June 11, 09

My Mommy world spilled over into my academic world and I didn't get to finish my post. My text finally arrived yesterday and Chap. 1 in Chan's Cataloguing and Classification is helping reduce the pressure in my brain although as a classmate says, "It still gives me the bajeeebies!"
Since I live in Alaska and am surrounded by beautiful, yet daunting wilderness AND the metaphor that springs to mind when I think of cataloguing is of being lost in a forest, this will truly be Adventures in Cataloguing. Let's merge an idea I am familiar with, wilderness survival, with ideas I'm not familiar with and see if the result is learning.
Survival Rule 1: Don't Panic! This applies here. The arrival of my text has helped that feeling subside a bit. iwill be refering to this text often
Survival Rule 2: Recognition. This is also known as the Digger's Rule. If you're digging a hole, and you're in over your head, quit digging. In the wilderness this would be the place to recognize that you are lost, hurt or otherwise in danger and cease the activities that make your position worse. Refer frequently to Rule 1. I recognize that right now cataloguing is an enormous task and I couldn't find my way out of a MARC record, but the goal is to aquire skills to navigate that territory.
Survival Rule 3 Inventory. Take stock of the assets you have. Cataloguing assets? Hmm.....
I have downloaded hundreds of LC and OCLC records in the last two years and can actually spot a good record in the mix. I may actually have more assets here than I know but until I start work on creating records I'm going to work with an underestimation of my skills. I don't know what all the fields represent but this may be a good spot to stop and make a goal. By next class I will know what each field represents and be able to use them. Another goal is to add three cataloguing websites to Google reader and follow them. I'll post any good ones I find here.

Next post, the rest of the rules and progress!