January 2007 Archives

Lately I have been hearing a lot about top 10 lists: Top Search Engines, Yahoo's Top Searches of 2006, Top 5 Consumer Trends, and all of the other lists that arrive at the start of the New Year.

This got me thinking about creating a few of our own MINITEX lists. I looked at our myriad of statistics, and pulled out the Top 10 Libraries Contributing Original Records to WorldCat. The following list does not include any libraries that happen to batchload their holdings to OCLC. It only includes libraries that created original records within Connexion. NOTE: The stats were pulled for the last calendar year (January 2006-December 2006).

1. Crown College, MN (1,912)
2. North Dakota State Library (1,617)
3. Hennepin County Library, MN (1,212)
4. State Historical Society of North Dakota (1,038)
5. Traverse Des Sioux Library System, MN (1,015)
6. Minnesota Historical Society (798)
7. Pioneerland Library System (467)
8. Luther Seminary, MN (463)
9. Kitchigami Regional Library System, MN (426)
10. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library (399)

What other kinds of statistics would you like to see? Drop us a line. If you're interested in finding out how to access your own institution's stats, attend one of our NEW webinars: Introduction to Using OCLC Cataloging Statistics.

We want you to know that we have scheduled SCCTP Basic Serials Cataloging and Advanced Serials Cataloging sessions in our region beginning next February. We will also soon schedule Electronic Serials Cataloging for this Spring.

Basic Serials Cataloging is a 2 day training session covering the basic principles of serials cataloging for original and copy cataloging in both print and electronic formats. It will cover serials cataloging rules, MARC21 tagging, and problem-solving and decision-making related to serials. This workshop is designed for anyone new to serials cataloging but does assume some familiarity with cataloging rules and the MARC format.

Advanced Serials Cataloging provides in-depth, 2-day coverage of original serials cataloging. It focuses on print serials, but the concepts are applicable to serials in any format. It is intended for those who have taken the Basic Serials Cataloging course or who have been active serial catalogers for at least a year and are familiar with the fundamentals.

Electronic Serials Cataloging is a 1 day training session that will prepare you to catalog electronic serials distributed through the Web. It covers the basic steps for creating an original record for an online serial and also describes the single record approach to serials available in both print and electronic versions.

For more information and to register: Go to the MINITEX training website

I would commend to your attention the Smart Libraries Newsletter. Those who attended CLIC's Forum on the Future of the ILS heard Roy Tennant list Marshall Breeding as an expert to follow on issues related to library systems and I would agree. I have long kept copies of his articles in my files for use when people come to me with questions about automating their library or changing systems.

Breeding contributes a monthly ILS Scoop column to the Smart Libraries Newsletter. Tom Peters, the second contributing editor, tackles topics like gaming, libraries and the Second Life virtual-reality environment, and using technology to enhance book discussion groups - topics perhaps less relevant to those of us in Technical Services, but still of interest. Both have a gift for explaining and exploring technology and its implications in straightforward, practical language.

Of particular interest to our region is Breeding's ILS Scoop in the January 2007 issue, in which he gives the lowdown on Endeavor's acquisition by ExLibris' new owner. He explains the merger, provides historical context, examines organizational changes and even speculates on the implications for the commercial library sphere.

An annual subscription to Smart Libraries Newsletter ("delivering hard data and innovative insights about the world of library technology, every month.") costs $85. You can also access individual issues via ALA's Techsource site at:
http://www.techsource.ala.org/sln/

Let us know what you think!