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Hi Bernadette
I think in our case cataloguing is being done at a higher level than it used to be, and part of the reason is that our data is much more visible now and we
are in a better position to share it than before. I should add that we catalogue each book and journal from scratch and always have. We are also – to my knowledge – one of the few libraries that catalogue at serial issue level.
Best,
Anastasia
From: CIG E-Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Lee, Flora
Sent: 25 November 2014 11:32
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CIG-E-FORUM] Getting started - Session 1
Hello Bernadette,
Yes, even here, people seem to have lost sight of how important cataloguing, especially to international standards, is for search and retrieval.
From: CIG E-Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Bernadette O'Reilly
Sent: 25 November 2014 11:19
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CIG-E-FORUM] Getting started - Session 1
Hello Venessa
I do sympathise with the difficulties of obtaining work, particularly with rare books – the funding is so often erratic and only per project. I don’t think
that everyone has given up on bibliographic description by any means, although there is perhaps uncertainty about what is really essential, and a constant hope that adequate results will be achieved with much less input from human cataloguers. Often there
just is no money on offer to pay cataloguers. Perhaps cataloguing money is more vulnerable to cuts because the effects on finding/ identifying/ selecting/ obtaining are not obvious until a fair proportion of records are lower-value.
Are other people finding that cataloguing is being done at a lower level than it used to be? If so, which elements or checks are being cut? Is the result
still satisfactory? Are the posts available increasingly for paraprofessionals and/or lower paid?
Best wishes,
Bernadette
*******************
Bernadette O'Reilly
Catalogue Support Librarian
Bodleian Libraries,
Osney One Building
Osney Mead
Oxford OX2 0EW.
For cataloguing advice:
[log in to unmask]
For course enquiries (cataloguing, holdings & items):
[log in to unmask]
For other correspondence: [log in to unmask]
01865 2-77134
*******************
From: Venessa Harris [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 25 November 2014 11:08
To: Bernadette O'Reilly
Cc: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CIG-E-FORUM] Getting started - Session 1
Hi Bernadette
Although I have over 10 years experience in Libraries and cataloguing, as well as about to graduate with an MSc Information and Library Studies, I am currently unable to obtain
employment in that field, and so I nourish the cataloguing soul by volunteering. I am involved in a rare books conservation project, and I have to say that on occasion when I have been tasked to complete another volunteers work, I have had to start from scratch
as not all volunteers are cataloguers. Minimum training has been provided by crib sheets, but in my opinion it is not enough, particularly in rare books, to provide a reasonable bibliography. Does this mean that the Library sphere has decided that description
is low priority? Personally I'm enjoying volunteering but how wonderful it would be to be paid to do a job I know very well. These days, competition is even higher than it used to be.
Best wishes
Venessa
On 25 November 2014 at 10:41, Bernadette O'Reilly <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hello Jenny
It’s encouraging to hear that you don’t necessarily require previous experience. In fact we don’t either, when appointing to long-term posts (although
I can’t deny that people who have already had our own training have an advantage – they won’t be spending a lot of working hours on training). We warmly encourage recruiters to use simple objective tests (spot-the-difference and copy-typing) to assess accuracy
rather than putting all the weight on previous experience.
We naturally appreciate candidates who have shown some interest in acquiring cataloguing skills, by reading around and/or by looking at the first few
of our online training modules (which are freely available at
http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/our-work/cataloguing) or other resources from the CIG resources page – but it would seem unfair to expect cataloguers to have gone most of the way towards training themselves before they could be considered for a post.
One problem here is that so many posts are very short-term, for example maternity cover or 6-month funding to deal with a particular collection or donation,
and in that case full training is out of the question. Has anyone any suggestions for very short training?
Can recruiters/managers tell us more about what they are looking for? How much ‘background’ knowledge would you expect?
Best wishes,
Bernadette
*******************
Bernadette O'Reilly
Catalogue Support Librarian
Bodleian Libraries,
Osney One Building
Osney Mead
Oxford OX2 0EW.
For cataloguing advice:
[log in to unmask]
For course enquiries (cataloguing, holdings & items):
[log in to unmask]
For other correspondence:
[log in to unmask]
01865 2-77134
*******************
From: CIG
E-Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Jenny Wright
Sent: 25 November 2014 10:20
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CIG-E-FORUM] Getting started - Session 1
Good morning,
I work for a company called Bibliographic Data Services (BDS) which is based in Dumfries. We supply bib records to libraries and library suppliers, and
employ several cataloguers.
When recruiting staff we are generally looking for aptitude and interest from candidates, rather than experience, since we expect to provide on-the-job
training. To aid selection we usually therefore ask candidates to participate in a test if they are invited to interview, to ascertain attention to detail and ability to take instruction quickly.
Once in post, successful employees have been offered support to become library school qualified via distance learning, and there are many roles within
a busy commercial company to develop one’s career. Our current senior cataloguers have roles in customer relations, working with programmers to develop products, internal and external training, and committee work to support the national cataloguing ‘ecosystem’.
Regards
Jenny Wright
Trainer & Development Manager
Bibliographic Data Services Ltd.
01387 702295
From: CIG
E-Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Bernadette O'Reilly
Sent: 25 November 2014 09:57
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [CIG-E-FORUM] Getting started - Session 1
[Apologies if this crosses with other posts and introductions – there can be a delay of several minutes before posts appear]
Hello all, and welcome to the first session of this e-forum!
In this session, from now until 1.00 p.m., we would like to focus particularly on recruitment, and we hope to hear not just from people who are starting but also from people who
have experience and advice to offer. These threads can continue during other sessions – we know that many people will be able to look in only occasionally – but the other sessions will introduce other topics.
My own job includes providing training, documentation and advice for the 200+ cataloguers in about 100 locations who contribute to the Oxford Libraries Information System (OLIS),
ranging from the Bodleian Libraries’ full-time cataloguers to multiskilled staff working in one- or two-person libraries. Many OLIS cataloguers cannot make time to attend long courses and some do not have much inhouse support, so it’s a challenge to devise
training which is manageable but reasonably comprehensive – a lot of it has to be through self-tuition modules. If one of the smaller libraries needs to recruit a cataloguer they may not have any other cataloguing staff, so I am sometimes asked to help with
recruitment.
Just to get things started, here are a few questions which occurred to the moderators. Please jump in with your ideas on them, or any other questions and/or ideas which occur to
you.
- How can someone with no cataloguing experience acquire enough knowledge/skills to make a convincing job application?
- Can anyone suggest books, online resources, courses or other resources (especially inexpensive ones) which would help someone hoping to move into cataloguing to make a convincing
application?
- Do most people have experience in other library roles before moving into cataloguing?
- What if you were trained in AACR2 and the jobs now seem to specify RDA?
- Managers: What knowledge/skills do you look for in applicants? What else is important?
- Do you use “objective” tests in recruitment (or have you experienced objective tests)? If so, can you give examples? Did they help?
- How important is it for applicants to offer knowledge/skills in a range of metadata types, e.g. Dublin Core, MODS?
- How important is it for applicants to offer knowledge/skills with non-book materials?
- What can/should organisations do to help employees interested in cataloguing to acquire relevant skills before applying for cataloguing roles in that organisation?
- Is the balance changing between professional cataloguing roles and paraprofessional roles (e.g. downloading external records, non-structural checking, editing and upgrading, adding
holdings/items)? If so, is this a good thing?
- What are the career prospects in non-traditional cataloguing agencies, e.g. outsourcing firms and e-resource suppliers?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,
Bernadette
*******************
Bernadette O'Reilly
Catalogue Support Librarian
Bodleian Libraries,
Osney One Building
Osney Mead
Oxford OX2 0EW.
For cataloguing advice:
[log in to unmask]
For course enquiries (cataloguing, holdings & items):
[log in to unmask]
For other correspondence:
[log in to unmask]
01865 2-77134
*******************
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