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And back in 1983 when i started library school, i was told not to go into cataloging, since it was a dead profession and shortly there would be no professional catalogers. greta ________________________________ Greta de Groat Stanford University Libraries On 4/16/2019 12:31 PM, Stephen Early wrote: > > Back in 1985, when I was preparing for library school, a librarian at > my alma mater whom I interviewed for advice gave me the following: “if > you want guaranteed employment once you get your MLS, study to be a > cataloger, because no one wants to be a cataloger. Better yet, study > to be a serials cataloger, because most catalogers don’t want to be > serials catalogers.” > > Stephen T. Early > > Cataloger > > Center for Research Libraries > > 6050 S. Kenwood > > Chicago, IL 60637 > > 773-955-4545 x326 > > [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > > CRL website: www.crl.edu <http://www.crl.edu> > > *From:*Program for Cooperative Cataloging > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *Ann Heinrichs > *Sent:* Tuesday, April 16, 2019 1:55 PM > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: [PCCLIST] Modified vendor records > > At a conference I attended last year, tech services people discussed > "succession planning" -- planning for, nurturing, and mentoring the > next generation of catalogers. One issue was that fewer and fewer MLIS > students want to be catalogers. (How could anyone resist the delicious > field of cataloging?!) So there is both a dearth of the "pull" factor > and a dearth of the "push" factor. > > On Tue, Apr 16, 2019 at 1:38 PM John Gordon Marr <[log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: > > That’s typical, but how much of that attrition (in general) and > the reduced number of catalogers (in general) has been due to > budgetary constraints (themselves due to political decisions in > funding bodies) and/or acceptance of vendor-provided catalog > records that go unreviewed? > > John G. Marr > > Collections > > Zimmerman Library > > University of New Mexico > > Albuquerque, NM 87010 > > [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > > **"I really like to know the reasons for what I do!"** > > Martha Watson > > Opinions belong exclusively to the individuals expressing them, > but sharing is permitted. > > *From:*Program for Cooperative Cataloging > <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> *On > Behalf Of *Beth Guay > *Sent:* Tuesday, April 16, 2019 11:13 AM > *To:* [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > *Subject:* Re: [PCCLIST] Modified vendor records > > My institution had 14 catalog librarians (librarian and equivalent > masters degrees), including those in supervisory roles. Today > there are 6 by my count, including those in supervisory roles. > > My question is, do library administrators value cataloging as much > as they once did? I had a conversation with an administrator whose > eyes glazed over as I discussed how I work on catalog records > one-at-a-time, on ***one name authority or series authority record > one-at-a-time*** and so one ... So every year in my self > evaluation I connect at least a few of these NACO "one at at > timers" to the Libraries' collections and to their future value > (that is the future value of the records once library linked data > migration takes place) ... the good news is that we have faculty > status at my institution, which means that in addition to > administrators, a peer review committee from across the Libraries > read what I write, and I know that they value my work ... > > > > -- > > *Ann Heinrichs* > > Metadata/Cataloging Librarian | The Paul Bechtold Library > > Catholic Theological Union > > 5401 S. Cornell Ave. | Chicago, IL 60615 | ctu.edu <http://ctu.edu/> >