Re: sac-class: length of the LC classification course

[Steven Arakawa <steven.arakawa@yale.edu>]

This is partly a comment on Mary Kay Pietris's comments.

Although we clearly can't be as thorough as the LC training, maybe the 
number of sessions (5 on LCC & 4 on shelflisting) is some indication of how 
the SAC training could be proportioned. How about 1 or 2 days as an option? 
One day option would cover LCC principles and procedures. Two day option 
would be day one plus day two. Day two:  shelflisting, Classweb, and (2nd 
half): 2-3 modules focusing on the less specialized schedules. Given the 
limited amount of time to develop the workshop, I would suggest making a 
decision at the outset about which schedules to cover and just offer those 
with no menu of schedules to choose from.

I think that long term, more modules for different schedules could be 
developed.

Lori has suggested that a single day workshop is more manageable. However, 
this is not the only way the workshop needs to be marketed. It's true that 
if you deliver regional workshops where travel time, workshop space, and 
accommodations are an issue, you need to squeeze as much as possible into a 
single day. But training is also done in-house, where these issues are less 
significant. At our institution we purchased the training materials for the 
LCSH workshop, which is designed for 2 days, and spread it out over as much 
as 5 half-days. If more modules for different schedules were developed, CDS 
could sell maybe 3 modules as part of the 2 day package, with an additional 
fee for additional schedule modules. As more schedule modules are 
developed, the two day option has more choices and becomes more attractive, 
and in-house training can be more thorough since there are fewer time/space 
constraints. With more schedule modules, in-house training could go over 
all of the modules spread out over a reasonable period of time; I think 
libraries that train in house would purchase all of them if they were of 
high quality. Another marketing strategy might be to sell Day one (or Day 
one/two) as a formal workshop, and sell additional modules for other 
schedules as downloadable materials for in-house training. I believe what 
PCC libraries could use would be more depth in the training materials and 
this might be an attractive option.

Steven Arakawa



At 12:48 PM 3/11/2005, you wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> I've been remiss in getting back to the discussions we began at Midwinter, 
> since I've been caught up in managing my library's migration to OCLC 
> Connexion.   We do need to get to work!
>
> I'd like to start by hearing your thoughts on the length of the 
> course.   Here's an excerpt from the Midwinter minutes:
>
> ****
> - Length of the course: we did not reach any conclusions on this.  There 
> are a number of one-day LCC workshops available from different 
> providers.  Some members expressed reservations about being able to cover 
> the desired content of a basic course in a single day.  One reason for 
> keeping it to a single day is that it is much more manageable for 
> attendees and organizers and may reach more people.  One suggestion is to 
> design the course in a very modular format, with a core component focusing 
> on concepts that are widely applicable throughout the schedules, and 
> numerous distinct sessions focusing on specific schedules.  Workshop 
> organizers could decide to host a single day workshop or a day and a half.
>
> ****
>
> I'm intrigued by the idea of a very modular course and would like to run 
> it by people we report to in ALCTS and the PCC to get their thoughts on 
> feasibility.   I think it has some real advantages, but see some potential 
> nightmares for organizers too, at least in the way I'm imagining it would go.
>
> Say we had a half-day option that included sessions on some more 
> specialized schedules like K, M, maybe G.   For a specialized audience -- 
> say, a group of law catalogers or a group of music catalogers -- it should 
> be fairly easy for organizers to determine what to offer.
>
> For a general audience -- like those sponsored by ALCTS or through PCC 
> channels like state library associations or regional networks -- how would 
> the organizers approach it?  Offer all specialized sessions, I would 
> guess, and give people the option of registering for a single day or day 
> and a half.  But how many catalogers who work with law materials would 
> also want the specialized focus on music (and vice versa)?   I've been on 
> the organizing end of many such events and I can't help imagining 
> complaints about having to sit through irrelevant sessions or hang around 
> and wait for the relevant session....   There certainly are generalists 
> who would welcome the opportunity to learn it all, but most catalogers I 
> know, even at very small libraries, don't have quite the range of 
> responsibilities that would encompass music and law.  And maybe it's a 
> mistake to focus on just those two schedules, but they have come up as 
> logical components of a day and a half course.
>
> What are your thoughts about this, and preferences for the length of the 
> course?
>
> -- Lori
----------------------------------------------------------
Steven Arakawa
Catalog Librarian for Training & Documentation
Catalog Dept. Sterling Memorial Library. Yale University.
P.O. Box 208240 New Haven, CT 06520-8240
(203)432-8286 steven.arakawa@yale.edu