I hate to say it, but volunteering is not always a practical answer for organisations which use international standards such as RDA and LCSH. The training is a really big investment both for the organisation
and for the cataloguer – I reckon about 100 hours’ work for the cataloguer. And training is not enough – it takes practice to get up to speed. We wouldn’t offer training to anyone who was not committed to putting in a lot of cataloguing hours after training.
I wonder whether there are ways in through less-than-full cataloguing? We have volunteer language specialists who create brief records (reduced description, no access points or subject headings, records not
exported to OCLC), which requires very little training.
Does anyone have experience of volunteering (either as volunteer or as manager)?
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 Doyle, Helen
Sent: 25 November 2014 10:10
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CIG-E-FORUM] Getting started - Session 1
I think the first question there is a real problem! If you have no experience, how can you start applying for cataloguing jobs? Volunteering is the usual answer,
but it’s very hard to do that if you are already working in a full-time job.
Are there any managers out there who would consider an applicant who had no cataloguing experience at all?
Helen.
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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