Misc.+cataloging+discussion

=Advice to the new librarian=
 * What advice about cataloging would you give a new librarian? (LM_NET, Shonda Brisco, 1/18/09) []

=E-mail=
 * **An Affordable SMS/Email Service That Will Work with My OPAC:** so far, I am striking out on my search for a text messaging and email service that I can use to notify patrons of fines, holds, and general announcements. So far, Follett Destiny, our district OPAC, does not offer any of these options other than to email the teacher (which seems a bit useless to me, honestly)—I want to communicate with the patrons directly. Their cell phones are where they live—it makes sense that having the ability to text message patrons about their library accounts is the way to go, plus it would help us save paper while communicating more effectively with students. (Buffy Hamilton, //The Unquiet Librarian// blog, Sept. 12, 2009) []

=Graphic Novels= > Lisa Von Drasek > Children's Librarian > Bank Street College of Education > School for Children Pre-K- 8 > 610 West 112th St > NY NY 10025 > > We have a very large library, and the nonfiction shelves are rather far away from the circulation desk. Because we have such a large collection of Manga and the titles circulate so fast, it doesn't work for us to be constantly running back and forth across the library to reshelve them and help students find the titles they are looking for. We have shelves right by the circulation desk that are expressly for Manga. It works great. The students rush in between classes to return titles and get the next in the series, and the books are readily at hand. > > To keep the titles altogether, we categorize ours in this manner: > > F (so that the titles don't wander away into the nonfiction section.) > GN (for Graphic Novel) > Togashi (Author's Last Name) > > We only do this for Manga; other graphic titles remain in the 741.5's. This is what works best for us, but I realize it may not work best for other libraries. > Vicki Nelson
 * My graphic novels that are based on classic literature have the Dewey number 741.5. My question is which author's name do I use? The author of the original story or the person who adapted it for the grahic novel? I've been using the latter but was seeking some additional input. Thanks in advance!
 * I cannot bring myself to segregate graphic format books out of the regular collection. Baby Mouse and Bone are in fiction, Maus in the 900's. For us graphic is a format not a genre. We have graphic format Shakespeare, graphic format biographies, graphic fiction and of course comics. Only the comics like peanuts, garfield and get fuzzy are in 741.5.
 * I think that with graphic novels, just like other materials in your collection, you analyze and make decisions based on what works best for your students and the physical layout of your shelves.

=Lexile Levels= > Hello all: We're getting lots of requests for suggestions per Lexile level for our middle school students. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where I can find suggested YA lists by genre and Lexile level? Our online catalogue does not give lexile level or sort for this. Maybe I'm missing a big piece here somewhere, but any suggestions would be appreciated! >> We have the lexile number automatically listed in our book's record if available at the time purchased because we ask for it in the processing. Athena, our online catalog has the option of looking for a book by the lexile level. I can just pull up these lists and print it off for any teacher. Also I have learned how to add a lexile number to the record later if it didn't come with one. Otherwise I have my students in middle school use the Lexile website at www.lexile.com to look up a book's lexile if for some reason it is not listed in our catalog. However many brand new books do not have a lexile yet because it takes a while to get one .LibraryThing > "Student Book Reviews Linked to Catalog." //Flickr//. []

=LOC Authorities= >> >> Another option, though, is to “use this as a teachable moment and use MWE and let students know that the author uses the Swahilli words for storyteller. In addition, since his name in the record is Mwenye Hadithi not Hadithi, Mwenye, I think it adds credence to using MWE. There are other examples that don't fit the ‘rules’ in many school catalogs -- especially Asian names.” (Rothstein, September 18, 2009.) >> >> And finally, this sage advice from another LM_Net friend: Why stress? Just make sure your catalog matches where the book is on the shelf?! >> Many thanks for your help! >> Amy Parker McCracken, JD, MLIS >> Lower Division Librarian/Media Specialist >> Berkeley Preparatory School >> 4811 Kelly Road >> Tampa, FL 33615 >> mccraamy@berkeleyprep.org = =
 * My original target asked the proper way to catalog books by the author Mwenye Hadithi (E MWE, E HAD, or something else.) Thanks to many of you who provided responses to my cataloging question. I should have remembered to check the LOC authorities file, but I didn’t. Sigh. Sometimes it’s hard to remember everything my professors taught me (I just received my degree in December, so I’m a newbie!) Special thanks to Harriet Rothstein, Western Suffolk BOCES School Library System Director, Retired, Library Consultant, who provided a speedy response that I’ve collated with other helpful responses to compile this HIT.
 * HIT: Mwenye Hadithi means “he who has the stories” or “storyteller” in Swahili. Bruce Hobson, who lives in Nairobi, uses the name Mwenye Hadithi.
 * Here are 2 websites that tell about him: [] []
 * According to Ms. Rothstein, "In countries where the last name appears first (China, Korea), many librarians will reverse them on the spine to help patrons find the material on the shelf " (September 19, 2009.) She noted, "The real issue is what is easiest for students and other library users. That would probably be HAD" (Rothstein, September 19, 2009)

=Time to Catalog= //In my library, while we try to copy catalogue whenever possible, it is essential that we review the records when cataloguing the item. I have never found a record that is perfect when imported. There are misspellings, punctuation errors and, at times, terms or phrases that we either don’t use in our library or do not apply in Canada. An example of this goes back to my Indigenous Peoples v. Indians subject headings posting.// //In the end, even if the book is on the shelf, are we doing any favours to patrons who exclusively use the catalogue? Aren’t we setting an example that we are not capable of handling the digitalization of information but can only provide proper service through a physical visit to the library? Statistics show that visits to the catalogue are continuously increasing, while physical visits are down. Isn’t that a good argument as to why we should be maintaining our professional standards?// >>Rest of the posting: Laurel Tarulli (Collections Access Librarian at Halilfax Public Libraries) - []

//Depending on the type of material and the type of library the speed can vary. Cataloguing as thoroughly and correctly as possible for a public library is paramount. More and more of our patrons use the catalogue remotely. That means that with no inter-personal contact with library staff they must rely solely on the accuracy and thoroughness of the catalogue’s information. Patrons can’t have both FAST and THOROUGH. If asked, patrons would probably just say they want the material fast. However, over time they would come to realize that there is a price to be paid for getting things quickly.// **//Access is reduced//** //(due to poor authority control, spelling errors/typos, misclassification, multiple records for the same item etc.) and access has always been one of the main priorities of any good cataloguing department. If library material has the wrong spine label due to an incorrect classification it is essentially LOST//. >>Rest of the posting: Lynne LeGrow (Cataloguer for Halifax Public Libraries) - []