Course Reflections

My participation in this class was very good. Note taking was my primary activity due to all the new content and the big learning curve I experienced. I spent a great deal of time reviewing course notes to learn and understand definitions, terminology, and procedures for cataloguing. The cataloguing assignment also consumed a great deal of time. I think this was the case for most people in the course and as a result there are few postings on the discussion board. This course was not as interactive as the past library courses and I felt very isolated and frustrated at times. The Meebo chats were very helpful and I would have liked something like that to occur earlier in the course. I also found that only a few people constructed blogs, and again there was not a lot of interaction.

I did spend a great deal of time reading through the second activity postings and making a collection of cataloguing tools online for my personal use. I thought this activity was an indispensable activity. Right from the start I was able to see what kinds of tools and resources are available for Librarians and got an idea of the expansiveness of cataloguing. The third activity was an eye opener for me. I had no idea of the variation in catalogues. I now understand the need to personalize catalogues to suit the needs of that library’s clientele and the nature of the collection. The user must be kept in mind when developing catalogues and facilities for collections. At times we might need to modify our cataloguing, still adhering to formal cataloguing rules and procedures, or change our facilities, to promote better access for our users.

I did read through most of the article summarizes others had posted on the discussion board. My article reviews are about cataloguing non book resources, primary e-resources, and I found that several others had chosen the same topic. This really gave me a good understand of the changing nature of cataloguing, especially in concerns to e-resources, and the importance of following cataloguing rules and procedures. While reviewing articles, a main reason for taking this course hit home - computerized systems need exacting cataloguing. It is not as important what system I learn, as I learn how to catalogue with precision and accuracy. I also need to be aware that catloguing procedures may change, and I need to communicate with others in the cataloguing community in efforts to standardize my practices, and the system, as much as possible. It’s not about sticking to and defending one system, but about creating a cataloguing in a way that allows the greatest access to users.

I am glad the cataloguing activity was in depth, because it forced me to develop a good understanding of MARC records, ISBD, and the precision of cataloguing. I am walking away from the course with a new skill set. I am also thinking about the end user now, not just a system I put in place. And, I am aware of not only accurately following proper cataloguing procedures, but asking myself whether my cataloguing practices are creating the greatest access for users.


NOTE: A great portion of my blog contains notes from course readings. These postings have ‘(course notes)’ in the title. My article review reflections are contained in the next posting. There are also some other reflections postings throughout the blog.