Birds of a Feather

1. Birds of a Feather Transforming the Non-Traditional into Traditional: Cataloging for Library Digital Collections Facilitator: Diana Nichols Ohio University Libraries Birds of a feather sessions are organized by an facilitator, but there are no pre-planned talks or agendas. Attendees get together based on interests in common and the organizer facilitates the group’s discussions. Image by Sagolla used with permission under Creative Commons License

2. Cataloging for Library Digital Collections • Digital object cataloging presents unique challenges, including • description of archival objects such as letters and photographs • use of record creation and display platforms completely separate from traditional library catalogs • different formatting rules • altered workflows & staff roles • How do cataloging departments figure out how to • incorporate changes in cataloging workflows • train staff to work in new formats • coordinate with digital collections curators • equip managers with the knowledge and skills needed to plan digital cataloging projects • help staff transition to non-Marc cataloging • Do you have • Ideas? Strategies? Methods? Examples? Successes? Failures?

3. Cataloging for Library Digital Collections • Suggestions / Conclusions / Recommendations from Group: • Approach project management in “macro” – look at the big picture. Some use Google Docs as a tool for project management. There is also specific software out there for project management. • Change workflows in order to make room for more digital work in cataloging dept. One strategy is to reduce the amount of monograph cataloging by outsourcing, and another is to improve efficiency. • A data dictionary is very important for guiding catalogers in consistently populating/editing metadata fields. • Cataloging dept. involvement in digital projects needs to be addressed at the point of writing initial grant proposals. • Some resources for digital cataloging were mentioned, such as the Digital Library Federation wiki (contains open source tools for handling metadata) and the Archivist’s Toolkit. • The need for more avenues for discussion among cataloging depts was mentioned. Beginning places could be a metadata librarians listserv that already exists http://lists.monarchos.com/listinfo.cgi/metadatalibrarians-monarchos.com or discussions could possibly be initiated at OVGTSL-L.