The Creatures from the Back Room

But what about those things in the back room? You may try to forget about them, but you know they're there. I'm speaking, of course, about all those nonbook, or nonprint, materials--records, filmstrips, computer disks, videocassettes, and so on--that you continue to circulate manually (if at all) because they're not in your online catalog. What's a busy librarian to do?

First of all, know that you're not alone. There are a lot of people who are paid to do nothing but catalog who wouldn't know where to begin when it comes to cataloging a computer disk. Nonbook cataloging is a specialized area. But that doesn't mean you can't learn it, and learn it easily. You have all of the basic knowledge you need; it's just a matter of mastering a few new things. And you might be amazed at the benefits. Would you like to generate overdue notices for nonbook materials? Would it be handy to produce a list of all works on a subject when you're going through accreditation? How about boosting your circulation statistics? All this is possible once you take the plunge.

If you do decide to make a start, the following bits of practical advice may help you to at least get your feet wet.

The experts agree that it is best to have all library materials on any subject, by any author, in any format, in the same catalog. A teacher preparing a lesson on Shakespeare should know, by searching one catalog, what the library has on the subject: books, videos, recordings, etc. A student doing a paper on photosynthesis should know the library has a CD-ROM with relevant information without having to ask for help or check multiple catalogs.

But if all you have is a small collection of nonbook materials that circulate only to teachers, perhaps providing each teacher with a typed list at the beginning of the school year would be more practical. Or, if your library keeps all its video containers on public racks and staff members retrieve the videocassettes by title or accession number, perhaps cataloging them is not worth the time. Think about the advantages and disadvantages of having everything in the catalog before you decide to tackle that backlog.

Look at circulation records, if you can, and see if there are nonbook items that are not being used. Look, too, at the condition of each item. Nonbook materials generally do not hold up well over time. Is the film brittle? Has the sound degraded to the point of being unintelligible? Does the diskette require the computer you sent to surplus last year? See if you can find volunteers who can actually view/listen to/load each item and evaluate its condition for you. Make up a checklist of things to watch or listen for as they do so, to ensure consistency and alert you to any concerns. If you don't have the luxury of checking or having someone else check every item, sample as best you can and discard what is no longer useful. There is absolutely nothing wrong with discarding something that has never been cataloged. But there is something wasteful about cataloging an item that is no longer useful.

Despite my sales pitch, you may decide that classifying nonbook materials is too time-consuming and, if the materials will remain housed in your back room, unnecessary. If that's the case, consider using accession numbers such as CD1, CD2; VHS1, VHS2; etc. Many academic libraries, for instance, don't classify nonbook materials. But do plan to use subject headings if at all possible, since subject searching is still one of the most popular and useful means of finding materials. Remember those patrons who need everything you have on a subject. Assign subject headings to nonbook materials in the same way you would to books, and include headings such as "Biographical Films" where appropriate.

Summary notes can be critical if you want to enable your users to know up front if an item will meet their needs. On most nonbook items, patrons can't just read the summary on the dust jacket or skim the table of contents. An item's contents can usually be summarized in two to three sentences. Remember that you are not trying to sell something, you are letting the patron know if the item will meet his or her needs. If you're summarizing a work of fiction, please don't give away the ending! (Writing good summary notes is an art, and the subject for an article in and of itself.)

Contents notes can also be invaluable, especially for sound recordings. If a teacher needs a particular piece of music, but the only information you have in your catalog is the title of the collection it's on, he or she will never find it. Some videos also contain multiple programs, or have segment titles that are very descriptive. With so many people wanting to search by keyword, adding summary and contents notes can be well worth your time.

There are many other prescribed notes for nonbook materials. Is it critical that you include every one? Definitely not. Decide which notes are really important for your catalog, collection, and patrons, and leave the rest out. Do be cautious about omitting anything considered mandatory. You may migrate to a new automated system or share your records some day, and will want your database to be up to standards. Use your own judgment to determine where the lines should be drawn.

See if there is a workshop available that you might attend, especially if you've never done any nonbook cataloging. If others in your school system or region are in the same boat, suggest an in-service presentation or another training opportunity and bring in an expert. Get your hands on a copy of AACR2R (Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, Revised) and review the chapters on nonbook cataloging. Also, get hold of anything by Nancy B. Olson, who is a recognized expert on nonbook cataloging and has written practical guides for novices and experts alike. If nothing else, buy a copy of Olson's Cataloging of Audiovisual and Other Nonbook Materials (Minnesota Scholarly Press, 1998).

At a bare minimum, if you are doing any cataloging you should have the latest edition of AACR2, the Sears List of Subject Headings (Wilson), and Dewey classification schedules, provided that you use those schemes. It is worthwhile to purchase the latest editions if you can, since these are essential tools. Some catalogers prefer the concise version of AACR2, a new edition of which is now available from ALA. Also, be sure you have all documentation that should come with your system.

Most manuals include a list of required MARC fields, which, for bibliographic records, may consist of nothing more than a title field. Think about what other fields each record should contain, and document your decisions. Look, too, at which fields you cannot use. For example, AACR2R requires a note for technical specifications, such as VHS, when that information is readily available, and the MARC format says that information be in a 538 field. Is that possible in your system? If not, you'll have to pick a different field or include the information in some other way. Know your system inside and out and it will be much easier to set up your procedures.

For instance, there is a wonderful chart in Nancy Olson's book that shows all of the values in the 007 field (Physical Description Fixed Field) for different formats of materials. (Of course, if your system doesn't allow for an 007 field, you can use the chart as a bookmark.) Look at your system's documentation, procedure sheets from before you were automated, manuals, and so on, and adapt them to make them work for you. As you learn to do something new, especially if your system documentation does not explain the process clearly, write down the steps required. Next time you have to do the same thing, you'll thank yourself for it. And if you find or make a cheat sheet that you think is useful, share it! We're all in this together.

Volunteers can help identify damaged materials for withdrawal, help with physical processing, and enter records into the database. They can also view videos and run software to find the credits information you'll need to catalog those items. In academic libraries, student assistants frequently do these tasks. That brings us to academic library catalogers. One of the requirements many of them must meet to have any hope of tenure is service. If they can serve as a consultant to you, even if unpaid, they are increasing their chances of keeping their jobs. Use them.

Also consider joining Internet lists related to cataloging. There may be an online users' group for the system you use. A discussion list like Autocat is a terrific place to get questions answered and to keep up on trends in cataloging and classification. (To subscribe, send a message with a blank subject line and the message SUBSCRIBE AUTOCAT to listserv@listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu.) Even an online discussion gorup aimed at school or public librarians may be a good place to get your questions answered. Other possibilities include bookmarking the Library of Congress home page (lcweb.loc.gov) or the catalogs of libraries that have large nonbook collections. The possibilities are endless.

Get started, whether you feel entirely ready or not. Enter a few records, see how they appear in the catalog, and, if needed, do some tweaking. Document all of your procedures for your own sake, as well as that of anyone else who will ever catalog in your library. Then, to make it happen, you can schedule time each week to work on the backlog--say, Friday afternoons--or you can set goals, like 50 items cataloged each month or all videos cataloged by March.

Be sure your principal or director knows you will be doing this, and get it into your file as a new skill learned and, later, a major project completed. They don't need to know just how easy it was once you got going, and they'll clearly see the results of your efforts by searching the catalog, checking circulation records, or seeing your backlog shelves empty out. More important, you will have the satisfaction of looking in the back room, seeing those empty shelves and knowing that you've giving your patrons access to everything your library has to offer. Tame those creatures! Let them mingle in the catalog with their fellow resources, and you'll never be afraid of your back room again.