Cataloging PTSD

This was a weirdly emotional week for one that focused on cataloging, perhaps the driest of all library science topics. (I think that there's some astrological justification for the emotions - moon is in Cancer or something - I don't know what that means but let's run with it.)

If you asked me what my least favorite class was in library school, I'd probably tell you cataloging. It was a slog. The professor was great, but cataloging is just SO hard. I have to admit that I was thrilled to learn that I wasn't going to have to take another full course in it. When Kaplan mentioned the big red LCSH books, I immediately flashed back to the Simmons cataloging lab with its bookcase full of various taxonomies.

via GIPHY

I already got into my opinions of not using a formal classification system like DDC on the discussion board, so I won't go over that again here. That's one of the things I feel most strongly about, hence a lot of the emotions. I have a hard time controlling my emotions sometimes (shall we go back to astrology and my Scorpio sun AND moon?), and I had to very carefully choose my words on the discussion board because I feel so strongly about not trying to arrange your library in your own way. As Kaplan states on page 11, "Users also benefit from standardized rules by knowing what to expect when walking into any library. A user familiar with the Dewey Decimal classification system can walk into any public library and know precisely where to look for a work on any discipline." Agreed! Kids are adaptable, too. My first grader knows how to use the catalog at the public library alone. I must have taught him how to do that, I don't really remember doing so, and he's not above average intelligence, as far as anyone's told me (other than my mom, but she doesn't count because she's a grandmother). I recognize the problems with the DDC, but --- okay, I said I wasn't going to get into that again.

Here are some other observations from the reading.

Teaching students the difference between keyword and subject searching is so important, as Kaplan points out on pg. 46. In one of my observations for my other class this semester, I worked with the librarian as 4th grade students did an OPAC scavenger hunt. Many of the questions centered around doing a keyword or subject search. When students chose the wrong option, it was very clear, and they immediately grasped that one searches everything while the other just searches the subject. It was a good lesson, and it showed the kids in detail why searching carefully is important. (And it showed them how to use the DDC, which about 80% did with few problems.)

I also like that Kaplan acknowledges using folksonomies in the school library (47). Getting input from users has become increasingly popular across the library science field, and I don't see why school libraries shouldn't get in on it. I could see centering a lesson around students assigning tags to books they've read. It would give students a sense of ownership of their collection, as well as giving them a chance to show off what they've read.

I thought it was interesting how on pg. 62 Kaplan noted that she wouldn't be delving into BISAC too deeply because of copyright restrictions. One of the best things about LCSH is that they are free and relatively easy to search. (Kind of unrelated, but my husband and I giggled over how the authorities homepage hasn't changed at all in the past ten years.) I don't know how I feel about including subject headings that are so protected by copyright, the author of a book on cataloging couldn't get the rights to include them...

I had never considered including curriculum guidelines in the record, but it makes so much sense (75). This isn't a project, as Kaplan notes, where you would want to go back and edit old records (unless your library is really slow, which hopefully it isn't). Can you imagine, though, how wonderful it would be to provide your faculty with a list of resources dealing with a specific objective? I love this idea.

Overall, I was much more interested in cataloging this time around, maybe because it was a review. I'm also guessing that Catalog It! is a better textbook than whatever I used last time.