Week 5

This week I gained more insight into technical services by observing the cataloging and metadata work done by Professor Teresa Weisser, the cataloging and metadata librarian, and Professor Anne McGillivray, another cataloging librarian.  Earlier in the semester, I learned about the acquisitions process, and saw how materials are ordered and received before heading to be cataloged.  During my time with Teresa and Anne, I saw how catalog records are selected and downloaded from OCLC, modified to meet the library's needs, and then uploaded to OCLC so that the library's holdings are discoverable by other libraries and individuals around the world.  I also saw how catalog records are imported into the library's ILS so that materials are discoverable by members of the Millersville community.  Finally, I learned how quality control of records is ensured through authority control, and through the workflows and review processes that have been implemented by the cataloging department.  We also touched on the changes that lie on the horizon as RDA replaces AACR2 standards.  Although library patrons rarely, if ever, see the work that catalogers do, they enjoy the end results of this work every time they are able to successfully discover and locate library materials.  In our information-rich modern environment, metadata and the organization of information will become increasingly important.

By this point I have seen much of the work that happens to get materials from the vendor's shelves to the library's shelves and then into the patron's hands.  To get a broader view of how the library decides what materials to add to its collection, I talked to Dr. Marjorie Warmkessel, the special projects librarian, about the library's collection development process.  Marjorie explained some of the factors that the collection development committee must weigh before deciding what materials to add to the collection, including the needs of various programs and departments, support for the university's curriculum, feedback from faculty and students, as well as current and emerging trends in collection development.  With respect to emerging trends in collection development, we discussed the increased use of electronic resources and the benefits of these types of resources, as well as the library's pilot patron driven acquisitions program.

As for my work on the plan for moving back into the library, I began to prepare some preliminary data on the amount shelf space that will be available in the compact shelving going into the lower levels of the library, and to review data on the approximate amount of linear feet that each subcategory of the collection will take up on the shelf.  I also continued to learn about strategies for determining the amount of space that will be needed for each part of the collection, and how to map out where each part of the collection will fall in the shelving.  I toured the lower levels of the library again with Professor Krista Higham, Marjorie and Deborah to see where the compact shelving and microfilm cabinets will be placed and to get a better understanding of the layout of these floors.  We ended the tour with a brief walk-through of the ground floor of the library, where the circulation desk, 24-hour section, computer lab, reading room and classrooms will be located.  Since the renovation is nearing its completion, it's now easy to see what the space will look like when it is finished.  The "new" library will certainly be one of the major hubs of student life at Millersville, and the community has a lot to look forward to in the new facility.