What should every cataloger know before they start their first professional job? Presented by Linh Uong and Jolanta Radzik at the 24th annual COMO 2012 conference in Macon, GA.

1. The Brass Tacks of Cataloging
by
Linh Uong and Jolanta Radzik
What should every cataloger know before they start their first professional job?
They should know how to catalog all print and non-print formats, in theory and practice. Hand in hand with that, they should
have a firm understanding of current cataloging standards and practices, and also be aware of emerging technologies and how
they affect the field. New catalogers should understand that every library is different, with its own local cataloging practices.
Cataloging is an art. There isn’t a wrong or right way to catalog and cataloger’s judgment often comes into play to determine
what is best - for a library and its users. The following is a checklist of cataloging rules, standards, practices, and handy links
that new catalogers may find useful their first year on the job.
A ACR2
les, 2nd edi
tion, a re available
in
n to
MARC 21 The Online C
omputer Lib
Catalo ging Ru ough subscriptio created in 19
67 and its m
rary Center (
http://www.o
The Anglo -American ndex .html or thr o p / ). now number ember librar clc.org) was
:// www .aacr2.org/i .go v/cds/deskt
The MARC formats are maintained by the Library of Congress and the almost 25,90 ies, archives
and museum
print at http sktop (http://www.loc Library and Archives Canada, and are updated annually in October. 0 worldwide
. Features in s
De rpre- clude:
Cataloger ’s ongre ss Rule Inte The formats for: Connexion (
res the L ibrary of C RI updates
are via Browser
or Client)
featu ut LC
D esktop also sc ontinued, b html). http://www.o
Cataloger ’s ersion has been di loads /lcri/index. clc.org/us/en
/connexion/d
tations (the print v gov/cd s/PDFdown Bibliographi
c Formats an efault.htm
http: //www.loc. d Standards
available at ns to http://www.o
y of C ongress pla R2.
clc.org/us/en
2013 , the Librar eplace AAC Dewey Serv /bibformats/
default.htm
h 31, A) to r ices, includin
izo n: On Marc ption and Access (RD g WebDewe
On the hor scri http://www.o y and print e
R esource, De clc.org/us/en ditions
implement Training Por /dewey/defa
ult.htm
tal
as well as MARC 21 Concise Formats and the Code Lists for Countries, http://trainin
Geographic Areas, Languages, Organizations, Relators, Other Value g.oclc.org/1
Lists, and Sources - are all available in print or at http://www.loc.gov/
marc/.
On the horizon: The Library of Congress will launch its Bibliographic
Framework Initiative (http://www.loc.gov/marc/transition/) to transition
from MARC to a Linked Data Model.
Su bject Access
ating
t Headings (including free-flo
Call Numb The Library of Congress Subj
ec
ings and children's subject he
adings) are
ers subdivisions, genre/form head
available in print as “The Red Books” (http://www.loc.
gov/cds/
ongress
Dewey Decim ID =209), online at Library of C
al products/product.php?product h subscription to
Dewey Decim Authorities (http:// authorities.loc.gov/), or throug
al Classificati tionweb.net/).
OCLC’s WebD
ewey at http://
on is available
in print or via Classification Web (http://classifica
RDA Toolkit is available in print or via subscription at http://www.rdatoolkit.org/. www.oclc.org subscription to
/dewey/defaul
To learn more about changes from AACR2 to RDA, access Adam Schiff’s Dewey Decim t.htm. ailable in pr int or through
al Classificati
on: Principles The Subject Headings Manual is av
presentations at http://faculty.washington.edu/aschiff/. Chan and Joan
S. Mitchell (D
ublin, Ohio: O
and Applicatio
n by Lois Mai Cataloger's Desktop.
CLC, 2003)
bsco-
ding s is available in print or via E
For more information on RDA and the FRBR Family of Models, visit: Library of Co The Sears List of Subject Hea bject-
n gress Classifi .c om/academic/sears-list-of-su
cation Host at http://www.ebscohost
Library of Con
gress Classific
ation is availa headings.
FRBR Bibliography: http://www.ifla.org/files/cataloguing/frbrrg/frbr-bibliography.pdf cds/products/l ble in print at
cClass.php or http:/www.loc
(http://classifi via subscriptio .gov/
FRBR: http://archive.ifla.org/VII/s13/frbr/frbr_2008.pdf cationweb.net n to Classifica
Decimal Num /), and include tion Web
ber Correlatio s LC Classific
ns (in coopera ation & Dewe
FRAD: http://www.ifla.org/en/publications/functional-requirements-for-authority-data tion with OCL y
C’s WebDewe
Classification y).
FRSAD: http://www.ifla.org/files/classification-and-indexing/functional-requirements- and Shelflistin
Cataloger's De g Manual is av
for-subject-authority-data/frsad-final-report.pdf sktop (http://w ailable in prin
ww.loc.gov/cd t and via
s/desktop/).
GLA Cataloging Summit: http://www.georgialibraries.org/cataloging/?page_id=39
The Calculat
ing Calculato
LOC’s Information and Resources in Preparation for RDA: http://www.loc.gov/aba/rda/ r http://calcul
ate.alptown.co
m/
RDA and OCLC: http://www.oclc.org/us/en/rda/default.htm
Other U
seful L
ional inks
ofess
ALCTS C
Pr
ataloging
http://ww Res
w.ala.org/ ources
D evelo pment ALCTS Y
ouTube C
http://ww hannel
alcts/reso
urces/org
/cat
w.youtub
e.com/use
LOC Acq r/alctsce
S) uisitions a
LCT nd B
Technic al Services (A http://ww
w.loc.gov ibliographic Acce
Associations ra ry Collections & /aba/ ss Directo
Assoc iation for Lib LOC Stan
dards
ry
/alcts/ st Group (TS
IG)
http:// www.ala.org s Intere http://ww
’s Tech nical Service w.loc.gov
/standards
ar y Association /
Georgia Libr raries.o rg/interest_ts
.htm LOC Web
casts
Hall County Library System
http:// gla.georgialib http://ww for Librarians
w.loc.gov
LAC) /today/cy
visual Catalogers (O Online D berlc/resu
Online Audio rupal/ ictionary lts.phpset
=11&cat=
for Librar
Linh Uong http:/ /olacinc.org/d http://ww
w.abc-clio y and Info 2&mode=
a
Technical Services Librarian .com/OD rmation S
LIS/odlis cience
_A.aspx
Blogs logi ng.org/
p://planetcata
127 Main St, NW, Gainesville, GA 30501
ing htt
Plant Catalog
Phone: 770-532-3311 x124
E-mail: luong@hallcountylibrary.org
.html
/Autoc at-ToC-2007
Listservs wu.edu/~dcc tech-l
http://www.c mailma n/listinfo/cat
AUTOCAT-L rgia libraries.org/
http://list.geo serv/
CATTECH-L .ocl c.org/app/list
https://www3 ode/51
Jolanta Radzik OCLC-CAT nc.org /drupal/?q=n
Cataloger-Reference Librarian http ://www.olaci Acknowledgements
OLAC-L ss.html
da-jsc .org/rdadiscu To Drs. Shawne Miksa and William Moen,
3000 Macon Rd.
http://www.r University of North Texas - for teaching us what we needed to know.
Columbus, GA 31906
Phone: 706-243-2669 x2608
RDA-L
To Amy Eklund and Jarvis Sims,
E-mail: jradzik@cvrls.net UNT alumni and consultants extraordinaire.
erly
Jou rnals Classification Quart
Ca taloging and and Te chnical Servi
ces
Libra ry Resources In memory of
www.cvlga.org R. Neil Scott (1952-2012), Librarian, mentor and friend.