[MinervaCats] Cataloging Committee's Recommendation AttendancePolicy

Wed Jul 16 12:04:41 EDT 2008

Fellow catalogers:

Our library has 5 people cataloging as we do not have a cataloger (not
from lack of trying :(  If there are other libraries out there like us,
I'd like to know how the attendance at meetings is done...shared? or is
one designated as the Rep? or what? We are committed to being active and
cooperative participants in MINERVA. We are also new to MINERVA. We've
been active for only four full months! 

Three of us at different times have been at cataloging meetings. We are
sending at least one person to each meeting. One of us has temporarily
undertaken leadership of cataloging at our library and is attending
cataloging meetings. We have one of our 5, a new staff member, who as
yet still needs to be trained in cataloging. All of us have had at least
one professional cataloging course, but we're still learning both
cataloging and MINERVA rules. 

I think the meetings are worthwhile if they are sharing important
information that can't be shared another way and if a dialog is needed
that can't take place other than in person. In this electronic age, a
webinar or other way may be an alternative solution at some point. Some
libraries are still fairly low tech and we must be careful to be
inclusive in our solutions. With the cut in hours for cataloging
consultants it's imperative to get information out to the catalogers any
way we can and monitoring with consequences will help ensure compliance.
We understand the need for rules and consequences. 

In the future, we may opt for a tape (Is it video or audio?)
occasionally so that all of us cataloging at our library can all watch
and/or listen together and talk amongst our group about what we "heard
and/or saw" and what it means for us... so that we're all cataloging
with the same understanding of the rules. 

I think the cataloging standards committee is working real hard to make
this a viable, effective, successful consortium through organized
cataloging...no small feat! Thank you for your hard work!

Look forward to hearing others' comments. 

Keep up the good work!

Karen

Karen Valley, Director

Walker Memorial Library
800 Main St
Westbrook ME 04092
http://www.walker.lib.me.us

207-854-0630, ext. 260
207-854-0629 (fax)
kvalley at westbrook.me.us

-----Original Message-----
From: minervacats-bounces at informe.org
[mailto:minervacats-bounces at informe.org] On Behalf Of Katherine R.
Morgan 
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 11:12 AM
To: Minerva Catalog Listserv
Subject: [MinervaCats] Cataloging Committee's Recommendation
AttendancePolicy

Hi All
    Below you will find the Minerva Cataloging Standards Committee  
recommendation for attendance policy. The committee has been working  
on this for four months, and now we would like to have feedback before  
sending this to the Executive Committee for approval. The standards  
committee has worked very hard in making the attendance policy fair  
for all libraries that belong to Minerva. Please e-mail me with your  
comments, and this is on the agenda for Friday's cataloging meeting.

thank-you
Katherine, chair

Minerva Cataloging Standards Committee

Attending the cataloging users group meetings

      Some catalogers and library directors have asked the committee  
to reconsider the requirement of attending three Cataloging Users  
Meetings per year.  They feel that travel time and expenses create a  
hardship.
      The committee believes that attending three meetings per year is  
necessary or the alternative, outline below, to ensure that catalogers  
are well informed of the need to keep the OPAC clean and in compliance  
with rules established by Anglo-American Cataloging Rules and  
standards set by the Minerva cataloging standards committee. In  
addition, with the FY 09 reduction of Maine InfoNet cataloging  
consultants? hours, and cataloging classes cancelled the committee  
feels that attending meetings is crucial to keeping the OPAC clean and  
keeping catalogers informed of what is happening in Minerva cataloging.
      The committee understands the difficulties of travel and taking  
time away from work, but with two meetings each at Maine State  
Library, Falmouth, and Bangor, attending three meetings annually is  
feasible.  For catalogers unable to attend due to staff, distance,  
and/or budget issues, they can request a tape of the catalogers? users  
meeting. A cataloging committee member will keep track of attendance  
and those requesting a tape to determine which libraries follow the  
attendance policy.
      The cataloging standards committee feels that a consequence is  
necessary to ensure that catalogers are getting important cataloging  
and Millennium software information. For those that are not adhering  
to the policy the committee chair will send out an e-mail to the  
cataloger asking why they have not attended, remind them of the  
policy, and that tapes are available. If the cataloger does not  
comply, then the library director will receive an e-mail with the same  
message, and if no action is taken by the cataloger/library, the  
committee asks that the cataloger/library will lose the ability to  
create new records or bring records from the Z39.50 database. To have  
the ability to import and create new records the cataloger/library  
will have to attend three meetings or the alternative equivalent.

Minerva Cataloging Attendance Policy

      Minerva catalogers need to attend three meetings per year or the  
alternative, view the taped meetings, to ensure that they are well  
informed about cataloging issues and solutions to keep the OPAC clean,  
and in compliance with rules established by Anglo-American Cataloging  
Rules and standards set by the Minerva cataloging standards committee.  
Catalogers unable to attend due to staff, distance, and/or budget  
issues, can request a tape of the catalogers? users meeting. The  
cataloging committee will keep track of attendance and those  
requesting a tape to determine which libraries follow the attendance  
policy.
      If a cataloger does not attend three meetings, the attendance  
keeper will inform the chair. The cataloger will receive an e-mail  
from the chair of the cataloging committee reminding them of the  
attendance policy and that tapes are available upon request. If the  
cataloger does not reply within a week, then the library director will  
receive an e-mail from the chair of the cataloging committee. The  
e-mail will inform the director that the cataloger has not attended  
any meetings or requested a tape of the meetings as the attendance  
policy states. If the library director does not reply then the library  
loses the ability to create new records and to bring records from  
Z39.5. The chair will inform Maine InfoNet staff this needs to be done.
      To regain the ability to create new records and bring in records  
from Z39.5 the cataloger needs to attend three meetings or view three  
tapes. The attendance keeper will notify Maine InfoNet staff and the  
chair that the cataloger has come to three meetings and that they can  
have the ability to create new records and bring in new records from  
Z39.5.

Requesting tapes of cataloging meetings

      A cataloger can request taped meetings by contacting the  
attendance keeper. This person is a member of the cataloging  
committee, and their contact information will be announced at the  
cataloging meetings, and included in notes from the cataloging meetings.

Katherine R. Morgan
Technical Services/Administrative Assistant
Norway Memorial Library
207-743-5309

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