Cataloging...

This week’s reading was…rough. I brought Catalog It! on vacation with me to San Juan and this text is not a beach read. Funnily enough, while I was reading Parable of the Talents (also not really a beach read…), the main character mentions cataloging! I couldn’t get over it. I couldn’t escape cataloging! 

“So later in the day, Marc found me sitting with Channa Ryan, sorting and cataloging books. We’re always behind in that, and it needs to be done…Still, cataloging is tedious. I was almost glad when Marc came and interrupted my work” (Butler 146).

Most of this week’s content felt completely over my head which was frustrating. I thought I might like trying out the exercises, like a fun little sudoku puzzle. They were not fun and I didn’t like them! 

I did feel relieved to see that my classmates had similar feelings about this topic and that even Kaplan describes cataloging as “thorny.” My fingers are crossed that intricacies of cataloging will eventually make more sense to me as I become more experienced in the library. 

Here’s what I want to remember most about cataloging:

• Although it may seem complex, it’s obviously important. What’s important about cataloging is its purpose, which is to allow students a way to easily access the materials they’re looking for.
• Because cataloging is complex, attention to detail is crucial.
• It’s important to provide access to diverse perspectives and to ensure accurate and respectful representation of materials.  
• Cataloging is time consuming. There’s been a lot of talk in both the classes I’ve taken about genrifying library collections. This seems like it would be a huge undertaking and could make it more difficult for patrons to find what they’re looking for. 
• Stay up to date! 
• At the end of Chapter 5, Kaplan discusses how those who have made the change to a non-Dewey classification system have found great success but another aspect of this change is that in moving away from DDS, these librarians have added a lot of signage to their spaces. Kaplan goes on to say, “Consider this: in the commercial world, stores will often change things around to give the customer a new view of the inventory; this is effective marketing” (100). The comparison between the way librarians organize their materials and marketing really resonated with me as it shows how important it is to make library spaces user-friendly. This shift towards user-centered approaches is all about creating welcoming and intuitive spaces that encourage exploration and discovery.