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n addition to Suzanne's cogent comments, I would also add that 
cataloging and organization of information is still a part of the AASL 
standards for NcATE/CAEP accreditation. And that school librarians 
cannot make informed decisions about purchasing ILS systems without a 
knowledge of what they are intended to do in terms of the catalog. I 
would also second her comments that using the bookstore model is NOT 
universal. In my experience, school librarians who depart from standard 
ways of organizing their collections are more apt to be catering to 
Accelerated Reader than the bookstore model.

Several years ago I did a presentation at an AASL conference on 
Cataloging 101 which was filled to capacity and beyond. Since I'm not 
that scintillating as a presenter I can only assume that it was the 
subject matter and not my personal charm that was the attraction. And 
I've had former students tell me that they weren't on the job for more 
than a week or two before they had to catalog something.

Elizabeth Haynes, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Interim Director
School of Library and Information Science
University of Southern Mississippi


On 05/29/2013 23:00, EDUCAT automatic digest system wrote:
> There are 2 messages totalling 192 lines in this issue.
> 
> Topics of the day:
> 
>   1. No need to learn Organization of Information for School Media 
> Program
>      students (2)
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Date:    Wed, 29 May 2013 21:40:12 +0000
> From:    Suzanne Stauffer <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: No need to learn Organization of Information for School
> Media Program students
> 
> Our MLIS requires an organization of information course of all students 
> -- =
> either cataloging, indexing & abstracting, or EDAM. School library 
> students=
>  take cataloging, unless their advisor agrees to indexing & 
> abstracting. I =
> teach school library students every semester in cataloging, so I have 
> some =
> familiarity with this issue.
> 
> My response would be :
> 
> 1. What evidence does she have that all schools are using the 
> "bookstore mo=
> del?" I have not seen it. All of the schools of which I am aware in 
> Louisia=
> na are using DDC.
> 
> In any case, children need to learn the DDC in order to be able to use 
> thei=
> r high school library, the public library, and to transition into their 
> col=
> lege or university library. If they move from one state to another, 
> they ne=
> ed to have learned DDC in order to use the library at their new school.
> 
> 2. School librarians need to know enough to know whether the records 
> they a=
> re receiving are correct and to modify records as needed for local use.
> 
> Cataloging for all materials is not available from a vendor. Many 
> school li=
> brarians here in Louisiana report to me that they are responsible for 
> catal=
> oging state department of education materials, including curricula.
> 
> 3. These students will be severely limited in their careers without 
> catalog=
> ing. Not only will they find it hard to move out of school libraries or 
> to =
> move to a school library in another state, they also will not be able 
> to mo=
> ve into certain positions within the school district. At least two 
> students=
>  who graduated from our program in school libraries went on to serve as 
> cat=
> alogers for their school districts. They handle the state documents, 
> state =
> DOE materials, and other materials for which cataloging is not 
> available fr=
> om a vendor.
> 
> Suzanne M. Stauffer, Ph.D.
> Associate Professor
> School of Library and Information Science
> Louisiana State University
> 277 Coates Hall
> Baton Rouge, LA 70803
> (225)578-1461
> Fax: (225)578-4581
> [log in to unmask]
> 
> Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
> Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
> 
> --T.S. Eliot, "Choruses from The Rock"
> ________________________________