Beginning Cataloger Tutorials

Are you cataloging more and enjoying it less?

If you are a beginning cataloger, you may find tutorials at one of the following sites useful. I queried catalogers on AutoCat (list for catalogers) and educators on CLENERT (The ALA Roundtable for Continuing Education instructors) for their favorite sites. Here is the response as I posted it to AutoCat. My thanks to everyone who responded to my query!


There is no special order to the list. I'm leaving in the commentary about the sites
because it is useful.


1. I don't know if you are an OCLC member library, but they have some decent online intro to cataloging tutorials: http://www.oclc.org/education/tutorials/default.htm.
Regardless of whether you use OCLC, all of the tutorials at this site are free and could have
potential value for other systems. I had my assistant work through the MARC tuturial as well as a number of the Connexion Client tutorials. She seemed to appreciate a better understanding of everything as she copy catalogs.

2. OCLC. Introduction to MARC Tagging: An OCLC tutorial. This tutorial introduces you to the basics of bibliographic records, specifically MARC (MAchine Readable Cataloging) format records-what they are, how and why they are used, and how to read them.
http://www.oclc.org/support/training/connexion/marc/default.htm

3. Idaho's Alternative Basic Library Education (ABLE) Program has a series of tutorials. Is this what you had in mind?

Introduction to Technical Services & Cataloging http://www.lili.org/forlibs/ce/able/course5/01index.htm

Introduction to Subject Headings
http://www.lili.org/forlibs/ce/able/course6/01index.htm

Introduction to the Dewey Classification System
http://www.lili.org/forlibs/ce/able/course7/01index.htm

Introduction to the MARC System
http://www.lili.org/forlibs/ce/able/course8/01index.htm

4. Idaho State Library. Includes: Introduction to Technical Services and
Cataloging; Introduction to Subject Headings; Introduction to Dewey
Classification; and Introduction to MARC Cataloging.
http://libraries.idaho.gov/able

5. Are you familiar with LibraryU (http://learning.libraryu.org/home/)? LibraryU offers 4 cataloging-related courses, that might be just what you're looking for.

6. You might also try WebJunction (http://webjunction.org/do/Home). There are several cataloging courses listed in the e-learning clearinghouse section of Courses.

7. I don't know if any of these will be of use to you, but these three tutorials are on the topic of cataloging. I am maintaining a website of free online library tutorials at
http://home.earthlink.net/~stephaniegerding/accidentaltechnologytrainer/ html

If you hear of any others, I'd be happy to add them. [I couldn't get this link to work. iij]

8. Utah State Library. A basic cataloging tutorial with many links. Explanation of the Dewey Decimal system, MARC records, and subject headings. Some information may be slanted toward Utah users, especially resources for obtaining bibliographic records, but most of the information would be useful to any librarian.
http://library.utah.gov/library_services/continuing_education/cataloging_basics.htm

and for good measure:

9. It's not a tutorial, but the most helpful web resource I've found is on the Follett software site. They list each of the common MARC tags with a link to a basic description of the information that belongs in the field.
The URL is: http://www.fsc.follett.com/clientsupport/community/tagofthemonth/index.cfm
I think that anybody starting out in cataloging will find it very useful.

10. I(Iris Jones) will add this one myself in the "not a tutorial, but useful category": Understanding MARC Bibliographic from the Library of Congress and Follett. http://www.loc.gov/marc/umb/