Cataloging Library Resources: An Introduction

Marie Keen Shaw

Jan 2017 · Library Support Staff Handbooks Book 3 · Rowman & Littlefield

About this ebook

While there are many cataloging texts, very few are written specifically for library support staff. This is the one and only book purposefully aligned with the new American Library Association – Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) competency standards for Cataloging and Classification.

Written in clear language by someone who teaches cataloging in a library support staff program and featuring practical examples, Cataloging Library Resources: An Introduction will help library support staff become effective catalogers. Other books on this topic are written for professional librarians rather than support staff. And although 85% of library support staff do not hold professional degrees, many are expected to do the complex and technical work of catalogers. This book provides many examples that support staff can use to learn how to catalog all types of library print, media, and digital materials using the most up-to-date Library of Congress standards.

Using this handbook as a guide, readers will be able to perform the ALA-LSSC cataloging and classification competencies and the new RDA, FRBR, and BIBFRAME standards listed below:
• Apply and manage the appropriate processes, computer technology, and equipment for cataloging and classification.
• Apply principles of Resource Description and Access (RDA) and the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) when creating cataloging records.
• Apply principles of the Bibliographic Framework Initiative (BIBFRAME) and utilize the BIBFRAME model to create cataloging records.
• Use the basic cataloging and classification tools, both print and online, including bibliographic utilities and format standards.
• Understand the value of authority control and its basic principles, and can identify and apply appropriate access points for personal names, corporate bodies, series, and subjects.
• Explain the value and advantages of cooperative or collaborative cataloging practices to enhance services.
• Know the basics of standard metadata formats and cataloging rules to select, review, and edit catalog records, and to generate metadata in various formats.
• And more!

About the author

Dr. Marie Shaw has over 35 years of practical cataloging experience with all forms of library materials and media. She is the author of the books Block Scheduling and Its Impact on School Media Centers; Library Technology and Digital Resources: An Introduction for Support Staff and the dissertation Teachers’ Learning of Technology: Key Factors, Supports and Processes Based on the Principles of Adult Learning. She currently teaches an ALA-LSSC approved course Introduction to Cataloging and Classification (LIB K116) at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, CT. Dr. Shaw learned cataloging at the graduate level and continued her professional learning of current cataloging changes and standards through seminars, readings, workshops, and mentoring.