SUMMARY The current state of graduate bibliographic control education in the United States is examined through reviewing the literature, analyzing Web sites for 48 LIS programs, and corresponding with and interviewing bibliographic control educators. In reviewing the recent bibliographic control education literature, six primary themes were identified: background/ contextual information, theory versus practice, responsibilities and skills needed by catalogers, relations between educators and practitioners, the universality of cataloging, and curricular issues. Each of these areas is examined in depth. The study conducted examined the number and types of bibliographic control education available in LIS programs in the US. It also collected information on which textbooks were being used in each course. It appears from the study that some courses are increasing in number. The primary areas of bibliographic control education examined include organizing information, technical services, classification theory, i...

A New Look at US Graduate Courses in Bibliographic Control

The institutional roles of libraries evolved from that of local resource repositories to global gateways for access by the new millennium. Twenty-first century library users demand access to electronic materials. Library school students and employers articulate expectations for entry-level cataloger positions that include understandings and familiarities with a theoretical basis for cataloging e-resources. Therefore, entry-level catalog librarian position announcements provide insight into requirements regarding graduate education, expertise, and preferred preparations for these positions. This empirical research study explores 266 entry-level cataloger position announcements published during a five-year period in order to determine the importance of cataloging e-resources as articulated by employers. A rigorous content analysis methodology enabled the researcher to identify employers' expectations and requirements among public, special, and academic libraries. Recommendations include the expansion of cataloging courses, addition of metadata schema to LIS course offerings, and the need for increased numbers of faculty teaching in these areas. Introduction Much of the future relevance for libraries will be derived from the services they provide, especially those functions of identifying, organizing, and providing access to information resources with no distinction made regarding ownership or delivery method.1 During the closing decades of the last century, the institutional roles of libraries evolved from that of local resource repositories to global gateways for access.2 In her discussion of the continual change and updating of electronic resources (e-resources) and their impact on libraries, Younger states that "there is no escaping the fact that technology has moved us into a transition from a print-based world to an era in which scholarly discourse will be conducted largely within a globally networked electronic environment."3 Consequently, library users challenge librarians to provide immediate access from anywhere.4 To meet these challenges, Atkinson encouraged librarians to study the changing needs of the academic community and to design services that will meet those needs more effectively than services offered by other agencies inside or outside of academe.5 The symbiotic relationships among reference, acquisitions, and cataloging functions establish a foundation and foster an inevitable fusion of these operations. Librarians have had to rethink assumptions about which materials to hold locally, new resource sharing relationships, consortial partnerships and document delivery packages from commercial sources.6 Twenty-first century library users demand access to electronic materials. They use computers to search and receive information, create documents, and communicate with others. Libraries are increasingly spending collection development funds for current online access in lieu of purchasing print materials.7 In addition, librarians handle manifestations in an increasing array of physical formats, depend on adynamic diversity among technologies to access materials, and face the implications of providing information support in an environment in which physical remoteness becomes the rule rather than the exception.8 Expanding access beyond the resources in local and regional collections to libraries worldwide have presented significant and unique issues to librarians. E-resources have already overtaken print resources in their importance to research library collections. Scholars want broad access to digitally reformatted materials and use and prefer information that can be accessed from desktops, especially finding aids, catalogs, abstract and indexing services, and online journals. Gray literature is available with a few keystrokes.9 Librarians have to determine how best to provide access, incorporating e-resources (particularly e-journals) into traditional collection development policies and determining how electronic materials should be indexed and cataloged. …

Cataloging electronic resources and metadata : Employers' expectations as reflected in American libraries and AutoCAT, 2000-2005

In recent years a number of surveys of cataloging education have been conducted, and each of those surveys has suggested changes in library education. This survey reviews the current state of cataloging education by evaluating courses taught by 47 ALA accredited programs and compares the results to previous studies. This study examined the types of cataloging courses offered in LIS programs to determine if the type of course taught has changed over time. Additionally, this study examined course offering frequencies to determine if LIS programs are making the kind of courses needed to train cataloging librarians available to their students. It is concluded that although LIS programs are continuing to offer and require introductory courses in cataloging and bibliographic control, they are relying more heavily on these introductory courses to provide the bulk of cataloging education.

A Survey of Cataloging Education: Are Library Schools Listening?

Library school students and employers articulate expectations for entry-level cataloger positions including understandings and familiarities with a theoretical basis for organization (cataloging, classification, authority control), technical skills (bibliographic utilities, tools), and non-library specific competencies. Therefore, entry-level catalog librarian position announcements provide insight into shifting requirements regarding graduate education, expertise, and preferred preparations for these positions. This empirical research study explores 150 entry-level cataloger position announcements published during a three-year period in order to determine the common aspects of employers' expectations. A rigorous content analysis methodology enabled the researcher to identify employers' expectations and requirements among types of libraries.

Descriptive Impressions of Entry-Level Cataloger Positions as Reflected in American Libraries, AutoCAT, and the Colorado State Library Jobline, 2000–2003

Outsourcing the catalog department: A meditation inspired by the business and library literature

A recent study of entry-level catalogers indicated that they did not feel sufficiently prepared for their first professional positions by the courses they took in library school This paper reports the results of a survey of both cataloging educators and practitioners The survey was designed to gather the opinions ofthese professionals about cataloging course content, the chief objectives of cataloging education, cataloging practicums, what constitutes preparation for professional cataloging, theory vs practice, on-the-job training, and the extent of communication between cataloging educators and practitioners While recent discussions of the status of cataloging education have indicated that course content is becoming more generalized, the results ofthis study support the value of expanded graduate programs and advanced courses and practicums that utilize practitioners for instruction The combination of narrative responses and quantitative data from the two groups provides an intriguing comparison of their assessment of contemporary cataloging educational objectives and goals

Daren Callahan

Papers

Educators and practitioners reply : an assessment of cataloging education