This week I started my adventure in library cataloging by pulling together some resources on the basics of MARC and RDA. Today I…
- Completed a MARC introductory tutorial:
- ABLE Introduction to MARC Cataloging (The Idaho Commission for Libraries)
This tutorial was a good refresher on the basics of cataloging and the contents of a MARC record. I haven’t had to work with or even look at a MARC record in ages, so it was nice to go over what a field, attribute, subfield, indicator, delimiter, etc. were.
I even got a certificate at the end! Exciting stuff.
2. Watched an introductory webinar presentation on the basics of RDA
- “RDA in Ten Easy Steps,” Thomas Brenndorfer [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3hafSNH_3A&feature=youtu.be]
This video broke down the concepts of RDA into easy-to-comprehend steps. I would have liked to see more examples of RDA being put into practice because I really think I learn best when I’m doing something hands-on and learning by example.
3. Identified a “community of practice” of sorts in the form of a Facebook group.
Lucy, one of my classmates, is a kind human being who shared this Facebook group with Natalia and I to help us as we navigate the world of cataloging.
I was shocked to see how active the group is and I can tell this will be a great resource to take advantage of, and it’s interesting (and entertaining) to see what being a professional cataloger is like.
I mean…come on.
This week’s struggles:
- I learned pretty quickly that it’s VERY hard for me to stay focused on learning the same thing for five hours, especially between the hours of noon and 5 PM. Switching up how I’m taking in information (YouTube videos, browsing reference websites, tutorials) helps with that a little bit. And taking regular breaks to move around.
- As far as cataloging skills go, I feel I’m starting to memorize the important MARC fields and I have a good grasp of things now like entity relationships in RDA, but I feel like at this point in time it would take me a hundred years to create a single MARC record.
Next week’s plan:
- Practice, practice, practice. (I’ll have samples to practice with from my capstone project!)
- Maybe locate a good cataloging textbook.
Technology Learning Studio 