Copy Cataloguing and Enhancement

This lesson was a real eye opener for me. It is interesting to know that the CIP is developed before the book is published! Now I know why I have come across some of the inconsistencies that I have seen between the MARC record and the book in hand. In this digital age, I am surprised that it is not easy to correct these differences once the book becomes published. Being able to enhance information in my MARC records is going to be very valuable. For example, I didn’t know that one of my books had received an award and I was able to add that to my record. I also found WorldCat to be quite an interesting resource and am glad that I have come across it. It is good to have learned about copy cataloguing and to know that there are resources we can use for copying cataloguing information. Knowing that all of this information exists is going to be very helpful!

The three books that I compared were City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems, The Frog Princess: A Tlinget Legend from Alaska by Eric Kimmel, and Growing Frogs by Vivian French. I used the online Library of Congress website to compare the MARC records that I created for these books. Most of the information that I had listed in my MARC records I was able to gather from the looking at the actual book. There were some important pieces of information, however that I didn’t get from looking at the book. One thing that stood out for me that I was able to add is extra subject headings (which is very beneficial in helping users search for information). As someone who has never worked in a library I think one of the most useful things for me that I will be adding is the subject terms as I am still not that familiar with them. Understanding the different search terms will help me when I am teaching students ways to search for information. Being able to add grade levels might be handy if I were working in a K-12 school or when indicating books that are for primary or intermediate use. One thing that I find I often refer to are book reviews and I would include this in the bibliographic record but can this be included anywhere in a MARC record is it way too much information? The Library of Congress Control number is another piece of information that can be added (it was not present in two out of the three books I looked at), but how important is that for my users, anyway? But to be complete it is nice to be able to access it.

One thing I wonder about is how does the TL find the time to add this information in? In my district the elementary school TL provides prep relief to all of the primary teachers in the school. A bit of time is allotted in the schedule for collaborative teaching and there is a small amount of time allotted for administrative tasks. We have no clerical time given to us as all of the cataloguing is done for us by our central system. I have noticed, however that our records appear somewhat lacking. I am assuming this is too much for a volunteer to take on, given how time consuming it was for the rest of us to learn! Perhaps just committing to enhancing the information for the newest resources coming in will be an achievable goal? I wonder how other, more experienced TLs will tackle this issue of time.  

For more details about the specifics of the books I examined see the attached information. I included a comparison of the MARC records for one of the books as well.

Creating a Cataloguing Calm!!!

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In 1850, the librarian of the American Antiquarian Society was asked to produce a new catalog for the society. "Men have become insane," the agitated librarian responded, "in their efforts to reduce these labors to a system; and several instances are recorded where life has been sacrificed in consequence of the mental and physical exertion required for the completion of a catalogue in accordance with the author's view of the proper method of executing such a task."

This quote  made me laugh! I see that frustration in the efforts to categorize the library isn't new! Let's hope that computers and using MARC records make things a little easier!

Baker, Nicholson. The Size of Thoughts: Essays And Other Lumber. New York: Random House, 1996. p.142

Making My Marc!

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I found this exercise to be very beneficial in helping me to understand MARC records in general. I think I could actually read a MARC record and be able to decode most of it now! When I first began trying to decipher MARC records I didn’t think that would ever happen! It all seemed so confusing! There are still some codes that I don’t fully understand but they don’t seem to be the important ones (if that is fair to say). I really do feel quite confident that I understand the most important descriptors now. There were some things that puzzled me such as when to use commas, colons, and semi-colons and other little things and I have gone into more detail below about all of that for anyone who cares for further reading. But overall, I think my level of understanding will more than suffice as a TL in a library so I am ok with that! As time consuming as it was it actually became rather interesting. Having said that, I don’t think I foresee any recreational MARC reading in my future! The experience of actually creating a MARC record however was more daunting and even more time consuming. I learned a lot from having to do it though. I can see however, that assignment two is going to be an incredibly time consuming task.  Perhaps out of all the assignments I have done in all of my courses, assignment two will be the assignment that will give me the biggest sense of satisfaction in having completed it! More details about the creation of my MARC record can be found at the end of this reflection.

Tale of Despereaux – Kate DiCamillo

In tag 20 I noticed that there are 4 ISBN numbers for this one book. At first I didn’t understand why but then began to realize that it lists different versions of copies that they have in their system such as hard cover, paperback, library binding, eBook etc. Tag 40 (Cataloguing source) is listed but I can’t see where on this resource (or any of the others) where this information is located. Tag 260 has two cc’s before the date instead of one. I wonder why that is. Also, instead of a colon it is separated by a comma. I wonder when do you use a colon and when do you use a comma? In tag 300 I am wondering why the illustration is separated by a colon and the size is separated by a semi-colon.  I also noticed that in tag 650 the subject codes are marked exactly as listed in the Library of Congress Document except that it says juvenile fiction rather than fiction. If it just says fiction in the book shouldn’t it be listed in the same way?

In Grandpa’s House by Philip Sendak

I notice that this record has included not only the ISBN but the price as well which is indicated by $c and then the price. The tag is repeated again this time listing the ISBN and cost of the copy that has Library Binding. I am surprised to see that this can be done. I would have thought that each volume would require a separate MARC record but it appears that they can have one MARC record for more than one volume. I see that for the Main Entry the author’s name and date of birth and death are included. In the title statement I see that the title is listed and then the primary author followed by the information about the translator and illustrator. I notice that for tag 260 there is a 0 in indicator 1 and I am not sure why. Also before the date there are two c’s in the subfield instead of one. Again, I am not sure why. I see that the translation is noted in tag 500 (general note). I notice that tag 651 has an indicator of 1 so that tells me that the subjects come from the Library of Congress Subject Headings. I notice that in tag 700 (Personal Name) that 1 is used for the first indicator but 0 is used for the second when indicating the translators name. The 0 tells me that this record was probably made using standards prior to 1994 because 0 is no longer an indicator used according to our reading. 

Ooh-La-La (Max in Love) by Maira Kalman

This resource provided me with a good example of how a title is entered exactly as it appears. In this title there are hyphens as well as brackets and those are included in the MARC records. This is good for me to know. From looking at the tag 650 (Subject-Topical Term) I was able to deduce that there is the need for form subdivision. In this example the topic was dogs and then further classified as juvenile fiction in a subfield, ie., 650 $aDogs$vJuvenile fiction$. This resource also allowed me to see how the subject – geographic name can be used as well. In this example the geographic name was Paris, France again further classified in the subfield of form division juvenile fiction. This resource also illustrated the use of tag 740 - Added entry – uncontrolled related/analytical title. In this case the extra information was the part of the title that was in brackets (Max in Love).

Schools That Learn: A Fifth Discipline Fieldbook for Educators, Parents, and Everyone Who Cares About Education by Peter Senge, et al.

I was surprised to find in this MARC record that in the tag 245 (Title Statement) subfield c (Statement of Responsibility) that only one of the authors was listed and et al was used for all of the others. Nowhere in the MARK record does it list the other author’s names. That is very surprising as I would have thought a MARC record would need to show all of the authors names to be complete. I notice in tag 500 (notes) it lists that it is a fifth discipline resource. I can see that this is a place to add extra details that are pertinent to the resource.

Maus: A Survivors Tale by Art Spiegelman

I noticed in this record that winner of the Pulitzer prize was listed in tag 500 (general note). I also note that tag 505 has the words “and here the troubles began” and at first I didn’t understand why because I didn’t see anywhere on the photocopied resource where these words were appearing on the cover. After I turned the page I realized that it was another volume in the series and so I understood why it was there.

MARC Records observations

When I entered the ISBN number I included 4 numbers but I notice our library record only contains the two RLB versions which I assume mean library bound copies. I noticed that in tag 245 (Title Statement) I accidentally added some extra parts of the title when I should have only added the author’s name. The extra words on the title should have been included in tag 500 (General Note).  Also in tag 260 (Publication, distribution) when I entered where the resource was published I had entered the Canadian address while the public library entered the American address. Both addresses where given in the book so I assumed using the Canadian one was the correct one. I wonder why they used the American one? I noticed that the public library also used tag 440 (Series Statement) while I didn’t because the reading we are using says that it is now obsolete. For the most part my MARC record was very similar to the one from the library. The biggest exception was that I used a lot of spaces while the library uses commas and puts things in one line. I also used ## while the library used only spaces.

So from all of this really my only questions are 1) after the tag number do I place number signs (##) or just spaces when there is no indicator number (as our reading suggests)

2) do I put information all in one line or one under the other?

Ie

300 ##$a 32 p. :$b col. ill. ;$c 25 cm.

Or

300 ##   $a 32 p. :

                $b col. ill. ;

                $c 25 cm.

Cataloguing Process and Standards

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What I discovered in this activity is that the public library records have the elements that were discussed in the lesson but they were not in the same order. I found this curious because in our readings it stated that we must not deviate from the order of the elements. However I remember also reading that large libraries differed from smaller libraries or school libraries so I thought I would compare the record from my school library as well. However these were different again, and did not include all of the elements. I wonder why this is? As I examined different titles, I wrote in more detail about the comparisons and wonderings I had. These are listed in the order that I perused them, not alphabetically.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

When I compared the book to its catalogue records in the public library I noticed that the areas describing this book are not in the same order as described in our lesson.  For example, the ISBN is listed 4^th. The first area lists the publisher and the location where the book was published. The title is not listed in the record in any place (presumably because you need to click on the title to see its record). I wondered if this was different because it falls into the “big library” classification and I remember reading that school libraries and smaller libraries are different. So I decided to compare it to the record in our school library and found that it was listed differently as well. In this case, our school library record included only 5 areas: the publisher and date, edition, format, LCCN, and ISBN. The public library also has a copy of this book in eBook format and it was interesting to compare the records for the two. One difference I noted is that the eBook doesn’t list that it achieved the Newberry Medal while the hard copy book does. I am not sure why. There were other subtle differences in the record as well and of course the IBSN was different.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

The first thing I noticed about this record is that while on the cover “Wonder Struck” is written as two words, both records for the public library and my school library have it written as one word. The inside cover of the dust jacket states it as one word while the title page in the book lists it as two words. I wonder why this is? In our readings it stated we were to copy it exactly as written, even if it is misspelled. When I compared this book to the record in the public library I noticed that the Statement of Responsibility was listed 6^th instead of first. The publisher was listed first again. All of the main areas where there, just in a different order. When I compared it to the record in my school, again it was different as well. The record in my school lists only the 5 areas.

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

I found the record from the public library interesting for this one because for the Statement of Responsibility instead of saying Cressida Cowell it said, “by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock lll; translated from the Old Norse by Cressida Cowell” because that is what appears on the cover. In our readings it said that we must record exactly what is written down (even if it is a spelling mistake) and I see that this is an example. Again this listing did not follow the order indicated in the lesson but all of the elements were there. The record in my school library had the same 5 elements listed as the books above.

Naomi’s Tree by Joy Kogawa

The record from the public library listed additional contributors first, followed by publisher, and then ISBN. The Statement of Responsibility is listed 5^th with the physical description coming next. It was interesting to see how the illustrator was added first. My school library does not have a copy of the book to compare to.

Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver

The record listed in the public library included all of the main areas but in a different order. It was interesting to note that in the notes area the map on the endpapers was listed. The record for my school library only includes three elements: Publisher, Format (the map is included here), and ISBN.

Yahoo!

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I am glad that I have been introduced to ODLIS because I find that there are so many terms that are unique to the library and it is nice to be able to understand them! It is nice to have words defined as they relate to the library.

As an aside, when I was browsing through the terms, I came across Yahoo! which was defined as "An acronym for yet another hierarchically officious oracle." I didn't realize that Yahoo was an acronym! It made me curious about google as well. Apparently it is not an acronym but googol is the term for a number that is too high to be practical which reflects Google's mission to organize an incredibly large amount of information.

Melvil Dewey Quotes

To my thinking, a great librarian must have a clear head, a strong hand, and, above all, a great heart. And when I look into the future, I am inclined to think that most of the men who achieve this greatness will be women.”
― Melvil Dewey

 “What is more important to a library than anything else - than everything else - is the fact that it exists.”
― Melvil Dewey

 What a field day Dewey would have with organizing all the information in the world today for efficient access! Wish he was here! I would love to see what he would do!

How Search Engines Determine Relevancy Ranking

Ironically, one of the first searches I did resulted in an article from the Google Help page all about how they use a pigeon system to rank information for relevancy! At first I thought the article was true and that they were just using pigeons as a metaphor for their system. But it seemed too spoofy so when I scrolled down to the bottom to see more information the date said April Fool's Day 2006! I should have checked that first!!! Ha ha!

I found this inquiry very interesting and think the knowledge I have gained will be useful when facilitating internet searches with my students. I find it interesting that Yahoo and Google say they are not manually manipulating the relevancy ratings but yet put the paying sites appear first, which in my mind is a contradiction. However, I understand that they mean that they don’t manipulate the ratings on the sites that come after the paid sites, but still I find this to be a little bit deceptive, especially when you consider the age or skill level of some its users. I know the paid sites at the top of the list are marked with a different color and therefore even a non discriminating user should be able to figure this out, so I will let it go. But I’m just sayin’!

Google

Google uses a collection of algorithms to determine relevancy and these algorithms are updated and changed every day to increase relevancy. One interesting algorithm is called the Caffeine Web Indexing System which allows Google to crawl and index sites to determine how the date of the information should impact its relevancy.  For example, if one searches a sports team score it will start rank most recent game scores higher, but if searching a recipe, the most recent recipe will not necessarily be ranked higher. Using the Advance Search Option is an incredible way to increase the relevancy of the searches because you can limit your results to exact phrasing, readability level, material type, language, and many more ways. Google has three basic philosophies behind their ranking system:  keeping the best relevant results local globally, keeping it simple so that their engineers understand clear criteria, and using no manual intervention on their part. They say that to keep their rankings reliable they have policies written for websites and they take action on sites that are in violation of their policies.

Yahoo

I found it much more difficult to get information from Yahoo about how it determines relevancy. The only way that I was able to find information about this topic was by looking at their tips page for increasing the ranking on your webpage.  I also looked at some articles comparing different search engines and pieced together that similar to Google, Yahoo also has algorithms that they use for ranking searches. They look at content, titles, keywords, and links to other content that is related to the search terms to determine relevancy. They use spiders for their indexing and do not manipulate the results manually. They also have controls in place to deter manipulation of their ranking system. Yahoo also has an advance search option but it is more limited than Google’s.

DMOZ Open Directory

I had never heard of DMOZ Open Directory and it is quite different than Google and Yahoo because it is maintained by humans rather than digital spiders and digital indexes. Volunteers who use DMOZ Open Directory organize the web and determine the rating of content on the web. Anyone can be a volunteer to determine this and so this is search engine ranked and classified by the global community. It is founded in the open source movement and will always remain free. The Open Directory does not have an advanced search option.

To make a personal comparison I entered the search term “frogs” (I’m a grade one teacher) using all of these search engines. I found that Google and yahoo yielded similar results and I would determine them to be reasonably useful and relevant. The DMOZ Open Directory however yielded results that in my opinion were less useful and relevant. Overall I would say that personally I enjoyed using Google the most because of the ease in using its advanced search options.

The Issue of Access

I am currently a primary teacher hoping to become a TL one day and have been doing lots of thinking over the past year about the concept of access to the library. I have some ideas about how I would like access in the library to be but without having any practical experience as a TL I know that these ideas may be met with many challenges. 

From the readings and from talking to other experienced librarians I understand that TL’s each have their own unique way of organizing materials to make them accessible to students and teachers. I have heard there can be some merits in putting some books on the “restricted” shelf where older students need to acknowledge that they are aware that the materials contain mature content. Kids are always attracted to restricted things! I also understand the need for increased integration of technology in the use of accessing the collection and information and the TL’s role in facilitating meaningful learning activities using technology. Having the TL available at lunch and before and after school is also a great way to allow students to access to all that the library has to offer but cut backs in staffing have made this very difficult as TL’s often have little time in their schedules for anything else other than providing prep relief (as it is in my district unfortunately) and so spend their lunch hours etc doing the administrative work of the library.

However, in thinking back to my childhood experiences with libraries I remember them being magical places for me. This made me ponder how they dealt with access.  I remember that the shelves in the primary section of my school library were pulled together in a small squared section with just enough space for a class full of primary bottoms to sit cosily within, surrounded by the Easy books and a chair for the librarian to read her magical stories to us. The public library I went to had a Winnie the Pooh Tree House where when you opened the door to the tree house it took you into a rounded darkened room with a fireplace inside with descending steps for the patrons to sit on. Inside, the librarians would enchant everyone with their puppet stories, dramatic telling of stories, and film strips. If you ever go to Saskatoon and have young children, you must check out the Pooh Corner storytimes! The books for the younger children in both of these libraries were surrounded by furniture that was smaller for the primary child and the books for intermediate students were surrounded by bigger tables and carols suitable for their size. Ultimately, however, I think that what made these libraries so accessible to me was the wonderful dedicated staff who were always eager to talk to me about books. I think that no matter how accessible the learning materials are in a library I think that the one thing that needs to be most accessible to students is the TL. The TL is the most important person in the library who has the power to make the library accessible to all. It is the TL who makes the library a learning and exploring space and a space to share ideas and create. The cutbacks worry me. A library can be made physically and technologically accessible but without the TL there to welcome the students and facilitate learning it won’t really be accessible at all. I am curious to see if anyone else has any other remembrances from their childhood days in the library and in what ways those libraries were accessible to you?

Happy New Year Everyone!

Hi everyone! My name is Kim Sturn and I work in the Surrey School District. I can’t believe it but I am approaching 20 years worth of teaching already! I have experience working in the primary grades and a few years experience as resource room teacher. I have no experience working in a school library but I think it would be the perfect job to have! I started my library diploma last May and am now on course number 7. It’s been a whirlwind pace and combined with working full time and having a busy family I will admit the adrenaline is starting to run a little low!

My strengths related to the school library are that I feel I am a very welcoming person and think I could encourage many students to fall in love with literature. Really, I love reading and sharing great literature with others. I love the way literature has the power to immerse you into another world and help you to grow. I enjoy seeing the joy that literature and learning can bring students. I am very excited about the new aspects of technology that are increasingly becoming a part of the library and can’t wait to explore this with students of all ages.

Technical services are carried out in my school library by the TL. She takes care of everything in the library with the aid of a few parent and student volunteers. There is no longer any clerical staff in our district. We have a central system call the LRS (Learning Resource Services) which will catalogue and process new resources. The TL can also catalogue and process new resources herself if desired. The name of the library automation system that our district uses is Destiny. Our district has a half time Helping Teacher Librarian who is available to help all of the Librarians in the district. Her role is to aid the TL’s in the district, organize meetings and Pro D events, liaison between admin and TL’s if necessary, among numerous other things.

Because I have never taught in the library my expectations from this course are that I hope to learn everything about the practical day to day life things that are necessary in the organization a library. I have enjoyed all of the courses I have taken so far and I am looking forward to sharing another learning journey with everyone in this course!