Very smart and strategic to be doing the "train your successor" or cross-training or anything similar to that. And I'm sure it boosts morale also, a good side benefit.
Paige
While it may be a pain (time and money consuming) to upgrade one�s skills� keep in mind that the younger generation naively thinking that they are on the cutting edge now will in a few years (10, 5� even 3 years!) be using obsolete technology and standards themselves and will have to be upgrading their skills.
It is a pernicious cycle and no one is exempt! (insert smiley face here).
More on a serious note: our technical services department has taken on the idea of �train your successor� so that staff are continually growing in skill sets and that there is always someone trained to step in. It keeps us all engaged and continually working on our skills. It also encourages smooth transitions when staff depart.
Best,
Tamara Fultz
--
Tamara Fultz
Associate Museum Librarian
Watson Library
212 650 2443
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10028
@metmuseum
metmuseum.org
From: Program for Cooperative Cataloging <[log in to unmask]>
On Behalf Of Kish, Sherry E
Sent: Wednesday, April 17, 2019 6:22 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [External] - Re: [PCCLIST] Modified vendor records
Well, at the moment, I am slowing taking classes to learn something new because I�m not respected or valued for what I bring to the table. Sad, sad situation.
Ciao!
Sherry
Sherry E. F. Kish
Sr. Cataloging Librarian
PCC Liaison
Ralph J. Bunche Library
U.S. Department of State
2201 C. St., NW, Rm. 2438
A/GIS/IPS/LIBR
Washington, D.C. 20520
(202) 647-1994 voice
(202) 647-0203 fax
[log in to unmask]">
From: Program for Cooperative Cataloging <[log in to unmask]>
On Behalf Of James L Woods
Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2019 3:58 PM
To:
[log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PCCLIST] Modified vendor records
At about the same time I was told that Artificial Intelligence would soon replace all catalogers. We were just wasting our name and should find another job.
Jamie Woods
UW-Madison
From: Program for Cooperative Cataloging <[log in to unmask]>
On Behalf Of Greta de Groat
Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2019 2:40 PM
To:
[log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PCCLIST] Modified vendor records
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
CRL website: 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]> 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
**"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]> On Behalf Of Beth Guay
Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2019 11:13 AM
To: [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