Sender: Rare Books and Special Collections Forum <EXLIBRIS@RUTVM1.BITNET>
The Cataloging Units for the Rare Book Collection, Manuscripts Collection,
and North Carolina Collection are with their respective collections in
Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The
main catalog department is in the Davis Library. The separation took
place in 1984 when the Davis Library opened and the catalog department
moved out of Wilson, leaving us physically as well as administratively
separate.
There was some talk at that time of sending the special collections
catalogers to Davis Library when it opened. I think we are all pleased
with having been left within our respective departments. There were some
separation pangs, mostly having to do with reallocation of resources, but
those were resolved.
Newly received material arrives in Davis rather than Wilson Library for
the most part. We retrieve it ourselves, chosing the time and manner in
which we get it. There is no covered walkway or tunnel, but we have never
had a problem with weather or security. (We might, if it rained forty
days and nights, but that hasn't been a problem yet.)
I believe that it is easiest to make sound cataloging decisions for
special collections from within the department. They key to succeeding is
to make and maintain good connections with your counterparts in the main
library's catalog department (and to have sympathetic administrators, of
course).
Roberta Engleman
Rare Book Cataloger