Technical Services Program Review
Cataloging First Time In

Report of Findings as of October 30, 2000 - Part 8

8. Cataloging Work Which Is Done Slowly or Not Being Done

1. All access points are not verified. Not all headings receive authority control. Not all series headings have series treatment verified so that it is possible that a series in Victor may have varying classification treatment. Many serial records are missing in Victor for numbered monograph series because the title information is not caught and reported in the authority control process.
2. Some materials are cataloged slowly due to lack of staff and/or the nature of the material. These include the physical sciences, electronic resources, the occasional map, newly purchased sound recordings, and all gift music scores and sound recordings. Materials in Greek and Arabic languages are not being cataloged. After a specialist for a particular language or subject area leaves (which recently occurred with the resignations of the Hebrew/Yiddish and special collections catalogers), the other catalogers absorb the work as they can, but may have to spend more time on these than a specialist would. The cataloging of electronic resources is since many catalogers have to learn a new format, learn the changes this year in national guidelines, evolving local documentation, and available training. A request has been made to purchase a web-based, self-instructional course on cataloging Internet resources from the OCLC Institute, available in October 2000. At present, only a few monograph catalogers have cataloged remote resources.
3. Materials in the Monograph Unit routine queue are slowly being cataloged since fewer Unit staff are working on so many higher priority titles. Progress is being made as materials received in 1999 are now being cataloged.
4. When asked what work which could be eliminated, the catalogers did not indicate that anything could be eliminated. Some would like to not perform routine database maintenance since this can be time-consuming. When asked what would catalogers want to do that they are not doing now, better authority control was a frequent answer.

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