Presentation during ALA Midwinter Meeting 2014 in Philadelphia, PA. From the point of view of a practitioner, manager/supervisor, and cataloging continuing education instructor/trainer. Biennial Educators Meeting: What Skills are Needed for the Next Generation Cataloger/Metadata Professional? (Co-Sponsors: Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) and Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE))

1. The Importance of
Teaching Cataloging
Theory and Conceptual
Models of Discovery
Systems in LIS Programs
Shana L. McDanold
Georgetown University

2. • Practitioner
• Manager
• Trainer
Perspective

3. Knowledge of the fundamentals assists
catalogers with and empowers them
with:
• flexibility
• accepting/facilitating change
• improving quality of work
Thesis

4. • Anthony Panizzi: 91 rules
• Charles Coffin Jewett
• Charles Cutter: Rules for a Printed
Dictionary Catalog
• Seymour Lubetzky
• Ranganathan’s 5 Laws
Fundamental theories

5. • Subject analysis
• Classification
• Relational database structure/System
• Indexing
Other fundamentals

6. Tell us:
• WHY
• HOW
Fundamentals are the foundation

7. How does a cataloger make a decision?
• subject analysis
• description
“Just tell me!” doesn’t work!
Example: Cataloger’s Judgment

8. • Prioritization
• Timeline
• Discovery layer impact
Example: System migration

9. Fundamentals don’t change!!
Example: New cataloging code

10. • Change is scary!
o less so if you can see how things are
connected over time and across systems
• Local needs
o how to support users in all contexts
o flexibility
Why is this important?

11. Thank you!
Contact:
sm2827@georgetown.edu