I have worked and talked with a lot of cataloguers and I don't think that they are proud of what they do. They take a pride in their work (which isn't the same thing), they are hard-working, conscientious and very intelligent. But they are not proud of being cataloguers.
I suggest that this reticence springs from two things, the first being a belief that cataloguing is irredeemably arcane and rule-based, not something that can be explained or that, if it were, anyone would find interesting. Being a cataloguer therefore ranks alongside being a plane spotter or a model railway enthusiast - it is something that requires dedication, knowledge and skill, but smacks of the geek and the nerd.
The second thing is that cataloguing has always been part of "support services", a back-room role, and is therefore thought to suit people who are modest and reticent. When someone enters library work who is rather quiet, their manager's immediate reaction is to pack them off to the Bib Services Department. It is, after all, their natural home - and they come to believe that too.
So what now, when cuts, always threatening, come ever closer? If no case is made for cataloguing or catalogues by the cataloguers themselves, do they deserve to survive? How can we persuade them of the value of what they do and give them the courage and pride to persuade everyone else? How can we turn the meek and mild into the loud and proud?
I am a Technical Services Librarian. I do cataloging, Authority Control, find and fix spelling errors in the OPAC and a myriad of other things - all of which I find fascinating. I love what I do and I am very outgoing about it.
ReplyDeleteMaking the catalog workable and easy to use for our patrons is the heart of library service. There is no job on earth more interesting, or more important to library service than this one.
I have attended many cataloging gatherings and, with some notable exceptions, I have found my fellow catalogers to be voluble, verbal, opinionated, fun and friendly.
I do think that it would be good for us if more people understood what we do and, more importantly how vital it is to the success of our libraries.
Well done, Kathy - and, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteI never meant to suggest that cataloguers are retiring when they are in their own company - but are they as voluble when they are talking to other library staff or people outside the library world? Do you find it easy to talk to non-cataloguers about what you do and convince them of the value of it (as we are agreed we must)?
I do agree with a lot of what you have said but I don't tend to say "I'm a cataloguer" first off because most people don't really know what that means. I tend to say "I'm a librarian" (which comes with its own, slightly overlapping, set of assumptions and prejudices about what I'm like and what I do at work all day). In fact, for a lot of what you're saying, you could replace the word "cataloguer" with the word "librarian" and it would remain as true.
ReplyDeleteWhat I do think cataloguers need to do, now even more in an age where savings need to be made and people are looking for labour-intensive, non-profit-making areas to cut, is to be advocates *within* the library community for what cataloguers do and how important it is. I think there are people within our own libraries and in the library world in general who do not really appreciate or understand it.
Great blog, by the way, I'm really enjoying reading your posts.
Celine
Absolutely our colleagues don't always appreciate what we do and our big failure has been not to explain ourselves and convince them that we are there to help them. I am starting to think we've lost that argument now, especially as it's a dog eat dog world and choices will have to be made between a cataloguer's job, let's say, and an extra library assistant or two in an over-stretched branch.
ReplyDeleteThat's one reason that I think we have to pitch directly to the users - that, and the fact that users increasingly use library services remotely and whren they do that, the catalogue IS the library service. Which makes us, actually, rather important to them.
Thanks for the kind comment about the blog, too - it's a hard job starting up and feels a bit like shouting into the darkness and wondering if there's anyone there.
I tend to say I'm a cataloguing librarian to anyone who asks because I am really proud of what I do. As Kathy says, the catalog(ue) is at the heart of the library - what we do means people can find materials. Also, I have to confess that I am a bit of a geek about it and tend to get very enthusiastic at anyone who shows an interest (hmm, perhaps as damaging as being reticent..?)
ReplyDeletein my opinion in academic environment we referred as librarian not cataloging librarian. Of course we have to put more explanation to some people who are not library oriented or not in academic environment for they don't even know that Library Science course do exist. Although librarian is not very popular compare with physicians or doctors, nurses, etc. but we have significant role in our community... we must promote it and be proud as librarian... online world needs librarian to organize and group information in the so called digital world because researchers/users will have more recall and relevant information but more time will be spent to be able to get the exact information if these problem is not address by librarians cum catalogers. Whose responsible would it be in providing easy access to information using rules and tools in creating vocabulary control?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point - that library science isn't generally recognised as an academic discipline, nor librarianship as a graduate profession. I have been interested lately to notice the parallels with journalism - both librarians and journalists find things out and present their findings to people and both (usually) do an undergraduate course plus work experience on their way to employment. But - everyone knows what a journalist does and not so many know what librarians do.
ReplyDelete