Beyond 2010 the Year of Cataloging Research

Based on a motion initiated by the Implementation Group on the Library of Congress Working Group Report, at ALA Midwinter 2010 the ALA and ALCTS Boards of Directors passed a resolution designating 2010 as the Year of Cataloging Research. The Report of the LC Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control addressed several goals, including “Work to develop a stronger, more rigorous culture of formal evaluation, critique and validation, and build a cumulative research agenda and evidence base. Encourage, highlight, reward and share best research practice and results.” Two goals remain unmet at the end of 2010: to build a cumulative research agenda and a solid evidence base to support decisions for future cataloging

How important is cataloging and classification research to your everyday technical services decision-making? Do you find the library literature useful in informing your policies and procedures? Are you producing statistical studies that might help others in the field? How do you disseminate your results? Do you find reviews of the literature helpful? Do you have suggestions for future directions in cataloging research? Is it time to develop formal dissemination forums for metadata research that are separate from MARC cataloging?
Every once in a while it is useful to step back and reassess the direction of our profession and its literature. These are the kinds of questions we will consider and discuss in this e-forum. Bring your ideas and share your thoughts and questions with us on future directions for cataloging research.

Who Should Attend: Anyone with an interest in the topic can benefit from this session and is welcome to participate.

Hosts: Sherab Chen is currently the coordinator librarian for non-Roman cataloging activities at the Ohio State University Libraries, Susan A. Massey is currently the Head of Cataloging at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

Dates & Times: Tuesday, March 9-Wednesday March 10, 2011
Each day, sessions begin and end at: Pacific: 7am – 3pm Mountain: 8am – 4pm Central: 9am – 5pm Eastern: 10am – 6pm

Fee: Free
How to Register: Registration entails subscribing to an electronic discussion list on ALA's Mailing List Service. Find instructions for subscribing online. Once you have registered for one e-forum, you do not need to register again, unless you choose to leave the email list.

From: ALCTS, 2/28/2011