Page 25 - Cataloging and Classification for Library Technicians, 2nd Edition
P. 25
Introduction 7
by li brary tech ni cians. A mod ern-day li brary tech ni cian ac com plishes
almost ev ery task in the cataloging de partment, usu ally work ing at a
computer ter minal con nected to nationwide or area da tabases. The li -
brary tech ni cian’s job is to re trieve bib lio graphic in for ma tion from print
sources or com puter da tabases to match the lo cally ac quired ma teri-
als, and to in put lo cal col lections into the da tabase. Tra ditional cata-
loging sup port tasks such as typ ing, du plicating cards, and fil ing are
grad u ally be ing elim i nated be cause of au to ma tion. Now a days, li-
brary tech nicians need to pos sess more so phisticated skills. The li -
brary tech nician is ex pected to pro cess ma terials prop erly and fol low
through with the pro cedures that will ensure that ma terials reach their
proper lo cations on the shelves. Other du ties in clude maintaining a
clean da tabase for the on line cat alog or, if a card cat alog is still in use,
main tain ing the card cat a log.
It can not be over em pha sized that proper cat a log ing is es sen tial for
li brary op er a tion. The Internet, how ever, pro vides no le git i mate cat a -
loging of data and information. Even though a mas sive amount of in -
for ma tion is avail able, it is ex tremely dif fi cult and in ef fi cient to
retrieve the ex act in formation that one may need. The tasks that gov -
ern the art and science of cat aloging in volve nu merous rules and
codes, which may sug gest te dious and triv ial pro cesses for some.
How ever, this me chan i cal and pre cise as pect of cat a log ing is re spon -
sible for the con venient, ef ficient, and work able sys tem that we now
have. The job of cat a log ing is im por tant, chal leng ing, in ter est ing, and
re ward ing.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. How is the library organized by function?
2. How are library personnel organized?
3. What is the definition of library technician?
4. What are the qualifications for a library technician?
5. Why should libraries adopt the same cataloging rules and codes?
6. Why is cataloging a very important function in the total library
operation?
