PCC Launches RDA Training for NACO Participants

The Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) Secretariat has announced the availability of a "free, comprehensive and authoritative web-based training series for catalogers making the transition to the new Resource Description and Access (RDA) protocol." The training modules include videos, demonstrations, quizzes and exercises, and live “real-time” webinars that will be facilitated by PCC RDA catalogers. The training is designed for current NACO program participants who require training in order to create RDA-compliant NACO authority records. Although the training modules are freely available for use by any library, current NACO members must make formal training arrangements through the PCC Secretariat and undergo a mandatory review period after training is completed. The training is not designed for new NACO Program members with no previous authority experience. Additional information about the new RDA NACO training modules, as well as a link to the training modules themselves,  is available at: http://www.loc.gov/catworkshop/courses/rda_naco/index.html. A list of NACO institutions currently scheduled for formal training can be viewed at: http://www.loc.gov/catworkshop/courses/rda_naco/Scheduling/NACO%20Institutions%20and%20Funnels_Schedule.pdf.

Think Like a Startup

Mathews, Brian. Think like a startup: a white paper to inspire library entrepreneurialism. (3 April 2012). At: http://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/18649

This is a working paper published in the VTechWorks digital repository. Brian Mathews is the Associate Dean for Learning & Outreach at Virginia Tech. Mathews intended to inspire transformative thinking using insight into startup culture and innovation methodologies. He stated that "We don’t just need change, we need breakthrough, paradigm-shifting, transformative, disruptive ideas." He listed his points in the summary section at the end of the article, including: "Launching a good idea is always better than not launching an awesome one," "The library is a platform, not a place, website, or person," "Libraries need less assessment and more R&D," "Good ideas are usable, feasible, and valuable," and "Build a strategic culture, not a strategic plan".

Evaluating Web-Scale DIscovery Services

Hoeppner, Athena. "The Ins and Outs of Evaluating Web-Scale Discovery Services." Computers in Libraries 32(3)(April 2012). At: http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/apr12/Hoeppner-Web-Scale-Discovery-Services.shtml

This introductory article explains web-scaled discovery concepts and terminology, and provides a short checklist for examining the products. The products discussed include: EBSCO Discovery Service (EBSCO), Primo Central Index (Ex Libris), Summon (Serials Solutions), and WorldCat Local (OCLC).

Vaughan, Jason. "Investigations into Library Web-Scale Discovery Services." Information Technology and Libraries 31(1)(March 2012). At: http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/ital/article/view/1916

This article describes in depth how the University of Nevada Las Vegas Library investigated the discovery service tools. The Discovery Task Force conducted several internal staff surveys, prepared comprehensive question lists for vendors, organized onsite vendor visits, tracked product enhancements, and made final recommendation. Many of the documents used in the process are available in the Appendix section.

National Library of Medicine on Name Authority Records

NLM has decided to follow the British Library’s lead and try to avoid creating any further undifferentiated NARs for NACO, nor to add any further identities to existing NARs. If using RDA qualifiers such as period of activity or profession will allow the name to be differentiated, then these elements will be added to the heading and headings will be coded RDA. Catalogers who are not yet trained in RDA will work with or pass the work onto NLM catalogers who participated in the RDA test.

While NLM is not as optimistic as the BL that undifferentiated records can be avoided completely, NLM believes that minimizing the number of undifferentiated headings in the national authority file will be a benefit to the cataloging community.

Diane Boehr
Head of Cataloging
National Library of Medicine

from PCC list

Serials and RDA: An Ongoing Relationship

The 26th conference of the National Serials Interest Group held in St. Louis, Missouri on June 2-5, 2011, featured a full-day pre-conference entitled Serials and RDA: An Ongoing Relationship. Judith Kuhagen, Senior Cataloging Policy Specialist at the Library of Congress, presented highlights of RDA as it applies to serials. This helpful presentation linked AACR2 to RDA vocabulary and emphasized the areas of greatest concern. Concrete examples of RDA in MARC were most helpful.

Full conference proceedings are available to NASIG members via the NASIG website, or in a special issue of the Serials Librarian.