As the cataloger for McKillop Library at Salve Regina University, I am in the lucky position of being the first person to handle new materials when they arrive. I catalog them, which involves encoding information into the records that you see when you search the catalog; I manage the physical processing of them, which involves labeling them and getting them ready to circulate; and I also create the New Releases display, which displays about 40 new books and other materials each week.
My reason for starting this blog is so that I can share information about the new arrivals as they cross my desk. Some pique my curiosity. Some are things that don’t interest me, but I know someone out there will love them. So, I want to let you know about new books, movies, and other items, so that you might find something new that piques your curiosity.
Also, as we continue to grow our electronic collections, we face the problem that there is no physical “thing” we can put on display. They don’t come in a box; they don’t have dust jackets. I hope to highlight many of these resources here, so you’ll know about new electronic resources as they are made available.
I also plan to occasionally share some catalog searching tips. The catalog is both simple and complex. You can enter keywords, just like a searching in Google, and find lots of stuff. But to be a better researcher, you have to understand that there are better ways to search besides simple keyword searches – and it’s these advanced techniques that I hope to mention now and again.
Finally, I might have a few posts on something I’ve read lately that was really good. My reading tastes are eclectic, though, so I’m not sure that most things I read will be worthy of mention here. If I read anything exceptionally good, I’ll let you know. Some items might even have the distinction of getting The Cataloger’s Stamp of Approval.
You can reach me at julie [dot] swierczek [at] salve [dot] edu.
Julie
