representatives from new and innovative ILSs like Georgia PINES, Koha, Endeca, VUFind, Scriblio, and WorldCat Local.
The rest of the schedule is just as exciting
Wednesday, May 7th, 1:15pm – 2:30pm. The Emerging Cataloging Future: RDA, DCMI, and the Semantic Web. Speaker: Diane L. Hillmann, Research Librarian, Cornell University Library.
Thursday, May 8th, 9:30am - 10:45am. The Future of Bibliographic Control: Predictions, Pratfalls, Dread or Delight? Speaker: Janet Swan Hill, Professor, Associate Director for Technical Services, University of Colorado Libraries.
Thursday, May 8th, 11:30am - 12:45am. UR Research at the University of Rochester: an Institutional Repository case study. Speaker: Suzanne Bell, Economics/Data Librarian and UR Research Projects Coordinator, Rush Rhees Library, University of Rochester.
Registrations must be postmarked before April 18, 2008 or you can also register at the Conference.
I'll be there and I hope to see you.
First, on Tuesday, May 6 and the morning of May 7, there will be a pre-conference devoted entirely to The Future of the ILS (Integrated Library System). Speakers are Marshall Breeding, Director of Innovative Technologies and Research at Vanderbilt University Libraries and Eric Lease Morgan, Head of Digital Access and Information Architecture at University Libraries of Notre Dame. Also speaking will be representatives from new and innovative ILSs like Georgia PINES, Koha, Endeca, VUFind, Scriblio, and WorldCat Local.
The rest of the schedule is just as exciting
Wednesday, May 7th, 1:15pm – 2:30pm. The Emerging Cataloging Future: RDA, DCMI, and the Semantic Web. Speaker: Diane L. Hillmann, Research Librarian, Cornell University Library.
Thursday, May 8th, 9:30am - 10:45am. The Future of Bibliographic Control: Predictions, Pratfalls, Dread or Delight? Speaker: Janet Swan Hill, Professor, Associate Director for Technical Services, University of Colorado Libraries.
Thursday, May 8th, 11:30am - 12:45am. UR Research at the University of Rochester: an Institutional Repository case study. Speaker: Suzanne Bell, Economics/Data Librarian and UR Research Projects Coordinator, Rush Rhees Library, University of Rochester.
Registrations must be postmarked before April 18, 2008 or you can also register at the Conference.
I'll be there and I hope to see you.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Book Review: Cataloging Without Tears
Cataloging without tears: managing knowledge in the information society by Jane M. Read. Oxford, England : Chandos Publishing, 2003. ISBN: 1843340437 (pbk)
There are lots of things I like about this book beyond its intriguing title. I like the chatty, informal tone. It’s a book that constantly reassures readers that cataloging doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, cataloging can be a lot of fun for those “who enjoy intellectual challenges for their own sake.” Even the layout of the book is reassuring and easy to read. There is lots of white space so the book reads fairly quickly.
It contains a lot of good background and good general information including a section on Dublin Core and ONIX. In fact, I had an “aha” moment since I learned the precise place for a piece of information that I was never sure how to include in a Dublin Core record. It was like finding a missing link. There is a very informative comparison and contrast of AACR2/MARC and DC, XML, ONIX.
The book is divided into two parts. All of the above are included in Part I or “The Big Picture”. Part II is called “The Nitty-Gritty” and covers just that – in a way. In discussing the specific parts of a bib records, Ms Read describes the thought process involved when choosing what to include and how. There is a very good chapter on cataloging items in different languages, something I’ve faced many times and, fortunately, survived. Another chapter covers the details of cataloging archives and rare books.
While this book is well worth reading, it has some shortcomings. The first is that the British orientation can sometimes be distracting for U.S. readers. Cataloging Without Tears is definitely not a reference book. One cannot learn much by skimming the book; an entire chapter (or the book) must be read to get any value out of it.
While Ms. Read uses a lot of humor, it is sometimes a little too cute for my taste. There are many cartoon, few of which I thought were funny. Humor can be culture specific, though, so maybe a British reader would react differently.
While Part II is entitled “The Nitty-Gritty”, no actual rules are cited. In talking about dates, Ms Read says “AACR gives rules for determining which date to use.” Examples of bib records do not use the format of Library of Congress Subject Headings which may be confusing for U.S. readers trying to learn how to catalog. Many libraries in central Massachusetts and throughout the state are a part of an automated network such as C/W MARS, yet the book assumes a standalone catalog and never addresses shared catalogs. The book was published in 2003, so is slightly out-of-date. Ms Read states that AACR3 will be published in 2005 or 2006. AACR3 was abandoned a few years ago for RDA which is (optimistically) due to arrive in the spring of 2009.
Don’t be turned off by these few negative comments. Overall, I think this book is well worth the time of a new (or newish) cataloger to gain a lot of insight into the history, background and thought process of cataloging. Even a veteran cataloger like me can – and did – learn a few things.
There are lots of things I like about this book beyond its intriguing title. I like the chatty, informal tone. It’s a book that constantly reassures readers that cataloging doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, cataloging can be a lot of fun for those “who enjoy intellectual challenges for their own sake.” Even the layout of the book is reassuring and easy to read. There is lots of white space so the book reads fairly quickly.
It contains a lot of good background and good general information including a section on Dublin Core and ONIX. In fact, I had an “aha” moment since I learned the precise place for a piece of information that I was never sure how to include in a Dublin Core record. It was like finding a missing link. There is a very informative comparison and contrast of AACR2/MARC and DC, XML, ONIX.
The book is divided into two parts. All of the above are included in Part I or “The Big Picture”. Part II is called “The Nitty-Gritty” and covers just that – in a way. In discussing the specific parts of a bib records, Ms Read describes the thought process involved when choosing what to include and how. There is a very good chapter on cataloging items in different languages, something I’ve faced many times and, fortunately, survived. Another chapter covers the details of cataloging archives and rare books.
While this book is well worth reading, it has some shortcomings. The first is that the British orientation can sometimes be distracting for U.S. readers. Cataloging Without Tears is definitely not a reference book. One cannot learn much by skimming the book; an entire chapter (or the book) must be read to get any value out of it.
While Ms. Read uses a lot of humor, it is sometimes a little too cute for my taste. There are many cartoon, few of which I thought were funny. Humor can be culture specific, though, so maybe a British reader would react differently.
While Part II is entitled “The Nitty-Gritty”, no actual rules are cited. In talking about dates, Ms Read says “AACR gives rules for determining which date to use.” Examples of bib records do not use the format of Library of Congress Subject Headings which may be confusing for U.S. readers trying to learn how to catalog. Many libraries in central Massachusetts and throughout the state are a part of an automated network such as C/W MARS, yet the book assumes a standalone catalog and never addresses shared catalogs. The book was published in 2003, so is slightly out-of-date. Ms Read states that AACR3 will be published in 2005 or 2006. AACR3 was abandoned a few years ago for RDA which is (optimistically) due to arrive in the spring of 2009.
Don’t be turned off by these few negative comments. Overall, I think this book is well worth the time of a new (or newish) cataloger to gain a lot of insight into the history, background and thought process of cataloging. Even a veteran cataloger like me can – and did – learn a few things.
Monday, March 3, 2008
NETSL Spring Conference – Registration is Open
If you’re not a subscriber to one of the myriad cataloging-related electronic discussion lists (NETSL, Autocat, OLAC, NELINET, etc.) you might not have heard that registration is now open for the Absolutely Very Best conference for Technical Services Librarians.
Every year, usually on a Friday in April, NETSL – New England Technical Services Librarians – organizes a conference so great that it draws over 200 librarians from all over the northeast. The two featured speakers are Janet Swan Hill and Jay Weitz – both well know and well respected names in the cataloging field. In addition, there are 4 breakout sessions scheduled on a variety of topics relating to managing the traditional print resources AND the newer electronic resources.
For more details, visit the NETSL website. You can register with a credit card or by mail. Registrations are pouring in, so act fast.
Every year, usually on a Friday in April, NETSL – New England Technical Services Librarians – organizes a conference so great that it draws over 200 librarians from all over the northeast. The two featured speakers are Janet Swan Hill and Jay Weitz – both well know and well respected names in the cataloging field. In addition, there are 4 breakout sessions scheduled on a variety of topics relating to managing the traditional print resources AND the newer electronic resources.
For more details, visit the NETSL website. You can register with a credit card or by mail. Registrations are pouring in, so act fast.
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