Been busy working on an class assignment for this week (not the final project, that’s just about done). This weekly assignment is on catalog subject headings and I got a chance to choose five of my own books–couldn’t use fiction, textbooks, or biographies–and decide if I were cataloging them what subject headings I would assign them. Then I had to look them up and see what headings the professionals assigned them. Needless to say, my choices have been very different from the actual catalog; some of mine I thought better, others, not so much.
Anyway, with colleges on the semester system just getting ready to start, I thought you all might find the Beloit College Mindset List for this year’s Freshman class entertaining.
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We’ve started adding social tags (via Library Thing) to our online catalog. It’s sort of weird, but sort of interesting, too. Last week I took a class on LC call numbers. Since I am not a cataloger (though am learning some of the basics) it was a bit of a challenge for me as we had assignments to construct call numbers, but it was really interesting to see how they are constructed. I think it would be hard to come up with good subject headings–you would have to be really familiar with the text. Good luck finishing things up!
What a fun list. Now I feel old. I miss PeeWee.
I remember seeing a subject heading called “Satisfaction”. I also liked one in the juvenile books category: “Cookies”
Cataloging seems like a tricky business…I remember doing just a bit of it back in school. What I can’t remember is, how is it done by the pros? — are books cataloged by a single cataloger or is it a committee decision?
Interesting link to the Beloit College Mindset List… too bad they don’t go far back enough.
That’s a great list. I’m sitting here trying to think of some other things to add to it. Very timely because I just moved my youngest into dorm sweet dorm over the weekend.
I think I’d like to call them Generation Balsamic.
Danielle, tags are an interesting idea. Do the patrons get to add them or is it only library staff? Constructing call numbers actually sounds like fun. Thanks for the good wishes!
Daphne, I miss Pee Wee too. And yeah, the list made me feel old.
Bonnie, those are excellent subject headings!
wil, no idea how real catalogers do it. I think the cataloging staff make individual choices based on library policy and experience. Eventually I will have to take a class on cataloging, I’ll be sure to share what I find out.
Arti, I know. I wish they went back to when I started college but that’s probably asking to much
Lisa, that’s right! so, does the list present a fairly accurate picture of your son’s age group?
Sylvia, OMG I laughed long and loud at your comment and am still chuckling
What an interesting party game, to give a selection of books to librarians, journalists, publishers and academics and see what classifications they came up with. Might it loosen up the stranglehold of the category on book marketing? Well, maybe not, but one can hope.
What an interesting assignment! It must be fun to see how all the answers match up. It’ll show that the experts maybe don’t always get it quite right! I thought the Beloit list was a little odd — amusing, but with some strange things on it.