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SCAFAH Unit Accomplishments and Highlights
2003/2004


Summary

Important Date to Remember! ALEPH Switch To Production May 10, 2004

It is easy to forget that we switched to ALEPH only 3 months ago! The greatest emphasis this year, July 1, 2003-June 30, 2004, was on ALEPH training and testing, Switch-to-Production, and cataloging in the new environment. Our cataloging numbers reflected the diversion but were still respectable. We were able to keep up with our incoming materials and rushes. In addition to ALEPH, we worked on several new projects that came to us. Many of our 2003/2004 training goals that were aimed at increasing the breadth of special collections cataloging in our Unit had to be postponed until after the implementation of ALEPH but we accomplished a great deal in a number of other areas. I want to say "thank you" to everyone for participating and working as hard as they have.

Cataloging

Humanities and Special Collections statistics

4,505 titles (5,042 volumes and 861 units) (2002-2003: 6,895 titles)

Cooperative Program statistics

NACO

Series
Personal Names
Corporate Names
Changes
Topics
Titles
Total
55
193
17
2
0
37
304

BIBCO

316

Rare Book Cataloging statistics

462 titles (503 volumes) (2002-2003: 349 titles)

The Rare Book Cataloging Team-Steve, Randy and Beatriz (with occasional help from Tatiana)-kept focused on the rare book cataloging and they once again increased their productivity from last year-from 349 titles to 462 titles! Selected by the curator, the catalogers cataloged across all priority categories: General rare books, Judaica, Latin America, and Africana. I think this is a wonderful accomplishment and they are to be congratulated. Also, Patricia Dana contributed to Special Collections cataloging with her regular cataloging of the new incoming Baldwin Library's modern children's literature.

Beginning in the spring of 2003, we had arranged several meetings between the Rare Book Curator and the rare book cataloging team of SCAFAH to discuss rare book cataloging workflow, organization of pre-processing and weekly goal of 5 books per cataloger a week. The goal was maintained and productivity continued until staff was called upon to begin working with the testing and implementation of ALEPH and other projects. The results are very good and was commented upon by the Rare Book Curator.

Project. M. Arch. Masters' Research Projects Backlog (Sept.-Oct. 2003). Organized and managed, with the help of new Archivist Stephen Chen, the Architecture Master's Research Project (M.Arch.) Backlog cataloging project to have SCAFAH complete the cataloging and processing of ca. 200 Master's Projects that had been accumulating at the School of Architecture and were delivered to us. Stephen Chen was responsible for distributing the projects to each cataloger. Created cataloging guidelines for staff & reviewed work, set goals, and worked with AFA Librarian, Ann Lindell, to develop guidelines for more consistency in the format of these projects, continued cataloging, and processing. The guidelines were added to the Resource Services CATPRO manual: http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/rs/catpro/ArchResearch.htm. Project was completed in one month as projected (Sept.-Oct. 2003).

Microform Arrearage. Begun in the summer of 2003, we finally finished the Unit's microform arrearage in a push between Sept. 2003-Feb. 2004. Steve Fuquay managed the workflow and reviewed the work.

Project: Cataloging of special series: Endangered Languages of the Pacific Rim (Series). Ongoing project originally organized to keep up with incoming books in this series, beginning Feb. 2003. Created cataloging guidelines and worked with senior members of SCAFAH-Steve Fuquay, Randy Jewett, and Yue Li to add these to our cataloging work in a regular fashion.

LSTA Project (-Oct. 2003). Steve Fuquay finished his responsibilities as cataloging consultant for the LSTA Grant for the Bibliographic Enhancement of Rare Book Cataloging Records.

Dewey Reclassification Project (Nov. 2003-Jan. 2004) Several members of the SCAFAH unit actively participated in the large Dewey reclassification project: Yue Li, Randy Jewett, Steve Fuquay and Tatiana Barr. This, too, meant less time devoted to cataloging. But the dedication of about 20 members of the Resource Services staff accomplished the library's goal of reclassifying ca. 20,000 items to be moved back into the new building.

Project. Health Sciences Reclass Project: Japanese Monographs. Yue Li participated in another RS reclassification project for Health Sciences and reclassed: 113 titles (605 v.) Yue's work also included correcting cataloging records and adding Japanese vernacular to many of the records. Adding Chinese and Japanese vernacular is high on Yue's list of priorities.

OCLC Post-Conversion Pinyin Cleanup Project. As an advisor to the first phase of the OCLC National Post Pinyin Conversion Cleanup Project (Aug. 4, 2003-May 6, 2004), Yue reviewed and cleaned up a number of OCLC WorldCat records using the items we hold in our collection.

Kohler Victorian Theology Pamphlet Project (June/July 2004-). Randy Jewett was assigned to be project cataloger for this two-year SOLINET-supported Cooperative Preservation Microfilming Project 7 to complete the microfilming and cataloging of the Kohler Victorian Theology Pamphlets in Special Collections. Randy was one of the catalogers who worked on earlier phases of this project. He will be expected to catalog 45 titles a month. July was spent in reviewing the cataloging procedures and putting together a document for CATPPRO. Steve Fuquay was appointed 5% as consultant and supervisor for the project. Tatiana is compiling a subject heading guide that may be of future use for researchers using the collection. Kohler pamphlets are considered to be part of the rare book cataloging workflow, and with this project almost the entire collection will have been done (ca. 7,600 items), except for the most complicated items, serials, and a few that fall outside the parameters of the project.

Outsourcing of Africana (March 2003-July 2004). Yue Li, who is responsible for outsourcing activities, was able to recruit the help of Africana cataloger, David Bade, at the University of Chicago, for our most unusual African language vernacular materials and they have been cataloged by Bade and added to OCLC (50 titles). They represent 18 African languages. We are hoping that the good relations we established with David Bade will be of service to us in future Africana projects. David Bade is an Africana specialist known for his volunteer work in the area of Africana cataloging and bibliography.

ALEPH and Other Training (Participation and instruction)
The members of our Unit have successfully made the transition to the new cataloging environment and are slowly picking up speed again. That does not mean that there aren't still questions to ask, ALEPH peculiarities to sort out, and skills to hone-but we certainly are in sync with the rest of our department.

In addition to ALEPH training, we participated in:

Steve Fuquay trained Special Collections staff in the use of CATME for cataloging.

Yue Li also gave a tutorial for SCAFAH on CATME.

Tatiana and Jackie Brown (SocSci) taught an Advanced Library of Congress Classification Web Tool class (July 2003)

Tatiana worked with AFA, Judaica and Special Collections to train staff in various aspects of ALEPH initially, and then on how to create provisional records and other levels of cataloging. She was assigned as ALEPH liaison to this community.

ALEPH (Other than training)

All members of SCAFAH participated in at least 4 data subsets tests and special ad hoc "stress" testing

Beatriz Lugo was asked by Betsy to join a group to test and refine a special "Check Record" function of ALEPH. Both Steve and Beatriz participated in an ALEPH keyword index review.

Documentation for CATPRO and ALEPHPRO

Tatiana worked with Gerald Langford on a HOL and ITEM Record Guide to be posted in ALEPHPRO soon. She also prepared the following: "LC Subjects and Classification by Cataloging Units" and "Architecture Research Projects M.Arch.-Cataloging and Processing Guidelines"

Patricia Dana and Tatiana collaborated on "Original Minimal K-Level Cataloging Standards: Feature and Non-Feature Videos and DVDs"

Conferences, Papers, Presentations, and other activities, etc.
Tatiana and Yue attended mid-winter ALA in San Diego; Steve, Yue, and Tatiana attended the annual ALA in Orlando, Florida.

Yue Li presented a paper at ALA in Orlando: Yue Li, Ying Ye. "China Society for Library Science" accepted for the International Paper Session at 2004 ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Yue Li's article published: "Consistency versus Inconsistency: Issues in Chinese Cataloging in OCLC", Cataloging and Classification Quarterly, 2004, vol. 38 (2)

Steve Fuquay completed and posted his online subject index for the Cataloging Services Bulletin for review by the department.

Tatiana Barr had her article published: "Opening Up Special Collections to the Public: A Partnership Between Cataloging and the Special and Area Studies Collections Department at the University of Florida," Technical Services Quarterly, v. 21, June 30 (2004).

Beatriz Lugo continued as editor of the RS newsletter "Four Floors".

Committees, Groups, Liaisons, etc.

Beatriz Lugo is still the backup for RS/CatMet Web page and a continuing member of the RS/CatMet Web Group Committee.

Both Randy and Beatriz have maintained a very high level of service to our Unit and the Department as liaisons.

Steve Fuquay chaired the SUS Libraries Interest Group at the Florida Library Association Meeting, March 24, 2004.

Yue mentored two students as part of the University of Florida Mentoring Program and as a member of the University Minority Recruitment and Retention Council (MRRC), researched and prepared a special report on training for entrance examinations.

Tatiana continued as a member of the RS ALEPH Cataloging Trainers Group and the RS ALEPH Implementation Committee (now renamed TS ALEPH Implementation Committee)

Staffing

Stephen Chen left us this year to go back to full-time study as a degree candidate in the School of Accounting.

Peter Bushnell and Jane Anne Carey joined our Unit as part of the reorganization into a new Cataloging & Metadata Department, the merging of Science and Social Science, and the distribution of the Serials Cataloging Unit into other areas of the new Technology Services Division. We can't chronicle their accomplishments in SCAFAH's book this year, but we wish them both a warm welcome and hope that they will enjoy being part of our team.

Name Change

In connection with the reorganization of the Department, we adopted a new name "Humanities and Special Collections Cataloging Unit"-but we may still discuss this a bit more.

 

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