I should also have said – that when writing up a rare-books document for our cataloguing manual I did also get help through the Cataloguers in Wales listserv, particularly from Karen!

 

When you’ve no specialists and little time (but lots of enthusiasm) it is great to be able to ask other people what they do.

 

Amy

 

 

Hi Amy,

 

I find it is sometimes useful to look at antiquarian bookseller’s sites to see how they have described a particular binding!  So having a rare book seller working for you must be useful!

 

Karen

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,

 

I haven’t been able to partake actively but have been keeping an eye on all the emails and have saved a few records to look at…at some point!

 

We do have rare books at Aberystwyth but there isn’t much of a plan or push to catalogue them or improve the basic records as we are very student focused rather than research. I do keep some nearby for the odd moment and currently have a great graduate trainee (who is reading these emails!) a day or so a week working on some Welsh/Gaelic and flora materials which have proved really interesting.

 

Our records don’t look too different – since we are cataloguing all items in hand (as opposed to shelf ready) using RDA our GT has been doing the same with the rare books in a fairly simple way – using the 561, 700s, note fields and the 563 for bindings. He has experience of rare books as a seller so can do 563s whereas I feel I have no grounding at all…I would love to do a course one day.

 

I have the Aberystwyth Rare Books 1 module somewhere but it isn’t so long ago I finished the Archives Administration diploma so I have needed time off! Sounds like it would be a good experience though so I will return to it.

 

Thanks very much for all the information and sharing of records and experience!

 

Amy

 

 

Dr Amy Staniforth

 

Arweinydd Tîm Cadwrfa Sefydliadol a Metadata /

Institutional Repository and Metadata Team Leader

 

Gwasanaethau Gwybodaeth / Information Services

Llyfrgell Hugh Owen Library

Prifysgol Aberystwyth University

Aberystwyth

SY23 3DZ

Ffôn/Tel 01970 622085

E-bost/E Mail   [log in to unmask]  

Cadair: http://cadair.aber.ac.uk/    

 

 

 

 

 

A few more topics to think about

 

For people who don’t already do rare book cataloguing, and didn’t get chance to have a go on the practice records, how different do the records look to you?  Does the detail and the difference in rules/additional rules put you off?

 

What are people’s opinions on letting volunteers or students help out with the cataloguing? Is this a help or a hindrance?