I am a little delayed with thing 3 but I have spent most of the week trying to work out why Google doesn’t particularly like me. My solution has been to create a LinkedIn profile with a little bit of information about my work experience and a link to this blog. So hopefully I am not completely invisible anymore, although I am still a ‘Not the evelyn jamieson you were looking for? view more’ profile. I’m quite happy with my blog as my personal brand though, especially now my ‘About’ page actually has some content on it.
Daily Archives: July 4, 2011
Cataloguing and the Fiction Project
In the last week or so, we (the LL Graduate Trainees) have got started on our fiction project. This project basically involves adding the country of origin and original language to all books in the library’s fiction section. Currently the catalogue records for fiction are very basic and could use some extra information to enable users to search for books written by authors from a specific country, or simply to give them some simple additional information when they look at the book’s record. Where possible we are also adding general information on the subject of the novel – for example ‘political fiction’. It is all the spirit of ‘the more information you can give the better’.
I’m starting with South African authors, for an example look at those helpful subject headings below - that was me!
Now if you search for South African fiction, you will get some helpful results (you can try it here if you so wish). You can also click on the subject headings on the book’s record to be directed to other South African Fiction.
It has been interesting to get to grips with authority headings on Library of Congress, and better understand the value of limited vocabulary. Also, making a permenant contribution to the catalogue is really satisfying.
Starting some general cataloguing and the fiction project has made me evaluate cataloguing as part of librarianship, particularly as it is not considered as essential as part of some Graduate Trainee programmes. I find this a little strange as, in my opinion, some basic knowledge of it greatly increases your effectiveness in other aspects of library work. Learning the ins and outs of cataloguing and classification makes for quick and efficient enquiry work. I can also help members of the library with their independent research by giving them a few tips and predicting issues that they may come accross. I would quite like to have a role in the future that involved an element of cataloguing, but even if this doesn’t happen, I think I’m getting some invaluable experience.
Also on this topic is this article on Sarah Said Library Cataloguing – a view from a new professional
