A little bit of cataloguing....

Yesterday, I finally got the chance to put some of the theory I learned in my London Library cataloguing training sessions into practice - hurrah! It's been a long time coming, and I honestly thought I would have forgotten all things related to MARC21 and AARC2, but it turns out that somehow, I've actually managed to retain it!

Over the past couple of weeks, I (along with the other graduate trainees) have been examining the London Library's extensive fiction collection, and attempting to categorise our holdings into author nationalities. With a fair few spreadsheets covering lists of Australian, Canadian, Pakastani, Ghanaian, Malaysian, German, French, Spanish and Hong Kong authors whose books we possess(to name but a few), the aim of the project was to transfer this information into the item record as an LC Subject heading, so that if a library member were to search our OPAC with a wish to view our german fiction holdings, for example, this would now actually be possible.

After being briefed by the Head of Bibliographic Services, I set about acquainting myself with the Library of Congress Authorities. In order to make our fiction collections searchable by author nationality, I had to first find out which "authority record" to use. For those unfamiliar with the term, an authority record, according to the Library of Congress:

"Is a tool used by librarians to establish forms of names (for persons, places, meetings, and organizations), titles, and subjects used on bibliographic records. Authority records enable librarians to provide uniform access to materials in library catalogs and to provide clear identification of authors and subject headings."

I started with my list of German authors, and by typing in a variety of possible formations - that is, German authors, authors, german - I finally found that the authorised heading to use was the latter: "Authors, german." The next stage was to then transfer this information into the London Library item record (which also meant braving the cataloguing module on Aleph for the first time as well!)

Having opened up all records relating to Heinrich Boll, (he was by chance, the first author I started with!) I began adding in the LC subject heading that he was not only a twentieth-century German author, but one who also wrote fiction.

For the London Library, this information must be entered under a 650 field, with a second indicator of 0, which marks that the heading I was using had come from the Library of Congress Authorities. Under subfield a) I wrote Authors, German.

I then created another 650 field, so that I could also indicate the book in question was fiction. Under subfield a) I wrote "German fiction", and because I knew Boll was a twentieth-century writer, I added under subfield y) 20th century.

The first record I created can be viewed here.

If you scroll to the bottom, you will see that these headings now appear on the item record. SUCCESS!

Now, this, to me, is an extremely good idea. I can't tell you the number of times I've dealt with members who would simply just like to know which American authors, or French authors we stock in the Library. Although time-consuming, it's definitely a worth-while project, and will hopefully offer a much broader search for members who would rather browse, than specify exactly what they are looking for.

"Thing 2" - Investigate some other blogs...

Having already had some lovely feedback from fellow CPD23 bloggers, I thought it was about time I returned the favour, and explored what other great posts were out there! I thoroughly enjoyed reading and commenting on the following blogs, amongst many others (you'll find a list of some of my favourites on the right-hand side of the screen):

Theatregrad

Sarah Said Library

The Hobbit Hole

Jennifer Yellen - Neon Librarian

Trails and Trials of a Trainee Librarian

Reading about other people's experiences, routes into librarianship, future plans and thoughts on the CPD23 course itself, was really interesting, and reminded me that when you write a blog, you're not alone! Whilst at times it feels pretty isolating - especially when you're sat at home typing your thoughts and feelings onto a computer screen - actually seeing comments from other like-minded people makes me NOT WANT TO GIVE UP, and reminds me that there are people out there who, just by listening, make my voice heard! So thank you, to everyone who has taken the time to read this :-)

23 Things for Professional Development - "Thing 1"

Having signed up to #CPD23, or “23 Things for Professional Development,” here is my first post, or should I say, “Thing 1.” It’s going to take real discipline on my part to post regularly, so I promise I’ll do my best! In this post, I am meant to be telling you a little bit about why I am taking part in this course and what I’m hoping to learn from CPD23, so here it goes:

I first heard about “23 Things” at the CILIP New Professionals Information Day on 3rd June 2011, where Bethan Ruddock explained how joining a programme such as this would be an extremely useful and interactive way of familiarising ourselves with things like social media, web 2.0, and blogging – not only to network with like-minded individuals and enhance our own professional development, but also to understand the power of confidently using computers and the internet to their full capacity - especially in a profession which is steadily embracing new forms of technological advancement.

As I have mentioned previously, I am currently a graduate trainee at the London Library. Based in Reader Services, I assist in the day-to-day provision of effective book issue, renewal, reservation, returns and enquiry services, and perform stack management duties (including shelving returned material). Whilst many might think that a day in the life of a librarian sounds pretty monotonous (and sometimes, yes, they are right), a lot of the enquiries we deal with at the LL come from a variety of different sources – either via email, phone, letter, fax or in person, so no day is ever the same, and each day presents new challenges from which I find I am always learning! The next step for me is to complete a Masters degree in Library and Information Studies, and thankfully I have been offered a place at UCL to start in September. I can’t wait to start, as I feel that this is a huge stepping stone for me into a career in librarianship, and will give me the opportunity to understand the theory behind the practice. In terms of future plans, my sights are ultimately set on an academic librarian post – perhaps a subject liaison librarian, as my interests lie in humanities (I have recently also undertaken a postgraduate degree in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture – I just can’t seem to get enough of the studying, it would seem!)

I am hoping to gain confidence during the CPD23 course, and am particularly looking forward to completing Thing 4: “RSS feeds, Twitter and pushnote,” Thing 9: “Evernote”, and practically everything from Thing 13 onwards (as I don’t understand most of the words written from that point onwards!!) Most importantly, I really want to get to know other new professionals – so make yourself heard, and don’t be shy! 

CILIP New Professionals Information Day 2011

On Friday 3rd June, I attended the CILIP New Professionals Information Day 2011 (#npid2011, for all you twitter followers) held at CILIP's London Office. It was an excellent opportunity to meet and greet people new to the profession, and to actually network with fellow students who are heading to UCL this year to do the MA in Library and Information Studies.

I have to say, as soon as I arrived, I knew it would be a good day (I swear the warm pastries, biscuits and coffee had no influence over me, whatsoever!). The morning started with an inspiring motivational talk by Steve Clarke (the proud member of an elite team of business mentors chosen by The Entrepreneurs’ Business Academy – spearheaded by James Caan from Dragon’s Den), whose mantra for the day was "it's your attitude that determines your altitude." Whilst not a library professional himself, Steve talked about how anyone, in any career, can apply the same techniques to achieve their goals and aspirations - and must fight against the prejudice that accompanies the stereotype of the librarian (NB. see my earlier blog for brilliant gifts from cafepress which do just this!)

Following this, our next talk was by Bethan Ruddock, who emphasised the importance of getting involved (in particular, by using social media) in the library profession. I liked the fact that Bethan drew on her own personal experiences, as she was a fairly "new professional" herself. A talk on "getting experience" proceeded after Bethan's, complementing it well by further emphasising the importance of volunteering and networking with other professionals at events such as the NPID, as you never know who you might meet!

Lunch came next, and we were all very grateful for the sandwiches and crisps provided by CILIP!! (Oh, and more pastries...!) Although we breaked for an hour, time flew by, as I found I filled the time chatting with other people about their experiences in libraries, which made for a very interesting lunch-time discussion!

In the afternoon, Alex Wilson-Campbell gave a talk on "getting a job." We later discovered in our Q&A session that it was his birthday, and to be honest, I can't think of many people who would actually choose to talk to a bunch of new professionals on their birthday, so it was really lovely to see how committed he was to a day which he perceived to be extremely worthwhile. His advice on writing CVs, interview techniques, and tips on understanding what your future employer is looking for, were all very useful, and he recommended www.suehill.com and www.jobsforinfopros.com as a good place to start looking for work outside of the CILIP lisjobnet lists.

Maria Cotera wrapped up the day by discussing how one can become internationally involved. Speaking from her own experiences, Maria's stories were vivid, colourful and inspiring to people like me who had only ever really considered librarianship in the UK. With plenty of mentions of IFLA, and the fact that new professionals shouldn't shy away from applying for funding for training events and conferences across the world, I left her talk feeling like there was so much out there waiting to be explored - and I really did come away admiring her enthusiasm for the profession.

The only thing I would suggest, is that perhaps it might have been helpful to hear about the experiences of different librarians from different sectors, to get an idea as to what area of librarianship (or indeed, information management), I might eventually like to specialise. Aside from this, I found the day a really interesting one, and would definitely recommend to anyone who has the chance to go again next year! At least now I'll know a few friendly faces when I start UCL in September!

Agatha Christie's "Verdict"

On Thursday, I went to see Agatha Christie's play, Verdict, at the Yvonne Arnaud theatre in Guildford (@yvonnearnaud, if you want to follow them on twitter). Whilst a huge fan of Christie's fiction and one of her other, very well-known plays, The Mousetrap, I was unsure whether Verdict would live up to my expectations, especially in light of the fact that it was less of a "whodunnit" mystery, than an unravelling of events that occur following the murder itself. Without giving too much away, we are actually made aware of the murderer before the end of the first Act; we not only witness the deed being committed, but hear a bold confession afterwards, which leaves us in no doubt. For me, the acting, the setting and the dialogue was superb - indeed, if there's one thing Agatha Christie knows how to do, it's write good dialogue, and keep her audience in suspense! She certainly succeeded in both points. I have to say, even at the end, my boyfriend and I were discussing the different ways we interpreted the play, and I'm still unsure what to make of it! (For me, this is a good thing, as I like a play to make me think!!)



The stellar cast really helped bring this play to life, and I have to say, I was just a little bit excited that Matthew Lewis (aka Neville Longbottom in the HP films) was playing the role of Lester Cole. Elizabeth Power should also be commended for her fantastic portrayal of Mrs Roper, the tea-stealing housekeeper, who created light relief in such an intense play.




I would definitely recommend the play if you get chance to see it - for me, there really was no weak point in the production.

Whilst doing a teeny tiny bit of window shopping...

..I came across these bags, posters and magnets! This just confirms the MANY reasons why I want to become a librarian! (If only so I have the excuse to actually buy them!)







If you're interested, you can buy all these from www.cafepress.co.uk. It's an amazing website :-)

One of the reasons I love the London Library...

For me, these pictures encapsulate the London Library's quintessential "Englishness" :-)