What is TMQ Cataloging Training?
We have been teaching cataloging workshops
for over 15 years, constantly updating and improving them--the one to cover the
never-ending changes to AACR and MARC, and the other to continually strive to
provide participants with the best possible learning experience.
In 2003, we re-designed our workshops as a
series in order to present the material in a manner that will make it easier
for participants to learn and develop their cataloging skills.
As you will quickly discover, there is a
great deal that a cataloger needs to know in order for him or her to do a good
job of cataloging, even if all he or she is doing is copy cataloging.
The process of cataloging is detailed and
precise, especially now that we are providing information for machine
manipulation (library automation systems) and shared databases. The training
process for cataloging must take this into account and go into details and
teach precision. Such training cannot be provided in one day or even two or
three.
If at all possible you are strongly
encouraged to take the TMQ workshops in the order in which they are presented
below, beginning with the easy courses in Series A, moving on to the slightly
more complicated courses in Series B, then tackling the tougher courses in
Series C.
It is highly advisable that you attend
“MARC21 in Your Library” before coming to “Just for Copy Cats”. It is also very
important to attend “Just for Copy Cats” before coming to “Book Blitz I”. As
long as you have these three workshops under your belt, you can take the
remaining workshops as you need them and as they are available.
Why should you take TMQ Cataloging Training?
Good cataloging doesn't just
happen.
It takes special skills to copy or make MARC
records that will work well in each and every MARC-based library automation
system out there.
Our introductory workshops (from Series A)
start you off with an understanding of how library automation systems should be
using the records that catalogers provide. They also introduce you to the
concepts and skills needed to copy records from other sources instead of making
them on your own.
The AACR & MARC workshops (Book Blitz I
& II, Videos, Sound recordings and Serials) move you deeper into cataloging
and introduce you to the core skills of good cataloging and MARC. Once you
learn these skills and how to find your way around the basic cataloging
tools--the Anglo American Cataloguing Rules (AACR2R), Library of Congress
Rule Interpretations (LCRI) and the MARC
coding standards (MARC21)--you will be able to apply them to edit or create the
bibliographic descriptions and access points for all of the various types of
materials that we collect in our libraries, quickly and efficiently.
Whether you are doing copy cataloging or
making original records, these workshops will teach you the essential
cataloging rules and MARC standards that you need to know. In no time, you'll
see a radical improvement in your records.
However, the AACR & MARC Cataloging
Workshops do not cover subject headings, classification, authority control, or
unusual materials like electronic resources, photos, etc. For those skills you need to go deeper still
into Series B and Series C.
Our workshops are fast-paced and
practical.
They are built around problems that you face
daily--they do not get into the rules and codes that you will seldom use.
You'll learn to make records that
others will want to copy.
But our courses do more than just show you
how to make better MARC records. They take you beyond 'how', and into 'why'.
Our goal for you
Our goal is that you'll take away a new
appreciation of the need for good MARC records.
We
aim to give you a working knowledge of what goes into good cataloging, and show
you what it takes to produce professional level records.
You'll learn how to create records that follow the rules, transmit the
right information, and provide the best access for your patrons.
Beyond that, you'll find these workshops are fun, fast-moving and packed
full of examples. Hundreds of people have benefited from these workshops,
people who are often expected to be solely responsible for all of the
cataloging in their libraries, but who sometimes don't have a clue if they're
doing it 'right'. Our trainers have all been in the trenches themselves,
cataloging &/or working closely with library automation systems. They know
and love libraries, MARC and cataloging, and they show it in their teaching.
So sign up, show up, and watch your records
take on a much more professional look in no time at all.
Who should take TMQ Cataloging Training?
Anyone who is doing any form of cataloging in
today’s automated environment should take these workshops.
If you only add item
information (holdings) to records that are already in your library’s database,
you should at least attend the two workshops from Series A to learn how to read
and understand MARC records and how to be sure that you are finding the right
records for your items.
If you do copy
cataloging to bring records into your database from outside sources,
you should attend the Series A workshops for a good foundation and then build
on them with Book Blitz I to learn how to edit the records that you find so
that they will work best in your library automated system. As more and more
cataloging records become available from more and more sources, it becomes more
and more obvious that copy cataloging is not as simple as it first appears. Our
AACR & MARC Cataloging Workshops take copy cataloging seriously, and
address it as a whole other branch of cataloging.
If you do any sort of original
cataloging, even if you have been doing it for many years, you could
attend Series A to see whether there are any small but important details
you have been missing. We promise to make it interesting even if you already
know about most of the material. What you really need, though, are the
workshops from Series B. These workshops will give you a solid understanding of
how the cataloging rules, subject heading lists, classification schemes and
MARC coding all fit together to make workable records for your library
automated system.
Once you have built up a good solid
foundation with Series A and Series B, you can move onto Series C. Book Blitz II and Book Blitz III will take
you further into to cataloging rules to teach you how to handle the kinds of
problems you will someday face but do not encounter every day.
If you do copy cataloging or original cataloging
of print serials or non-print materials then you will need to attend the
special workshops that delve into the peculiarities of those types of
materials.
How can you get TMQ Cataloging Training?
Read the Cataloging series summary
to find out more about our workshops; go to the full descriptions for any
workshop that particularly interests you. You will find the dates and locations
that are currently scheduled for each workshop after their full descriptions.
You can also check our schedules by
Date, by Workshop
Title, and by Hosting Institution.
For registration and pricing information for a workshop, you must
contact the appropriate hosting institution.
If none of the scheduled locations work for
you, and you have sufficient people interested in a topic, you can arrange for
TMQ to come to your own location. Visit our Onsite
Training page for information.