1. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
Presented by Patricia Falk, Music Catalog/Metadata Librarian
Bowling Green State University
May 14, 2018, Ohio Valley Group of Technical Services Librarians

2. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
Background of special collections cataloging
Questions to ask when prioritizing/initiating cataloging projects
Examples of strategies used at BGSU for special collection projects
Future projects at BGSU
Questions?

3. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
Background:
Many special collections remain hidden in various libraries.
Many academic libraries are examining and finding different ways to make their special collections visible and accessible.
Librarians/catalogers need to determine what method is appropriate for materials to be cataloged or made available.
Technology in the past 10 years alone has provided librarians/catalogers with new ways to provide access to hidden collections.
Librarians/catalogers need to consider a number of factors when developing/initiating a cataloging project.

4. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
Questions to ask when preparing for cataloging projects:
How big of a backlog do you have or what is the scale of the project?
Do you have any legacy or preliminary inventories or files created already, or will you need to start from scratch?
Who is your audience for the specific collection?
Do the materials need to be cataloged in OCLC using national standards, or can they be available in your local ILS?
What level of cataloging do the materials need to make them accessible to your audience?
If creating brief records, what field tags and information will you need to include?

5. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
Questions (continued):
Do the records require name/subject authority work?
Do you need any special tools or resources to complete the project?
What staff will be involved in the project (permanent staff non-catalogers, students, catalogers, systems staff)?
What ILS permissions or OCLC logins will your staff need to access and create the catalog records if none are currently in place for your collection or staff members?
Who will be reviewing the completed work if students or non-catalogers are working on project?
How long will the project take to complete?

6. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
BGSU Examples:
LP Project:
Began project in 2013 to begin gaining control of LP backlog and to assist with reducing duplication of incoming gifts
Used students and Excel program to provide artist, album title, label name and number, access information, physical description and local call number
Used MARCEdit to transfer from Excel and Sierra data exchange to load into Innovative Sierra ILS
Project is still ongoing after almost 5 years, but has an end in sight

7. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
LP MARC Example:

8. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
LP Project: Pros
Ability to produce large quantities of records with minimal effort
Ability to train students quickly
Provides access to previously unknown LPs
Cons
Records not complete
Records not checked for name authorities
Records not available in OCLC to wider audience
Errors are not always caught-typos, wrong label information, etc.

9. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
College of Musical Arts Cassettes/CDs:
Began local cataloging in ILS in 1980s with students and staff creating brief bibliographic records using templates (some were fully cataloged in OCLC)
Work had stopped in early 1990s with loss of staff; began creating brief records again in the 1990s on cassettes and also CDs as they became more prevalent
Records continue to be added locally in Sierra since these are mainly used by CMA faculty and students
Name authorities are checked and added with correct dates and/or headings when able to verify with faculty and students
Materials arrive 2-3 times a year in batches
Beginning in 2018, will be in digital format only-this will be another format to review for streaming records locally

10. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
CMA Cassette Example

11. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
CMA Cassettes/CDs-Pros:
Ability to customize records by creating templates in Sierra
Records do have authority control for name headings, and usually will have subject headings as well
Small amount of records to be created compared to larger projects that require batch loading
Provides access for staff and students that would not otherwise be available

12. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
78 RPM discs and albums
Began cataloging as brief records using Sierra template
Information data includes artist on side A as main entry if available, titles, record label name and number, and alternate title fields for side B
Due to large quantity housed in depository, records are either cataloged at depository by depository staff and students or on site in the music library by students with review by music cataloger
Name headings are not checked for authority control and no subject headings are added
Albums with multiple discs will be done at depository by music cataloger due to multiple titles and potentially multiple artists

13. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
78 RPM Example:

14. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
78 Albums-Pros
Records can be cataloged quickly
Students can be trained easily to catalog brief records in system
Provides access to materials previously unavailable
Cons
Items need to be reviewed by cataloger to verify information-questions can arise on unusual cases
No name authorities
Students require login and permissions to accomplish task-might be difficult with other systems

15. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
45 RPM CLIR Grant Project
Began in May 2015 as CLIR Grant funded project-due to be complete in May 2018 (extension has been granted until August 31st to use all funding)
Project will make more than 100, RPM discs available through BGSU Catalog
Project uses students working in Excel adding artist, sides A & B titles, label name and number, access information, and local call numbers
Music Cataloger transfers information from Excel to MARCEdit, then transfers into ILS through Data Exchange

16. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
45 RPM Grant Example

17. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
45 RPM Grant Project-Pros
Easy to train students quickly on Excel and processing of items
Once workflow and documents have been established, it takes minimal time to batch load the records
Provides access to collection previously unknown-great access for our researchers that visit BGSU
Cons
Errors can be easy to miss
No name authority control
Regular turnover of students to train at times
Difficult to supervise students on separate floor from supervisor
Lack of regular hours/schedules by students

18. Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
Future projects:
Promo files (Music Library)
Music posters (Music Library)
Movie posters (Popular Culture Library)
Lobby cards (Popular Culture Library)
Curriculum Resource Center-to be determined
Center for Archival Collections-works in progress

19. Questions? Thank You! pkfalk@bgsu.edu
Decisions, Decisions: How to Determine the Appropriate Method of Cataloging Special Collections in the 21st Century
Questions?
Thank You!