Radical Cataloging: Essays at the Front

by K.R. Roberto (Editor)

This collection of critical and scholarly essays addresses the state of cataloging in the world of librarianship. The contributors, including Sanford Berman, Thomas Mann, and numerous front-line library workers, address topics ranging from criticisms of the state of the profession and traditional Library of Congress cataloging to methods of making cataloging more inclusive and helpful to library users. Other essay topics include historical overviews of cataloging practices and the literature they generate, first-person discussions of library workers' experiences with cataloging or metadata work, and the implications behind what materials get cataloged, who catalogs them, and how. Several essays provide a critical overview of innovative cataloging practices and the ways that such practices have been successfully integrated in many of the nation's leading libraries. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may .

Genres: Nonfiction, Library Science, Social Justice, Librarianship

321 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 2008

Reviews

[Amy Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

From denouncing LOC to creating new means of cataloging for new forms of resources, this collection of essays encompasses a wide array of how to radically catalog in your library.  Much "field non-fiction" tends to get outdated quickly, but this still rings true nearly ten years later.  There's much to be said about still dispelling the myths surrounding cataloging and catalogers, and much to do about aiding in that dispelling.  

What do you do when LOC subject headings aren't enough?  Or when there are multiple languages in a resource?  Or when patrons find the catalog to be inaccessible and confusing?  There's a lot we can do, actually.  In local libraries, we can eschew some standards in order to make things easier for the community we serve--after all, everything in a library is for the community and we're just helping to make it more accessible.  

But ultimately this book reaffirms that catalogers are a hugely needed part of any library.  There's no way that computers or other types of MARC-generative resources can even compare to the nuance and understanding we catalogers have in respect to our materials.  We aren't going anywhere.

Review cross-listed here!

[P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty much the entire time while I was reading this, I felt simultaneously ecstatic and very sad. It should be required reading for anyone who has an MLS or is planning to get one, because it illustrates so well how cataloging is an integral part of libraries and library work and why people should care and get over the stereotypes about catalogers. I'm gonna buy it.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really needed this book to kick start my own project about this at work. A few of the chapters on similar topics were pretty repetitive, but overall a great resources. I would love to see an updated version since this is over ten years old at this point.

[Bilingual Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The collection of essays in Radical Cataloging cover a wide range of issue in the cataloging world, and it's not the boring book most non-catalogers might assume it is - but be warned that unless you already understand LCSH, NAR, and the like you probably won't understand much of what you'll find here.

Read more at;
http://www.bilinguallibrarian.com/200...

[Sarah left GR]

From this review in TechKNOW Volume 14, Issue 2, August 2008:
http://www.library.kent.edu/page/11226

"If you're looking for a basic book about cataloging then this is not the book. If you're looking for a fearless yet hopeful assessment of the cataloging industry from a decidedly liberal perspective, then this is the book."

[Jessica Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dated but still relevant and interesting not just to gross dedicated cataloguers like myself, toiling away in our troll caves creating sublimely perfect original records and cursing the many faulty pre-existing records we encounter, but to any librarian with an interest in the bones of their catalog and the controversies that are embedded in their creation.

[lindsay]

i am not sure i'm going to end up reading all of the essays in this book, just because i am unfortunately not qualified to adequately understand a lot of them, but i will say that so far i feel very emotional about most of the things going on in libraries today, but most especially cataloging.

[Ang · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're interested in cataloging, this is a must-read. I particularly loved the chapters on what's wrong at the LC, and at OCLC. If you can get your hands on those two chapters, librarians, you should.

[Suzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read them all, but was recommended to check out Christopher Walker's essay on subject headings. Laugh out loud funny, in between nodding my head in agreement and shaking my head in despair. If you're a cataloguer you will enjoy it

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not all that radical by current standards. It's surprising how much cataloging has changed with the advent of "Network Level" cataloging.

[Caitlin]

Radical cataloging : essays at the front by K. R. Roberto (2008)

[Elizabeth Pawlowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essays contained in this book were really fun and eye-opening. As a new library student, this book added to my understanding of librarianship. I highly recommend to anyone who is working as a librarian or interested in librarianship and social justice.