MLIS 2011 {Beta Phi Mu Member}
Cataloger
Bancroft Library – UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA USA

What I am doing now.

I catalog rare books, fine press books, artists’ books, posters, ephemera and other printed materials at the Bancroft Library, an academic library with notable collections in Western and Latin Americana, literature, early books and many other areas. Sometimes I process new collections and new acquisitions, other times I work on items that have already been cataloged that need a fuller description, better subject headings, etc.

What are the most valuable skills I use in my job?

The two courses that are most useful in what I do every day are Beg. Cataloging and the internship I did at the Bancroft Library. Cataloging taught me the basics of LC subject headings, authority control and assigning Cutter numbers. During my internship, I learned the DCRMB method of cataloging rare books, counting signatures, assigning genre terms and noting copy-specific details, such as binding and provenance.

FRBR, a concept I was taught in Beg. Cataloging, is the basis of RDA, which is the form of cataloging I use every day. At the time FRBR was presented in the course, it was a rather esoteric concept. Little did I realize I would be using that concept as part of my job.

Outside of SLIS, learning French and German were exceptionally useful in cataloging rare and early books. Knowing more Latin, Greek and Spanish would also be helpful.

Contact Permission

This alumni prefers not to be contacted.