Cataloging: Author Fitting (Unit Library Verification) and RDA Discussion with Call Number and Cutter Number (Day 1)

I was adamant to finish my OJT before March comes because I am positive my other subjects and LIS majors would eat me alive because of midterms.  Thus I arrived exactly 8:00 am in Gonzalez Hall or the University Library. I was confused at first because my wrist watch told me I was 10 minutes early but the clock in the library said it was 8:00 am. Oh well.

I headed straight to the Cataloging Section on the second floor of the University Library ready to face one of the works a librarian cannot escape. Cataloging. I don’t know what is very scary of cataloging a book when I heard about it; you basically just write down the description of the book and its contents in a 3 by 5 index card and put it in little drawers holding more cards each contains a book description of one book in the library.

But little did I know that there are a lot more into cataloging than “just writing down the book description of the book and its contents in a 3 by 5 card”. There is the RDA, the verification, the editing, the re-editing, the verification, etc. It sounds so easy and it is. IT IS JUST VERY TEDIOUS.

On my first day, I was thought how to do Author Fitting and Unit Library Verification by Sir Elijah (THANK YOU SIR!!!!).

An author fitting and Unit Library Verification are done to check if the record of the book is in the shelf list cabinet. You will be given ½ bond paper containing the MARC record of the book and the first thing you do is check if the Cutter Number is correct. Then look for the drawer with the same subject heading in the shelf list, see if there is a card in the shelf list. If there is no card in the shelf list, then make a dummy card by writing down the control number, author up until the copyright year. An after writing the dummy card, you punch a hole in the lower middle part of the card and tear or cut it side ways and write A-2 on the top left corner and below that write your name and the date today. 

There are cases when there is a card but it has a different year. In cases like that, you make a dummy card – the same process but this time instead of writing A-2- and write AFOE-2. This means the library has a older/newer edition of the book.  There are others like B-1 meaning there is no need of a dummy card only verify that it has a card already.

From 8:00-12:00 pm, I only did that and my feet was hurting after that time because I was walking from one shelf to another, from one drawer to another. It’s surprising that it was actually easy just technical. After my first part of doing my OJT, I got to learn about the Cutter Table and finally understanding it, learned how to do author fitting and Unit Library Verification, and learned to wear more comfty shoes next time.

On my second part of OJT day 1, Mam Annie taught me and two other OJT-ers in BSU and Raisa Amores about the RDA, Call Number and Cutter Number. To be honest, even before, I never understood much about the Cataloging as a whole. Thus when we were given an exercise, I asked and answered the best way I could (by guessing). I never got to know if what I did was correct but I asked the other two OJT girls and they did exactly what I did so my guess was I did it right. *shurgs* 

My thoughts about the cataloging Section: It’s very quiet and every one is zone out by their work. There are times when they chit chat during work to break the tension, I presume and I like that there are times there is music flowing in the very eerie section of the library.