Attending Cataloguing with Confidence strengthened my skills
As a recipient of a sponsored place, I had the opportunity of attending the “Cataloguing with Confidence” CPD25 workshop, a well-structured and enriching training day that provided both theoretical grounding and practical experience in cataloguing and metadata standards. The event not only enhanced my technical skills but also deepened my confidence in applying these principles within a professional setting.
The day began with an insightful session led by Victoria Parkinson, Library Solutions and Metadata Coordinator at King’s College London. Her presentation on the theory and historical development of cataloguing set a strong foundation for the rest of the day. She introduced key standards including MARC21, AACR2, RDA, and BIBFRAME, each representing different eras and serving distinct functions within the cataloguing landscape. Victoria’s talk clarified how these standards underpin bibliographic metadata, the structured information used to describe and manage library resources.
Following this, Tom Meehan, Head of Cataloguing and Metadata at UCL, delivered a highly informative overview of MARC fields. He outlined how specific MARC tags correspond to different elements of a bibliographic record, such as:
- 100 – Author or creator
- 245 – Title
- 650 – Subject headings
This session enhanced our understanding of how bibliographic data is represented in library systems such as Alma, and reinforced the critical role metadata plays in resource discoverability.
The afternoon’s practical cataloguing session was particularly impactful. Working in groups, we were each given a book and tasked with completing a detailed cataloguing form. This exercise involved correctly entering punctuation, MARC21 tags, indicators, and subfield codes, enabling us to apply theory to practice in a tangible and immediate way. It was a collaborative and engaging experience that demonstrated the value of peer learning and teamwork in technical tasks.
The second practical session focused on navigating the Library of Congress Authority Files. While I initially expected this task to be straightforward, I quickly realised that identifying and verifying Name Authority Headings requires both precision and refined search strategies. We learned to differentiate between authorised and non-preferred forms, identified by the ‘authorized’ and ‘reference’ buttons respectively, and explored the labelled display view, which provides a more user-friendly format for interpreting authority records.
I would like to extend sincere thanks to all the organisers and presenters, with special appreciation to Kristina Macdonald, Senior Library Assistant (Cataloguing and Metadata) at UCL, whose support throughout the event contributed greatly to its success.
In summary, this workshop provided a comprehensive introduction to both the conceptual and applied aspects of cataloguing. It has strengthened my foundational knowledge and given me greater confidence to handle bibliographic metadata with accuracy and professionalism in my day-to-day work.
Blog post by Victoria Li, Library Experience Assistant, Middlesex University