Technical Services Report

Myers, Marilyn; Henigman, Barbara; Engle, Mary; Fecko, Mary Beth; Coulter, Cynthia; Mercado, Marilyn J.

doi:10.1300/j124v14n02_05

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The number of paraprofessionals engaged and interested in higher-level cataloging work makes them vital contributors to the profession as a whole, and they deserve recognition for that contribution. By providing a snapshot of cataloging work in the early twenty-first LRTS 54 (4) century, the authors have provided a baseline from which individual catalogers and the community as a whole can move forward.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The changing role of paraprofessionals was the primary topic at the January 1996 meeting of the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) Role of the Professional in Academic Research Technical Services Departments Discussion Group. 4 Discussions noted that paraprofessionals were performing such tasks as material selection, cataloging (both original and complex copy), and day-to-day supervision, which used to be solely professional duties. Participants further observed that changes in paraprofessionals' activities led to changes in professionals' roles, with professionals becoming more involved in strategic decision making, goal setting, and focusing on managing change.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

What is a Professional Cataloger?

Cox

Myers²

2010

Library Resources &Amp; Technical Services

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

LRTS 54(4)T he roles of professionals and paraprofessionals within libraries have been in flux for more than a decade. Advances in technology have streamlined workflows, allowing staff at all levels to engage in higher-level work. Reduced budgets and the reduced staff levels that go along with them have required reshuffling of job duties and shifts in department priorities. Some of these changes have blurred the lines between professional and paraprofessional staff. Despite these shifts, the library profession still defines employees and the work they do in terms of professional librarians, requiring a master of library and information science (MLIS), and paraprofessional staff, who typically hold at least a bachelor's degree. 1 Perhaps nowhere in the library has the effect of technology on library staff been more pronounced than in technical services. As clerical tasks have increasingly been taken over by automated systems or student workers, paraprofessional staff have been assigned higher-level functions, freeing professional librarians to focus on the big picture of the cataloging department, the library, and the profession. However, these shifts have not occurred uniformly across the profession, leading to disparities in how paraprofessionals' higher-level work is regarded and whether they are compensated adequately for their new roles. This paper will examine how professional and paraprofessional catalogers view their work, drawing on findings from a survey sent to cataloging department staff in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries. By looking at performance expectations for these two groups, how their work is evaluated and their productivity measured, and their perceptions of the value assigned to their work, this study provides a snapshot of cataloging and catalogers at this point in time.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is a Professional Cataloger?

Cox

Myers²

2010

Library Resources &Amp; Technical Services

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…21 Paraprofessionals also can feel resentment when their roles are not clearly defined and when they lack understanding of why their roles are changing. 22 The institutional culture also may affect the acceptance of role changes. At that session, Hamilton commented that deprofessionalization had occurred, but "that we, as a profession, are simply in denial about it."…”

Section: Background and Review Of The Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Supply and Demand for Catalogers

Leysen¹,

Boydston²

2005

Library Resources &Amp; Technical Services

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Technical Services Report

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

What is a Professional Cataloger?

What is a Professional Cataloger?

Supply and Demand for Catalogers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About