Resource Description and Access

About: Resource Description and Access is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1859 publications have been published within this topic receiving 10957 citations. The topic is also known as: RDA & Resource Description & Access.

Branch Library Planning in Universities

Abstract: TWEXTYEARS AGO, Joseph Hudnut, then Dean of Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, wrote of the dramatic and threatening rate of growth of the Harvard University Library, and foresaw a great mound of books, as high as the Pyramids, covering the famous Harvard Yard, He also observed Harvard’s pattern of branch and departmental libraries, noting that the library “does not grow like a melon, enlarging its periphery in concentric rings, but like a strawberry plant which sends out creepers which take root and blossom into baby libraries.” 1 The Harvard University Library is the oldest university library in North America and the largest university library in the world, and it is probably no coincidence that it is also highly decentralized. For although other factors play a part, it can be generalized that the older and larger a library, the more decentralized it will tend to be. With almost 100 departmental, special, and graduate school libraries, and a number of new ones in the planning stages, the Harvard University Library is highly decentralized, not only from the point of view of space needs and the needs of users, but also because of its fiscal and administrative structure. “Every tub on its own bottom” sums up, as accurately as any metaphor can, the University’s organizationa2 The Harvard University Library reflects the decentralized structure of the University, and by the judicious coordination of these ninety-odd libraries through the Office of the Director and the University Librarian, a workable pattern of branch libraries developed.3 Keyes Metcalf stated explicitly the policy of coordinated decentralization and further expressed this development with the construction of the Houghton Library for rare books and manuscripts, the Lamont Library for undergraduates, the New England Deposit Library for storage of infrequently used materials, and further de-

Cataloging Production Standards in Academic Libraries

Abstract: The cataloging profession has not defined quantitative standards by which cataloging output can be uniformly measured and compared among libraries. In today's climate of decreasing budgetary resources, increasing service demands, and the need to do more with less, how do cataloging departments quantify performance expectations? In an effort to determine what cataloging production standards exist in academic libraries, a survey of selected ARL and non-ARL libraries was conducted. The survey covered library characteristics, staffing patterns, cataloging tasks, production standards, and the effect of technology on productivity. The survey revealed a lack of production standards in many libraries and a variety of standards among those that have them.

Serving Latino Communities. A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians. How-To-Do-It Manuals for Librarians, Number 80.

Abstract: Aqui esta! Here it is - the long-awaited new edition of "Serving Latino Communities". Alire and Ayala, both past presidents of REFORMA (the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking), build the case for increased service to this important and growing community and provide ideas for making outreach a success. Chapter coverage helps library staff understand the needs of their library's Latino community; develop successful programs and services; obtain funding for projects and programs; prepare staff to work more effectively with Latinos; establish partnerships with relevant external agencies and organizations; improve collection development; and perform effective outreach and public relations. This second edition features a new emphasis on electronic and Web resources to aid in outreach, new strategies for conducting focus groups and bilingual surveys, an increased number of programming ideas, and even more examples of bilingual promotional materials. A completely revised and updated resource directory points to the best publications, organizations, and sites for more information on this growing community.

Knowledge access management at Lied Library: cataloging and Web site reengineering

Abstract: Examines a major departmental reorganization within UNLV’s Lied Library, using the concept of knowledge access management as its basis. The establishment of the Knowledge Access Management (KAM) Division, comprising the Cataloging Department, the Systems Department, and the Web Maintenance/Digital Projects Unit, is discussed. The Cataloging Department’s strategic vision is examined, along with an extensive description of the redesign of the new Lied Library’s Web site.

“Mind the [Trans-Atlantic] Gap, Please”: Awareness and Training Needs of UK Catalogers

Abstract: Methodology: Action research. Analysis of emails sent to an e-forum on RDA in the UK in April 2011. Emails were assigned tags based on contents. Email addresses were analyzed for sector. The resource list co-created by participants was analyzed for format and country of creator(s). Findings: More than 200 people subscribed and received 195 emails sent by 38 individuals about current actions; training; training needs; the hybrid catalog and cataloger judgment; implementation; productivity; the RDA Toolkit; MARC and FRBR. Topical concerns were found to be the same as for U.S. RDA testers, although accompanied by “vague concerns” about whether they were acting quickly enough.