I was also able to get WebJunction to work for me. The class I took was Introduction to Cataloging for Non-Catalogers. Although I recognized a lot of what this class covered and it was definitely aimed at beginners, I did learn a few new things and thought it was very interesting. The first section was just an introduction to libraries. They overview the different types of libraries – public, school, academic and special, their functions and what each different type of library collects. The following section covered library catalogs and OPACs. They talked about what they are and the reasons we need them. They also mentioned S.R. Ranganathan’s five laws of librarianship as well as Charles A. Cutter’s Rules for a Printed Catalogue which I thought was very interesting because I don’t believe I’ve heard of them before. It’s always intriguing to continue to learn how complex the inner workings of libraries really are. The next section covered cataloging in more detail. They discuss what it is and its different parts – descriptive cataloging, classification and subject analysis. They then go into detail about all three, what they consist of, their advantages and rules. I never knew about the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules and thought it was interesting how they’re used to maintain consistency in descriptive cataloging. Next they went over the purpose of MARC records – a vehicle for the cataloging information. They show examples of what different MARC records look like in different OPACs which I thought was pretty cool. They also gave good descriptions of what goes into making a MARC record. Lastly they go over the 3 types of cataloging – add item/linking/barcoding, copy cataloging and original cataloging. They go in depth about all of them and describe what goes into each procedure. I definitely knew about copy and original cataloging but the add item/linking/barcoding was new to me. Although it’s a very simple method, I hadn’t heard of it before and it was interesting to learn about. Overall I think this class was quite informative and helpful. It was also organized very well. I feel it would be a useful tool to study from or just a great overview to refresh your memory.
Having just finished a class in Cataloging over the summer, I know the complexity of the subject. This course would probably have been great as a start-up to the actual course we take at JJC. When I first started the class, I was mind-blown. I thought I would never get through it. This class probably would have been a good start and a good overview. In the future, when I forget everything about cataloging, I might consider taking this class as a refresher.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like this course has a lot of information and would be a good one to take before the actual cataloging class. Even though I work in a library there is a lot to learn on this subject.
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