Cataloging Training from the Cataloging Maintenance Center

Training opportunities offered by the Cataloging Maintenance Center are offered for free to library workers in Illinois, thanks to a grant awarded to the Illinois Heartland Library System by the Illinois State Library, a Department of the Office of the Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

On This Page

• CMC Multi-Week Moodle Courses
• Online with the CMC Monthly Webinar Series

CMC Multi-Week Moodle Courses

The Cataloging Maintenance Center provides in-depth education on different topics covering metadata and cataloging. Courses are offered asynchronously, so that student may work with course materials as schedules allow.

Registration for these sessions is handled via the Library Directory and Learning Calendar (L2).

Courses for 2023-2024

Cataloging Basics, Sept. 11-Oct. 22, 2023. Register in L2

This six-week crash course in basic cataloging dives into cataloging using RDA, the Resource Description and Access standards, and using MARC, the MAchine-Readable Cataloging standards. Eric McKinney will cover MARC fields 0XX-8XX and fixed-field elements, the most commonly used fields when cataloging library items.

Focus on Serials Cataloging, Oct. 30-Nov. 12, 2023. Register in L2

Are you new to cataloging serials (continuing resources), or do you need a refresher? Then this is the class for you! Dr. Pamela Thomas will spend two weeks discussing how to fill in the fixed and variable fields of a serials bibliographic MARC record.

Focus on Deriving a Record, Nov. 13-24, 2023. Register in L2

Have you found records in OCLC that are almost a match, but you need to create a new bibliographic record, or do you? If you find a close match, you can derive a new record. Eric McKinney will teach you how to do that.

Focus on Cataloging Binge Boxes, Dec. 4-17, 2023. Register in L2

Does your library have binge boxes but don't know how to catalog them? Mary Cornell will help guide you through cataloging binge boxes.

Focus on Cataloging DVDs, Jan. 15-28, 2024. Register in L2

Do you have a stack of DVDs to catalog but don't know where to start? Eric McKinney will help you learn how to catalog DVDs.

Focus on World Language Cataloging, March 11-24, 2024. Register in L2

Has your library decided to start purchasing materials in world languages, and you need help figuring out where to start? Mary Cornell will help walk you through the steps of cataloging world language materials.

Focus on Cataloging CDs, April 8-21, 2024. Register in L2

Cataloging CDs can be challenging—what MARC (MAchine-Readable Cataloging) fields are required, and which ones are optional? How do you fill out the fixed-field elements? Eric McKinney will guide you through the process of creating bibliographic records for CDs.

Subject Analysis, May 20-June 30, 2024. Register in L2

Dr. Pamela Thomas will cover topics such as controlled indexing language, keyword versus controlled vocabulary, the purpose of subject headings, the 20% rule, content analysis, Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), word-based approaches to retrieval, Sears List of Subject Headings, and MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) in this six-week course.

Cataloging Basics, July 8-Aug. 18, 2024. Register in L2

This six-week crash course in basic cataloging dives into cataloging using RDA, the Resource Description and Access standards, and using MARC, the MAchine-Readable Cataloging standards. Eric McKinney will cover MARC fields 0XX-8XX and fixed-field elements, the most commonly used fields when cataloging library items.

Cataloging 3D Objects, Kits, and Realia, Sept. 9-Oct. 6, 2024. Register in L2

Dr. Pamela Thomas will spend four weeks providing hands-on cataloging of 3D Objects, Kits, and Realia. During the course, students will originally catalog 3D and 2D objects and kits, including games, flyers, a bingo set, a postcard, and other challenging items. Cataloging knowledge and experience is strongly recommended.

Online with the CMC Monthly Webinar Series

The Cataloging Maintenance Center provides monthly cataloging training through the Online with the CMC series. Each webinar is led by one of the CMC cataloging experts, and topics may range from timely topics of broad interest, such as promoting accessibility, to nuanced attention to specific MARC tags. Sessions feature a 15 to 20 minute presentation on the topic followed by a 40 minute question and answer session.

Registration for these sessions is handled via the Library Directory and Learning Calendar (L2). Recordings of past sessions are available from the Online with the CMC Archive.

Sessions for 2023-2024

August 10, 2023, Reading the Past: Reading Historical Handwriting. Recording on L2

Does your library have handwritten historical documents that aren’t getting the attention they deserve? Let Metadata Cataloger Kat Anderberg help you make sense of historical handwriting so you can share these documents with your community.

Sept. 14, 2023, A Quest to Assemble: Cataloging Board Games. Register in L2

Do you have board games you’d love to circulate to patrons but feel overwhelmed trying to create records for them? Mary Cornell will take you on a quest to assemble the different components of cataloging board games with some helpful tips and cataloging resources.

Oct. 12, 2023, Stump the CMC. Register in L2

Are you cataloging an item or collection and have questions, or are you just wondering how to catalog it? *Bring your questions about the specific items you are cataloging, and the CMC will answer them. You can also ask any general cataloging-related questions or questions about metadata cataloging or projects. *Share your questions ahead of time by emailing them to: cmc@illlinoisheartland.org.

Nov. 9, 2023, Constructing Our Past: Cataloging Blueprints. Register in L2

Blueprints are an important record of our past. Eric McKinney will share some of the blueprints cataloged for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. He will look at the records created, highlight the important subfields needed when cataloging blueprints, and share some resources that might help.

Dec. 14, 2023, A Place for Everything: Digital File Organization. Register in L2

Is your photos folder a mess? Do you feel a sense of dread whenever you have to find a specific file? Metadata Cataloger Kat Anderberg will help you make sense of your digital files, from file naming to folder structure.

Jan. 11, 2024, Slaying the Genre: Investigating Genre Headings. Register in L2

Do you catalog items that cross a variety of topics, and would you love to learn more about the different terms you could use to apply to those items? Join catalogers Barb Scoby and Mary Cornell as they slay the genre and go on an investigation to assist you in extending your knowledge of genre headings.

Feb. 15, 2024, Parts, Volumes, and Issues: Exploring Serials Cataloging. Register in L2

Does your library purchase magazines, newsletters, newspapers, annuals (reports, yearbooks, or directories), journals, memoirs, or proceedings? Do you need help with cataloging these complex materials? Let Dr. Pamela Thomas lead you from the dark forest into the sunlight of cataloging print and non-print publications.

March 14, 2024, Collected Moments: Creating Bibliographic Records for Personal Collections and Scrapbooks. Register in L2

Do you need help determining where to start when cataloging special collections? What material type do you use? How do you express the dates of the collection in the record? Do you catalog collections housed in a box differently than ones that are pasted onto scrapbook pages? Join Barb Scoby as she presents several different types of collections and discusses the cataloging decisions made for each collection.

April 11, 2024, AI and the Library World. Register in L2

Are you interested in how artificial intelligence might be used in the library world? What can they do? What can’t they do? Join Eric McKinney as he explores the limits of ChatGPT and BingAI as related to libraries.

May 9, 2024, Getting Serious About Series. Register in L2

How do you determine if an item is part of a series? Is it a traced or untraced series? When you have MARC field 490, then you must also add an 8XX field, but which one? Dr. Pamela Thomas will help you determine when to add a 490/8XX combination to your MARC bibliographic record.

About the Cataloging Maintenance Center

The Cataloging Maintenance Center (CMC) is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a Department of the Office of the Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). The CMC is a division of Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS).