Title:What is a Cataloger?

What's a Cataloger?

There are several people at Walther Library who are seldom seen. Among these are the catalogers, whose duties are done away from the public eye. Although they are not seen, their work is very important.

When you buy a book at the bookstore, you can use the book immediately. But books that come into the library are not immediately ready for use. They must be prepared for your use by-among other tasks-creating a computer record, so that you can look up information about the book in the computer. The person who does this work is a cataloger. At Walther Library, we use OCLC (see story in the last issue) as the basic source for our data. Often, we can use information that some other library has input. Sometimes, however, we must do the work "from scratch" (called original cataloging). The cataloger assigns subject headings describing the subject(s) of the book, as well as a classification number, so that the book can be shelved.

At Walther Library, three persons help in cataloging books and other materials. Ms. Lois Guebert, head of technical services, catalogs non-book material (CDs and videos, for example). Mrs. Ruth Gaba, the cataloging assistant, catalogs most new books. Rev. Richard Lammert catalogs non-English materials.

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