Library Tour '07: The Catalogers

The Catalogers would make a good name for band, but the catalogers in Bailey/Howe could also be called The Decoders – or The Coders, for that matter since they do both. Our group even has a few things in common with Peter, Paul and Mary: one is named Mary and another really digs rock n’ roll music. But what really makes Larry, Michael and Mary special is the work they do independently.

Mary VanBuren-Swasey was kind enough to give me an introductory lesson in cataloging. She patiently walked me through a somewhat bewildering maze of “orphans,” bibliographic records, indexes, codes, cutters, rules and exceptions. She was a good teacher. And what I learned is that cataloging = detail + accuracy + consistency. And, thereby, Catalogers = Precision. Without them, libraries would be anarchy.

Which brings me to Michael Breiner, who gave me a splendid overview of his work and an inadvertent glimpse into his intellectual interests. Catalogers get a great overview of the world by viewing what passes through their hands. And, conversely, their own world views and interests help inform their work. Among other things, Michael catalogs media and music. And any day now, he will issue what he calls “The List” (another good band name) featuring his Favorite Ten Albums of 2007. Sitting with Michael brought me to my next conclusion: If it exists, it can be cataloged; and, ergo, catalogers know a lot about existence.

The third member of The Catalogers is Larry Dubois, who specializes in “value-added” cataloging in addition to doing a lot of the Wilbur Collection (about Vermont or Vermont institutions). He shared some gorgeous art books – treasures unto themselves – and showed me how he codes and describes them by referencing a wide variety of resources from the OCLC to the Library of Congress, in addition to calling upon his years of experience. Watching Larry work leads me to believe that being a cataloger requires a rare combination of skills – a head for numbers and a way with words. Most people have one or the other.

But Larry, Michael and Mary have, and do, whatever it takes to make our collections accessible to patrons. I’m not sure what to call “it” exactly, so I’m going to rename our band of catalogers “The Ineffables.”