Re: Cataloging

["Jeanette B. Heath" <heathf@DREAMSCAPE.COM>]

An EXTRA PERSON!  HA!  In New York State a secondary school LMS is
required,  but not required in the elementary building.  If you're lucky
you have a part time aide, and they are paid the lowest aide salary and
soon leave for higher paying position (such as clerical and teacher
assistant.)  I know of only two High Schools with two LMS plus clerical in
upstate NY.

You MUST know basics of how to catalog!  I get almost as many books donated
as I purchase.  By the time I write up an order, I might as well have
quickly typed them into Mitinet on our Mandarin automation system.  It's
quick and easy with my Dewey and my Sears books by my side.  If you are
fortunate enough to have a long term clerical person, somebody (YOU) has to
teach them.

I do purchase the bulk of my orders from Jobbers that provide free or
reasonable Marc Records.  You STILL have to check the records, as I always
find a few that don't agree with my local variation, or where I wish to add
local subject headings.  However, I find that for many books that I have to
buy directly from the individual publisher, it is not cost effective to pay
$30 for one marc record!  I'll often ask for a complementary shelf list
card or card set, and work off that.

I you're not automated, you buy books from a jobber that provides catalog
cards, and you STILL have to go through them and personalize them.  Often
the dewey # doesn't agree, or the subject doesn't make sense for an
elementary library.  You still may have to type or if you're lucky, input
data into a card typing program.  You still get a lot of donations, and if
you wait to send an order to a C.Card company, you'll have them sitting
around for a year.

We have also found that even when you order the Marc Records there's not
enough there.  Example: I ordered an encyclopedia: Grolier Global Studies.
It came with a basic set of Marc Records.  However, none of the students
were using it.  Why?  Because the Marc Records did not include the country
names, and that's how the students were searching the database.  We entered
the country names on a local subject line, and it is now heavily used.


Mrs. Jeanette B. Heath
Library Media Specialist
Red Creek Jr./Sr. High School
PO Box 190
Red Creek, NY 13143
Heathf@dreamscape.com