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Tech. Services>Metadata
Cataloging & Metadata Services Redesign: Archival documentation
Philip Schreur
Stanford University
June 15, 1999
Rationale
As Technical Services went through the redesign process in 1996, emphasis was placed on how to better process the bulk of incoming material. It is not surprising, then, that most changes centered around acquisitions and copy cataloging. Although the Catalog Department went through some changes in workflow, it was necessary for the above flows to be finalized before the Catalog Department's throughput could be analyzed. In the meantime, the Department has been very hard hit by staff reductions, both exempt and non-exempt, and additional work as Redesign was implemented. Bulk purchases add an unpredictable and unmanageable burden on a constrained budget. Outside the Department, creative uses of metadata and its treatment/integration into a broader knowledge environment have become an exciting area for exploration. The cataloging code itself is being restructured due to the impact of digital resources and electronic publishing. Models based on automated processing are creating a new demand for proactive quality control.
The need to respond to immediate needs has prevented the Department from stepping back and reanalyzing its mission based on the realities of the new world order. Technical Services has now made sufficient headway in the redesign process that this is possible. Arbitrary reduction in staff based on retirement and attrition has made this necessary.
Priorities and Assumptions
In a world of shrinking resources, even after exploring developing technologies for more quickly and efficiently processing material, there is simply not enough financial support to process all the material which comes into the Catalog Department following the traditional paradigm. Given this constraint, new priorities must be set in order to create a predictable, accomplishable workflow. The overarching priority of the Catalog Department redesign will be no backlogs at any level. Our fiscal base will not be expanding in any significant way in the future. To defer work to a later date not only hinders access but puts an additional strain on future resources. In the following plan, these assumptions will be made:
- no significant increase to baseline funding
- acquisition of physical volumes remains stable with a burgeoning increase in electronic resources
- bulk purchases have equal processing weight with new, incoming material
- backlogs are unacceptable
- alternatives to traditional MARC cataloging are a valid/desirable addition to the SUL knowledge environment
- SUL reconfirms its commitment to cooperative, national initiatives
Key Elements in the Redesign Process
During the past few years, the Department has been proactive in developing the tools of its redesign. At this point in time, we have had a successful two year functioning of the experimental Classification on Receipt Unit and are better able to assess this proposed replacement to the PUB program. We have also made great strides in our use of Marcadia, RLG's answer to automated copy matching. Marcadia is a key element in the Department's evolution and the redesign of its workflow. Now that we have been able to send PUB95 and the first year of the Classification Unit's work to Marcadia, we are able to evaluate not only the Unit's effectiveness, but the practicalities of automated copy-matching and overlay, aging periods, etc. Our apprenticeship in the BIBCO/NACO programs is nearly complete as well. It is time for us to take our place amongst the other major universities and make a lasting commitment to this greatest of all cooperative programs.
Foci
- Workflow: Aim for no backlogs at any level; fold bulk purchases into the process. Shift the point of selection for original cataloging to the front end. In the current paradigm, what is left after aging for copy receives original cataloging. The material is often of secondary importance to the overall collection, does not reflect the educational focus of the University, and is in quantities too great to manage. Selecting material at the beginning of the process allows the Department to focus its limited resources on what is most valuable to the Library's mission and never select more than can be cataloged (no backlog development). The remaining material will be aged for copy, put through the automated copy matching and overlay process, and, if no copy develops, receive minimal level cataloging and be sent to the shelves. In order for this process to work, the material must be allowed to flow freely. In light of the amount of material to be reviewed for original cataloging (new incoming material and bulk purchase), the professional catalogers must be given the ability to select for original cataloging. Their new relationship with the bibliographers (see below) and their own professional expertise should position them to make informed decisions.
- Professional commitment: Creating access to important or unique resources through various mechanisms, including original cataloging, is one of our unique contributions to the greater world of knowledge and the function on which our national reputation is built. Over the years, our areas of expertise have diminished and no longer reflect the collection strengths of SUL. We must realign our remaining professional catalogers with curatorial strengths and forge close ties between cataloger and bibliographer. This personal synergy and the commitment to growth in the field outside SUL demands a professionals' commitment both to access and subject area. Allow paraprofessionals to do original cataloging in a more production line manner to cover gaps in our professional coverage.
- Alternative access: SUL must accept alternatives to traditional MARC cataloging as both desirable and legitimate. The Department must become active in the development of the greater SUL knowledge environment, of which SocII is only a part, and seek ways of using such emerging tools as the Dublin Core in its development. These new methods of organization and access will be essential if the Department is to keep up with incoming access demands. Their use must be seen as a positive step and as an enhancement to traditional access, not as a denigration of service based on cost saving measures.
- Pinnacle of excellence: Between SUL and Hoover, Stanford has one of the richest collections in the United States. Maximizing on SUL's breadth of collections and depth of staffing expertise, the Department should take the lead in developing an area in which it could truly excel and gain national prominence.
- Enterprise: The Department should try and take advantage of this new avenue of SUL development. One possible area to explore is in the realm of Slavic studies/cataloging. Skill and/or ability to do Slavic cataloging is on the wane in the United States. SUL is blessed with ever increasing Slavic skills and should leverage the situation. The plan could be as simple as becoming an outsourcer for Slavic cataloging.
My selective visits to other large Catalog Departments in the United States have shown the wisdom of our earlier redesign process. By focusing on the larger portion of our incoming material (those items having some form of copy), we have resolved our most difficult fiscal problems. These strategies have left SUL with a strong base on which the Catalog Department can build in order to move into the cutting edge arenas that have come to be expected of us.
Last modified:
June 22, 2005 |
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