Cataloger humor

From Unshelved.

Developing a Library Metadata Policy (free ALCTS e-forum)

The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) is hosting an e-forum for Developing a Library Metadata Policy. As libraries move toward using non-MARC metadata schema to describe their collections in addition to MARC format cataloging, many discover the need to develop a local metadata policy. This e-forum is intended to be a two-day session to discuss various considerations when developing a Library Metadata Policy.

 The e-forum will take place Oct. 13 – 14, 2010 (from 9 a.m. – 5 a.m. EST) and will be moderated by Melanie Wacker and Susan Massey. Registration is necessary to participate, but it’s free!

 ALCTS e-forums provide opportunities for librarians to discuss matters of interest, led by a moderator, through the e-forum discussion list. The e-forum discussion list works like an e-mail discussion list: register your e-mail address with the list and then you will receive messages and communicate with other participants through an e-mail discussion. Registration is necessary to participate, but it’s free. For more information or to register: http://ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pr.cfm?id=4919

 (http://ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pr.cfm?id=4919)

Preserving Social Media

This month’s NISO Newsline has an intriguing thought piece on preserving social media. The managing director of NISO, Todd Carpenter, speaks of preserving  “’live web’ content by saving some of the increasingly vibrant conversations taking place in social forums, blogs and other non-traditional content distribution forms.” He sees that standards and best practices need to be developed and tested, and he suggests that such conversations should start now. It will be interesting to watch NISO’s role in developing such standards.

 

http://www.niso.org/publications/newsline/2010/newslineoct2010.html 

RDA for Administrators: Managing the Transition in Your Library

RDA for Administrators: Managing the Transition in Your Library
Released in June 2010, Resource Description and Access (RDA) is the intended successor to the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR2). At this initial stage, much remains unknown about the impact that RDA will have on library staff, metadata, systems, and services. One thing is clear: adopting RDA will not happen immediately, and will not be uniform across all institutions. Over the coming months and years, libraries will have different timeframes and levels of support for the shift to RDA. Administrators will require accurate information, particularly from early adopters, on what is required to implement the new cataloging code. During this beginning period, while the U.S. cataloging community awaits a formal decision on adoption resulting from the U.S. National Libraries RDA Test process, how do library administrators and cataloging managers begin to think about preparing their staff and their systems for the transition from AACR2 to RDA?

This ALCTS Webinar will attempt to address, from the perspective of the manager, some of the major issues related to adopting the new cataloging code, including:

--allocating staff and financial resources to understanding, planning for, and adopting RDA;
--managing and organizing training for staff;
--implications of RDA on policies and procedures for original and copy cataloging;
--preparing the ILS for RDA metadata;
--managing the integration of RDA and AACR2 records and their displays in the catalog;
--managing the impact on vended authority control and cataloging;
--assessing the overall costs and benefits of RDA, and its impact on users and public services; ----assessing the consequences and potential of RDA for the development and design of future information systems and data structures;
--developing mechanisms for sharing implementation experiences across the profession.

Who Should Attend:
This webinar will be of interest to managers and administrators, who will begin dealing with major issues related to adopting RDA.

Presenter:
Christopher Cronin has been Director of Metadata and Cataloging Services at the University of Chicago Library since 2008. Prior to going to Chicago, he was Assistant Professor and Head of Digital Resources Cataloging at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Mr. Cronin has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of British Columbia, and an MIS from the University of Toronto. He is member the ALA Committee on Organization, and is active in the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), currently serving on the Subject Analysis Committee and as Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect of the ALCTS Heads of Cataloging Interest Group. Mr. Cronin is the coordinator for the University of Chicago’s participation in the U.S. National Libraries RDA Testing.

Date(s) & Time(s):
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Webinar sessions are intended to last an hour and will begin at 11am PT 12pm MT 1pm CT 2pm ET

Fee:
ALCTS Members & Non-Members: $39 & $49; Group rates: $99. All webinars are recorded and the one-time fee includes unlimited access to the webinar recording. All registered attendees will receive the link to the recorded session if you are unable to attend the webinar at the time it is presented, you will have the opportunity to listen to the recording at your convenience

How to Register:
To register, complete the online registration form or or register by mail for the session you would like to attend

From: ALCTS, 9/30/2010

Updated version of Provider-Neutral E-Monograph MARC Record Guide now available

An updated version of the Provider-Neutral E-Monograph MARC Record Guide is now posted on the PCC site at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/bibco/PN-Guide.pdf. Some changes were made to correspond with the BIBCO Standard Record (BSR) and other revisions reflect changes to the MARC format. Here are the main changes:

* 008/23: use code "o" for "online"

* 246: language changed to "Retain from source record or record provider-specific title variants if deemed important." Also, explanatory notes are now optional, e.g.,
246 1_ $i Available from some providers with title: $a [title]
246 1_ $a [title]

* Use 500 for Source of Title note and 588 for Description Based On note

* 538: changed to "... make a Mode of access note only if the resource is accessed by means other than the World Wide Web"

* New FAQ #15: Should the provider-neutral record be used for resources that must be downloaded and accessed via e-readers or other electronic devices?
Since the provider-neutral record focuses on the content of a resource rather than on its specific digital format, it should be used to describe any e-monograph that is either accessed directly online or is available online for downloading. URLs linking to free downloads of the resource from non-commercial sites (e.g., gutenberg.org or manybooks.net) may be included in the master record, but do not provide URLs for downloads via commercial sites (e.g., amazon.com or ebookstore.sony.com.) Vendor-specific information about access restrictions, transmitting technologies, reading devices, etc. should be kept out of the OCLC master record but may be recorded locally in holdings or bibliographic records.

Thanks to Yael Mandelstam for this information.

Universities and Libraries Move to the Mobile Web

Aldrich, Alan W. "Universities and Libraries Move to the Mobile Web" EDUCAUSE Quarterly 33(2)(May/June 2010), at: http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/UniversitiesandLibrariesMoveto/206531

The author examined 111 English-speaking ARL member universities and their library for mobile web presence. His analysis across multiple mobile websites provides universities and their libraries with an initial benchmark for comparisons with other institutions.

True Serials ERM Finds a New Home

With Nylink winding down it's operations, many librarians were wondering about the fate of the True Serials ERM. True Serials team Lauren Pinsley and Luke Williams have dedicated more than a year to building this flexible and robust Electronic Resources Management system. They will continue to provide their trademark high level of in-depth service and support as the new co-proprietors of independent startup TrueSerials.com. The team met with the New York Ethics Commission and Nylink leadership before taking this step. Thanks to their efforts, True Serials is now running on its own servers, rather than Nylink’s, and will soon have a dedicated website at http://trueserials.com. The move to new servers, hosted at Adirondack Area Network, has been a smooth one. An official announcement of the launch of TrueSerials.com is expected soon.

(http://www.nylink.org/publications/nc/pdf/NCSum10.pdf)