This is a meeting of the Core Competencies and Education for a Career in Cataloging Interest Group.
The roundtable discussions will be facilitated by discussion leaders.
Can we talk?: Bringing cataloging practitioners and educators together
Discussion Facilitator: Karen Snow, Professor, School of Information Studies, Dominican University
There needs to be more discussion of cataloging education in library and information studies (LIS) programs among cataloging practitioners and educators (who are sometimes one and the same), especially now during a time of major change in the cataloging world. Full-time cataloging educators could benefit from more conversation with practitioners, and practitioners would benefit from learning more about what is actually taught in LIS programs and what they can do to help educate future catalogers. This roundtable will explore strategies to bridge this divide and encourage more discussion of cataloging education between these two groups.
Short-term Cataloging Educational Opportunities
Discussion Facilitator: Shannon Tennant, Coordinator of Library Collections, Elon University
In an ideal world, every cataloger/metadata specialist would receive in-depth education. But we don’t live in the ideal world! Almost no library and information science programs require “cataloging” courses anymore, and many don’t even offer them as electives. Many librarians, especially in school and public libraries, are “accidental catalogers” who are suddenly requested to take up duties they may have not been trained for. I want to explore the pros and cons of short-term and informal cataloging educational opportunities – online classes like Core’s Fundamentals, webinars, online manuals – and how these resources can be improved to meet the very real need for informal cataloging education.
Moderators:
Sofia Slutskaya Head, Resource Description Woodruff Library, Emory University
Marina Morgan Head of Technical Services Roux Library, Florida Southern College