MARC Records, Kind of Like French!

This week we had another language to learn, MARC records, a common language in which to classify resources.  Below is my reflection on the activity for the week where we had to look at MARC records for resources provided in our course materials package and to attempt our own MARC record.

 

After looking at the MARC records from the examples in our course materials package and experimenting with a copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales I feel a bit more confident with our upcoming assignment.  I found that putting together my own MARC record was a bit daunting but with more practice it will get easier.  As stated in some of my previous discussion posts I’m not the most tech savvy person and will be taking my time with Assignment 2.  

I used the Library of Congress, AMICUS, and the VPL sites to view the MARC records and try my fairy tales one on my own.  I’m going to use Fairy tales and Fractured Fairy Tales as the topic of my mini collection.  I found all of the sites useful and easy to navigate.  While looking at the records it’s like looking at a foreign language.  With this weeks readings and this activity at least I’m starting to understand what’s going on.  It’s kind of like learning French!

Cataloguing Process and Standards

For the regular everyday person you would more than likely never look at the expanded description or cataloging information for your favorite book.  Us TL's and future TL's must not be normal people because through this weeks readings and activities combined with the other work this term we have become a secret society with a secret language.  This week we have added access points to our new and ever expanding secret TL language.  As you can see I have tried to spice up what to the everyday person might think as boring (cataloging) to what is our own private language of cataloging and this weeks access points.  I personally found this weeks activity looking at 5 resources very valuable and it demonstrated all of the useful information that can be found on a library record.  I have also added my post from this weeks discussion for you all to look at as well.

For this activity I chose items from my home book and DVD collection.  I picked items that I have used or could possibly use in my classroom or library. I used the Vancouver Public Library to view a corresponding library record.

 3 DVD’s

Finding Nemo and Disney’s Earth (Extreme Environments) and Goonies (International Talk Like a Pirate Day).

The access points for these resources are:

Title, Call Number, Additional Contributors, Publisher, Series, Edition, ISBN, Language, Performers, Notes, Statement of Responsibility, Physical Description, and Library Identifier.

I found that the VPL provided a very good description through these access points for all of these resources.  From looking at the backs of the DVD’s and comparing the information given through the VPL  access points there is a clear description of the resources and what is to be expected before viewing the films themselves.

2 Novels

Holes and The Hobbit

The access points for these resources are:

Title, Author, Call Number, Publisher, Pages, Edition, ISBN, Language, Notes, Statement of Responsibility, Physical Description.

I found that the VPL provided a very good description through these access points for all of these resources.  From looking at the information found on the jacket of the books and comparing the access points documented on the VPL are very comparable and give a great description of the resources.

Cataloguing Introduction

I thought I would post my lesson post this week since it wasn't required to do so on the Vista site.  I still think the background information that we went over this week is important and should be discussed.  After all without organization especially as teachers where would we be.

After going through this weeks readings and activities like many of my fellow posters I agree that organization is the key to success in a classroom and library. Organization of resources through a common system creates order in a library. I find many of the resources that I use on my class online and have created my own organization system to keep order for easy access. Without order and organization with the amount resources at are fingertips we could be searching for a needle in a haystack and never find what we need to create meaningful lessons and activities for our students.

Metadata? DMOZ? What?

Wow, this weeks reading confused me a bit.  After slugging through the technical mumbo jumbo and figuring out metadata I now see thew importance for my classroom and possible future library.  I discovered that Google is not necessarily the best way to search the internet.  While conducting my polar bear research with Google, Yahoo, and DMOZ all brought up a different rankings of results.  It turns out that DMOZ brought back the best result and is something that I will use in the future.  What I learned this week, Google may be the most prevalently used search engine but is not necessarily the best one out there.

Access for All and Other Things

First I'm going to muse about the other things from this weeks lesson on the organization of resources within the library through acquisitions, cataloging and collection development.  I have been extremely to have had an amazing mentor who has let me over the years be involved in the workings of her library when I was tocing.  I spent five years helping her over long periods of time doing all three of the traditional technical services.  Even though I have only had a small TL contract I feel that I have a good understanding of technical services thanks to an amazing TL!  

This post is going to piggyback a bit on the last post in regards to access.  I believe that all students should have access to library resources and to a qualified TL. I am going to now post part of my reflection that I posted in the discussion for this week as it reflects my thought on the access and the library.

Housed in the library are all of the teaching resources, novel studies, and other class materials.  Teachers have access to these materials at all times and the TL has said that he is readily available to help out.  This school seems rich in access to materials, time, and space.  Cutbacks seem not to have affected this school but that is due to the high population of the school and that the entire school uses the TL and the library as prep.

In my previous school the TL was only a .20 position and it was held by the principal who had to teach library because of the small population (220 students) of the school.  The library was rarely used except for scheduled book checkout time.  Access to the library was limited and underused.  I can see as some of my other classmates has noted that underfunding and lack of training is hurting our libraries.  See inb both sides of the coin makes me grateful that I am now at a have school but sad for my former students and fellow colleagues that are at a have not school.

TL's Role

I found this week to be a reformation to my ideas of the role of the Teacher Librarian and how my district values the teacher and the library itself.  If you are at a larger elementary school like I am there is a 1.0 full time TL and full access to library resources.  Last year I was at a lower enrollment school where there was a .20 equivalent TL who was also the .80 Principal.  That school's library program was just for checking in and out books and a little bit of reading to the lower grades.  All schools regardless of how small they may be deserve qualified TL's that are there to do more than just checking in and out books. Promotion of literacy and a love of books need to be shared!

Hello UBC LIBE 465

Hello UBC LIBE 465!  I know that the title of this blog states that it's for  LIBE 477, that was the past and this is now.  Why start something new, like a new blog when this one works already.  I look forward to posting and expressing my views on this new course LIBE 465 Organization of Learning Resources.  I feel that this course will give me a better understanding of what some of the main jobs are that a TL may face on a daily basis regarding resources and access to those resources.  On with the show!