LIBE 465 Lesson 8: Subject Cataloguing

Activity: 
http://delicious.com/sandy_s

I made a short list of chocolate recipes.

I have used delicious before to search for teaching tools but this was my first time registering and creating bookmarks.  I didn’t realize how easy and simple it was to use the program.  My mind raced with the many possibilities and applications I could use.  As an organizer, delicious would be the perfect platform to store and retrieve my favourite websites.  I won’t have to rely on my notepad for my various useful websites list. 

But back to the activity…I reflected on the attributes I liked and disliked about the program.

Likes:

It was extremely easy to add, delete, change and edit my links, including its title, description and tags.  A picture would automatically be imported from the website when the link is posted.  I could personalize all the information however I want.  I could leave notes and tags that are only meaningful to me.  There is a search function where you can search through all the links listed.  There is the ability to see other bookmarks that have the same link you have saved.  You can share and expand your own list by looking at other’s bookmarks.  I liked the option to make bookmarks private or public depending on if you want to share your information.

Dislikes:

The bookmarks are compiled in 1 list.  There is no option of making multiple bookmarks with different categories or headings.  Everything is lumped together into 1 giant list.  Bookmark sharing can be 1 of 2 things, sharing or no sharing.  I would like to see the choice of providing the bookmarks but only those people you want to share it with.  The website would create an account specific address for sharing.  So you would be able to give the exact address to a friend and as long as they have the address they can access your bookmarks.  Otherwise if you don’t have the exact address you don’t gain access to the bookmarks.  On another issue, because there is no consist tagging system, searching through all of delicious’ bookmarks can be problematic because of the personalized tags.  I found instances of incorrect spelling and tagging.  Furthermore, personalize tags are reflective of an individual’s definition and vocabulary.  I might think something is cake, while another person might consider it a sweet loaf/bread. 

LIBE 465 Lesson 7: Copy Cataloguing

Thoughts: 
It was an interesting discovery that CIPs are written prior to the book being publish and may contain incomplete or inaccurate information.  I was right to believe that the CIP was created by the LOC, but didn’t realize that the information was taken from a pre-published copy of the book.  Since the CIP provides much of the information are use to create MARC records, library technicians and librarians need to check and confirm that their records correctly reflect the actual items.  Accurate records are crucial for effective searches.  Discrepancies in the catalogue records will make locating the library item much more difficult.  By being familiar with MARC records, TLs can ensure that students and teachers will have access to the library’s entire collection.

LIBE 465 Lesson 6: Machine Readable Cataloguing (MARC)

Thoughts: 
The activity this week was challenging.  I felt so overwhelmed with so numbers and symbols.  I think I had to read the assigned and suggested readings at least 3-4 times each.  I went through each tag section on the LOC step by step.  It took so much time.  I’m not looking forward to assignment 2 where we need to create MARC record for 15 items.

I noticed that in most cases the MARC records between Amicus and LOC were identical (even down to the inputting error for one record).  There were 2 cases where I found that LOC and Amicus differed.  First, I couldn’t find the record on LOC for a Canadian published book.  I guess that makes sense since LOC is American.  Second, Amicus has 2 different records for the same item (a DVD).  One record listed the basic title, while the other listed the full title (with the subtitle).  

I appreciate the strict rules and procedures for creating a MARC record.  It provides a consistent format that all librarians can use and understand.  It makes for sharing information and items (like in an interlibrary loan) easier to locate and retrieve.  I tip my hat to all the library technicians and librarians that sit behind a computer all day putting all this information in a database.

LIBE 465 Lesson 5: Cataloguing Process and Standards

Reflection: 
I agree that “title, keywords in the title, author, subject, and keywords in the subject” are access data that people most often use when searching for books.  Other access data that could also be used when searching book are illustrator (other author), call number and ISBN. 

I would rank access data most to least common in descending order: (assuming the person has no previous knowledge of the book)

1. Subject
2. Subject keywords
3. Title keywords
4. Title
5. Author
6. Illustrator (other author)
7. Call number
8. ISBN

Thoughts:

I’m not sure of what to make of this lesson.  I understand that library catalogues are created using the AACR2R standard, which dictates the access points of information, through information selection, name and description.  Furthermore, the information selected and displayed is determined by the ISBD areas.  If this is a standard that libraries are following why I’m finding differences between library catalogues?  I noticed that the VPL catalogue doesn’t follow the ISBD area order.  Why is that?