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One further comment on this issue:  This isn't so much about teaching
kids when to capitalize as it is an issue for standardizing cataloging.
The changing of capital letters doesn't affect too many things (although
it has the potential), but adding asterisks where they don't belong
could be a problem for sorting and searching.  The standards for
cataloging are set not because "we always did it that way" but to make
certain that the cataloging can transfer between and among library
systems with as few changes as possible.  Back in the old days everyone
did their own cataloging, and sometimes, made their own rules.  That
changed with computers and the cost of cataloging.  Most AACR rules are
designed so that machines can consistently interpret the information and
properly file it.  Machines can be very literal.  It is best to always
err on the side of caution when inventing one's own rules because the
next batch of imported records may not match with the existing records
if the home grown rules interfere.  Consider the cost in time and
dollars to fix variations in rules before changing from the standard.

Larry Wieland
Jeffcat Cataloging Supervisor
Jefferson Co. Public Schools
Golden, CO
lwieland@jeffco.k12.co.us

-----Original Message-----
From: School Library Media & Network Communications
[mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Mary Ann Shaffer
Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 3:35 PM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: [LM_NET] Hit: Destiny cataloging

I emailed on May 18th: Okay this is getting really irritating.  There is
a
standard with cataloging. In the library world we do not capitalize all
first letters in titles as they do in bibliographies. Someone in my
district
keeps going in and correcting titles to the 'correct bibliographic
format'
with all first letters capitalized which is NOT the library standard.
Someone is also adding asterisks to the title entry - I guess so they
can
find books easier. Do any other districts have this problem with their
union
catalogs?
Or maybe cataloging has changed in the last several years??

I received several responses - more than are shown here because it seems
I
must have accidentally deleted some of them...but here is what I
received in
case anyone else was interested...

One of the responses that I accidentally deleted mentioned, in a very
nice
way, that there are bigger problems in the world. Working at a Title 1
school I do know that - it's just bugs me when we are supposed to be
professionals and I am almost positive that the person doing this is
probably, as many suggested, not a professional and does not know or
care...

************************************************************************
****************************************************
We have this problem ALL the time. It is one of the hazards of a union
catalog.   Someone in one building capitalizes everything in a title
record.  Some people have their clerks do the cataloging. Someone is
putting
AR information with the title. WE have several  people who have taken a
test
to be a "librarian" and have had no classes whatsoever on anything. They
are
happy to turn over cataloging to volunteers or clerks.

BUT with a union catalog it is also nice to see what resources others
have
when I need to borrow in a hurry.
************************************************************************
****************************************************
Sounds like somebody is editing on the template instead of editing their
own
title. That doesn't happen here unless somebody gets confused and edits
the
template.
************************************************************************
****************************************************
Mary Ann, you have a well intentioned aide or volunteer somewhere. I
would
send out a message to all of the participating libraries letting them
know
about the problem. In a nice way, of course. <g>.
************************************************************************
****************************************************
Who has the Administrator Rights to your district Destiny program?
Perhaps
the person does not realize that "Copy" info only should be changed
rather
than "Title" changes which are global
************************************************************************
****************************************************
I think you are correct about the form of titles in MARC records. Our
district got Destiny this year, & we agreed not to edit each others'
cataloging.
************************************************************************
****************************************************
and then there is a different point of view......
************************************************************************
****************************************************
I confess: I am changing my catalog to reflect the rest of the real
world.
One of the elementary teachers complained that her kids were having
trouble
with the discrepancy, so I decided to change mine during my next big
weed.
I seem to recall the explanation given in cataloging class, that
capitalizing on manual typewriters was another opportunity for typing
errors, but I'm not sure that's an accurate explanation.
In any case, capitalizing on a computer keyboard is no big deal, so I
changed.
(Without doing any research, I might guess that the lower-case conceit
was
one of Mr. Dewey's "simplification" ideas. Which is why he spelled his
name
Melvin instead of Melville, and why we refer to the catalog instead of
the
catalogue. Just a hunch)
************************************************************************
************************************************

-- 
Mary Ann Shaffer
Media Specialist
Ivey Lane Elementary School
209  N. Silverton St.
Orlando, FL  32811
407-296-6420 ext 2227
MaryAnnS@gmail.com

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