In-reply-to: Message of Tue, 24 Aug 1993 09:01:30 CDT from <AMOSS@UA1VM>
Message-id: <"1nm1b3.0.lD8.nXBCn"@sul2>
Sender: Rare Books and Special Collections Forum <EXLIBRIS@RUTVM1.BITNET>
The Spencer Library here at the University of Kansas is a building separate
from the main library (about two city blocks equivalent in distance). It
houses three departments (Special Collections, Kansas Collection, and
University Archives), the staff of which are responsible for all cataloguing
of their own materials. Some serials are received at the main library and
checked in there, occasionally resulting in loss of issues and often
resulting in undesirable marking of issues.
When we moved away from the main library 25 years ago, we decided that the
security of the collections, the likelihood of physical harm resulting from
moving from the controlled environment of Spencer through the extremes of
Kansas weather to the uncontrolled environment of the main library, the
danger of improper marking, and, above all, the necessity for specialized
rare books knowledge for proper cataloguing, all argued for having the
cataloguing done by the departmental personnel.
Disadvantages which emerged over the years were lack of ready
access to the authority files which are kept in the main library and lack
of ready access to some reference books. The development of automated
authority files -- we all have access to the same NAF -- is taking care of
the first and the building of our own specialized reference collections has
pretty well taken care of the second. Spencer records go into OCLC as do
those of the main library but Spencer records are not yet available in the
KU online catalogue (don't ask; it's a long story); we are now planning
for the future incorporation of these records.
As for having people "running back and forth" daily or more often, I should
think that batching work and scheduling would cut that down to a reasonable
full day's work (or two or whatever is needed) a week. Be sure you have
proper cataloguing terminals or microcomputer hookups to reach the cataloguing
files in the main library.
Alexandra Mason, Spencer Research Library, U of KS <AMASON@UKANVM>