AACR & MARC CATALOGING WORKSHOPS

Series A:   Basic/Introductory

 

 

MARC21 IN YOUR LIBRARY:

An Introduction to MARC21 and How it is Meant to Work in your Library Automation System

 

Course Description

This course is an introduction to MARC21 and how it is meant to work in a library automation system. It explains what the MARC standards are and how those standards tie in with our cataloging rules (AACR) to help catalogers create data that will function effectively in a library catalog. 

 

There are now two discrete parts to MARC21 in your Library:

 

Part One of this course consists of a series of webcasts and web-based mini-courses and covers the underlying fundamentals of MARC and bibliographic information.

 

Part Two of this course consists of three modules, available either as a webinar series, or a traditional training session at a host site and covers the core codes that are most commonly found in MARC records, and their functions

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

PART ONE, MARC AND BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: THE UNDERLYING FUNDAMENTALS

Part one of this workshop consists of a series of nine, free, webcasts or web-based, self-paced, mini-courses, available on our website.

 

Click here to access the Part One modules

 

Learning Objectives:

We will explain:

  • What 'bibliographic information' is, why we need it, and how we know what to provide
  • How bibliographic information relates to MARC records
  • What MARC records are, why we need them, and where we get them
  • How MARC records and bibliographic information relate to library catalogs
  • How to speak MARC

 

Anticipated goal:

At the conclusion of Part One of this course, you should understand the importance of MARC and bibliographic information, and be familiar with MARC and cataloging terminology in preparation for Part Two of the course.

 

It is strongly advised that you take these short courses before attending Part Two of this workshop. If you are about to attend Part Two of this course, and are too short of time to go through all of these pre-requisite modules, then try to at least do modules 1.8 and 1.9

 

Target Audience:

Directors, reference people, acquisitions people, copy catalogers, beginning catalogers, and experienced but untrained catalogers.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

PART TWO, MARC CODING: THE CORE CODES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

Part Two of this workshop consists of three, two-hour webinar modules, or a one day, face-to-face, training session at a host site.

 

Duration—On-site:

1 day (9:00 am - 4:00 pm)

Duration—Online:

3 live sessions, 2 hrs each

Presenters:

D. Fritz, L. Fields, K. Nystrom, or K. Anspach

 

Click here to check the Workshop Schedule for MARC21 in your Library

 

Learning Objectives:

    We will explain and illustrate correct MARC coding for:

·        Indexed fields (used for searching in a catalog to find a description of a resource)

·        Display fields (used for choosing between resources found in a catalog)

·        Coded fields (used by the catalog to customize searches and displays)

·        Number fields (used for searching in a catalog and for duplicate record detection)

 

We will also provide practice in reading MARC records.

 

Anticipated goal:

At the conclusion of Part Two of this course, you should be able to read a MARC record, talk MARC, understand how errors in MARC coding affect a library catalog, and correctly answer these and other mysteries of the library catalog:

  • Why can I find this book in the catalog if I search its author but cannot find it when I search its title?
  • Why does the catalog say we only have six books in Spanish, when just looking at the shelves I can see hundreds of them?
  • Why do so many descriptions of videos show up in the catalog with a little book icon instead of a video icon?

 

Recommended prerequisites:

MARC21 in Your Library. Part One. MARC and Bibliographic information: The underlying fundamentals

 

A detailed handout will be provided. A more complete version of the handout is published by ALA under the title: MARC21 for Everyone: A Practical Guide.

 

Check the schedule for MARC21 in your Library

 

 

JUST FOR COPY CATS (2 Days)

 

What is copy cataloging? It is not the same as original cataloging; it has its own special procedures and guidelines to be followed. This workshop provides an introduction to finding cataloging records that you can copy, explaining some of the more obvious challenges and some neglected database issues, with a brief look at essential editing. You will need to come to the Book Blitz (4 days) workshop to know how to do a really superb job of editing records that you copy, but this workshop will get you started in the basic principles of copy cataloging.

 

Topics covered:

·        How to read a MARC Record for searching, matching and editing

·        Search terms and their sources

·        Matching books and records

·        Special matching problems--Dates

·        Special matching problems—CIP

·        How to recognize what is wrong with a record, so that you can either fix it yourself or report it to someone else who can.

For example:

·        Wrong indicators (especially filing and tracing indicators)

·        Badly coded 008 (Fixed field)

·        Missing subject headings

·        Duplicate match keys

·        Unverified headings

 

For a beginning cataloger, this workshop is the second step in your long journey to excellence in cataloging. (Your first step should be: ‘MARC21 in Your Library’) For an experienced cataloger, you may learn a few things you didn’t realize that you didn’t know. If you intend to come to Book Blitz I, you should come to this workshop first.

 

A detailed handout will be provided. Attendees should, if possible, bring a printout of a MARC record from their local automated system.

 

Intended audience:

Acquisitions people, copy catalogers, beginning catalogers, and experienced but untrained catalogers.

Anticipated goal:

At the conclusion of this workshop, you should be able to find and copy records that accurately reflect your items.

Recommended prerequisites:

MARC21 in Your Library

Required text:

None

Duration:

2 days  (9:00 am - 4:00 pm)

Presenters:

D. Fritz, L. Fields, K. Nystrom, or K. Anspach

 

Check the schedule for Just for CopyCats