Original Cataloging at The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

Over the Big Water: Escaping the Holocaust Twice

Today  is my regular day off at the National Transportation Library. In lieu of lying around in bed all day, like an under achieving archivist might do, I headed over to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to meet with the Senior Cataloger, Holly V.  

First Holly gave me a tutorial on how she transliterates titles from from Russian, or Hebrew, or any other non-Roman alphabet (see http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/roman.html) for cataloing in OCLC. We spent a good deal of time discussing how personal names, towns (corporate bodies) with names in multiple languages, and refugee camps are made into authorities. After assisting Holly with a Polish title that required research, translation, and cross reference in multiple European OPACS I was off to catalog a title on my own. We translated through (1) Google translate, and (2) the Google translation bar.

I did original cataloging for Over the Big Water: Escaping the Holocaust Twice by Wynne A. Shilling: with excerpts from the memoirs of Samuel and Manya Shilling. Original cataloging means I used the title and title verso page of this newly published book (2012) to do descriptive cataloging, subject cataloging and assign a Dewey number using a handy dandy Cutter table and then check OCLC to confirm it was an original number.

Look Who's Original Cataloging!

My final record included these final fields (with my own notes added for clarity):

040 LHM  $c LHM (The Holocaut Memorial Museum Library's OCLC Institution Symbol)
020 9781470062286
020 14770062283
090 DS135.C97 $b S55 2012
049 LHMA
100 1  Shilling, Wynne A.
245 1 0 Over the big water: $b escaping the Holocaust twice/ $c by Wynne A Shilling : with excerpts from the memoirs of Samuel and Manya Shilling.
260 Lexington, KY: $b Wynne A. Shilling. $c c2012.
300 ii, 87 p. : $b ill ; $c 23 cm.
504 Includes bibliographical references (p. 86).
600 1 0 Shilling, Samuel.
600 1 0 Shilling, Manya.
650    0 Jews $z Czech Republic $z Prague $v Biography.
610  2 0 St. Louis (Ship)
650     0  Jewish refugees $z Ecuador $v Biography.
700     1  Shilling, Samuel.
700     1  Shilling, Manya.

Ready to Confirm my Submission

Holly also walked me through the process of suggesting "Wedding Rings" as a subject heading for inclusion the infamous Library of Congress "Red Books". We did our homework first and checked "Rings" and "Wedding Customs" before finding that "Wedding Rings" is not a topical heading. After mapping out our work we sent our proposal to the Library of Congress via email. When you see "Wedding Rings" as a subject heading in about four months remember who gave you the scoop first!

I Got the Juice Now

This great tutorial all came out of my sending a follow-up email after our initial field trip to the museum. When professionals who are doing the work you are interested in give you their business card and invite you to keep in touch, keep in touch. An informational interview could lead to an opportunity to shadow them for a day, which could lead to an internship and ultimately a job. This is what networking is all about! A special thank you, Holly for her willingess to share her knowledge and show an eager young librarian the ropes!

I also met with Reference Librarian Vincent for a short informational meeting after working with Holly. Vincent is hilarious and gave me a great and daring strategy for securing my dream job. He said "Forget about filling out an application. Go to the director of the library's office dressed in your finest interview attire, hand them your resume and tell them they will not find anyone more qualified for the job." Vincent's modus operandi is that the interviewing process is not something any library really likes to do and as someone who has sat on plenty of interviewing committees at USHMML for staff and student interns he would love to see a candidate exhibit such confidence and would hire them on the spot. If Vincent's strategy doesn't work, I'm not opposed to recruiting my friends to try this:

The NTKN’s Transportation Cataloger’s Toolkit and Fashionable Librarians

This week I am working on an article to be published on The National Transportation Knowledge Network (NTKN) Cataloging and Metadata Initiative. The NTKN Cataloging and Metadata Initiative is responsible for the Cataloger's Toolkit. The mission of this initiative is the development of a coordinated cooperative cataloging program within transportation to ensure that as many resources at federal, state, and local transportation agencies are captured and cataloged. The Cataloger's Toolkit is designed to be an online space where transportation catalogers can gather to learn and share their personal knowledge about cataloging within the transportation community.

Here is the rubric for authors:

• An article should be clear, concise, and grammatically correct.
• It should cover its subject comprehensively.
• An article should be backed up by facts and utilize citations and references.
• An article should be kept up to date.
• An article should fit within the General Scope of the wiki.

I will be writing about the differences between Descriptive Cataloging and Subject Cataloging. My LSIS 5425 Organization of Information professor would be very pleased to read that I am seeking out continuing education opportunities.

NTKN’s Cataloger’s Toolkit can be found at http://ntkn.mytier1.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

The cartoons I attached to this post were found on CSL Cartoon Stock via Google Images using "Cataloging" as a search term. Both cartoons make jabs at the fashion sense of librarians. I am not amused (I'm really giggling). I know plenty of well-dressed librarians including former supervisors, fellow classmates,  and colleagues met at conferences--myself included but I can't lie and say I didn't see some questionable ensembles on display at ALA. Is the general consensus that librarians are a poorly dressed group of professionals? Who tallied the vote? The ability to color block or incorporate bold patterns with nudes does not influence the delivery of quality service.

 Clothing serves different functions in various cultures. I've found in library culture what one knows and is able to communicate clearly and lead others to discovering is appreciated more than the corduroy pant and paisley tie combo the bibliosoph dons. I love the variety of expression exhibited in the clothing choices of librarians from the chic, nerdy, bright, bold, and sexy to the comfortable, dowdy, muted, and well-worn.

 I am happy to be in a profession where every day is not a fashion show and people can find peace is dressing as they please for a public whose pleasure isn't enjoin pretty packaging. Librarians are sexy regardless of what they wear! This blurb from the "Sexy Librarians" Rutgers University affiliated blog authored by librarian and author Holly Black sums up exactly why clothes don't make the librarian:

"Librarians are hot. They have knowledge and power over their domain. When you enter a library, you enter as a supplicant. It is the librarian that must strip you bare of your layers of obfuscation and find you what you really came for.

Reading is a silent pursuit. When you sit down next to a commuter with his nose buried in a book, you don't know if he's reading some dry text about mergers or something wicked. Perhaps slightly flushed cheeks will betray him. Perhaps you will never know.

It is no coincidence how many librarians are portrayed as having a passionate interior, hidden by a cool layer of reserve. Aren't books like that? On the shelf, their calm covers belie the intense experience of reading one. Reading inflames the soul. Now, what sort of person would be the keeper of such books?"

Peruse this site at your own discretion http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~hblack/sexylibrarians.htm

Check out this quote from Willy Russel, British dramatist, lyricist, and composer whose best-known works are Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine, and Blood Brothers,

"I pray that no child of mine would ever descend into such a place as a library. They are indeed most dangerous places and unfortunate is she or he who is lured into such a hellhole of enjoyment, stimulus, facts, passion and fun." 

To all those cartoonists and the general public who make jokes at librarians and our eccentric draperies [1]: 



Jokes on You!



We're Still Laughing

---

[1] http://syacartoonist.com/jokes

I Can Go Twice As High: Reading Rainbow App

Yesterday afternoon on the drive back from the National Archives II in College Park, Maryland the Archival Interns Crew listened to NPR. We were all delighted to hear Lavar Burton, host of the Reading Rainbow, PBS long running children's book review program discussing his experience on the show and advertising the new Reading Rainbow app.

Reading Rainbow left the air in 2009 after 23 years of encouraging children to read and cultivating future librarians across the country (wink wink). The app is available for Ipad on Apple Itunes. Here are the deets from Itunes:

Description

• #1 Free App In Education
• Editor’s Choice Award, PC Mag
• “Reading Rainbow Might Stop the iPad From Ruining the Brains of All Children” – Gizmodo

A new reading adventure app for kids ages 3 to 9!

Hosted by LeVar Burton, the App offers a trusted library of books customized to your child’s interests, plus exciting video field trips to meet fascinating people and places.

Children travel to themed islands, such as Animal Kingdom, My Friends, My Family and Genius Academy, discovering quality fiction and non-fiction books. Each book comes alive with audio storytelling by celebrity actors, including spoken word Grammy winner Burton himself, and features light animations and activities to enhance the story. The app is free, and a subscription service is available for $9.99 a month recurring or an introductory price of $29.99 for six months recurring.

KEY FEATURES

• 150 interactive books; frequent updates expand the library
• Recommendations customized to your child
• 16 video field trips and more to come
• Interactive activities in every book
• Reward program to motivate reading
• Parent dashboard to share a child’s reading progress

How the Reading Rainbow App Works

- Reading Rainbow is a library service of interactive books, videos and more for children ages 3 to 9.
- All app users may select a single book and view introductory videos for free.
- To subscribe and receive unlimited access to the library, choose either a monthly recurring subscription for $9.99 or a six-month recurring subscription for $29.99.
- Your subscription is for your iTunes account and can be used on additional iPads you own.
- Payments will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase.
- Your subscription will auto-renew unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You may turn off auto-renewal at any time from your iTunes account settings.
- Subscriptions cannot be cancelled during the active subscription period.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reading-rainbow/id512350210?mt=8

I wish I knew more children. I felt that same way purusing all the free books for children at ALA. I was especially spellbound by the offerings of picture books featuring figures from African American History. "Storm Called Katrina" by Myeon Ulberg and Colin Bootman kept me transfixed in the middle of the vendor hall until I read every single page.

The oldest baby in my immediate family turns 12 this year. I am glad to report that she is already an avid reader who introduced me and my uncle (her father) to "The Hunger Games" series. I do purchase books for baby shower gifts and recommend reading apps on my blog! That counts right?

Office of Administration Executive Office of the President: EEOB Library

 Last week the NTL interns visited the War Department Library and Library and Research Services at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Before the actual field trip I thought we were going to tour President Obama's personal White House library! Close.

The Executive Office of the President consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President which include:

• Council of Economic Advisers
• Council on Environmental Quality
• Executive Residence
• National Security Staff
• Office of Administration
• Office of Management and Budget
• Office of National Drug Control Policy
• Office of Science and Technology Policy
• Office of the United States Trade Representative
• Office of the Vice President
• White House Office

Library and Research Services is compromised of the three libraries of the Executive Office of the President: Eisenhower Executive Office Building Library, New Executive Office Building Library, and the EOP Law Library.

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building Library (formally The War Department Library 1888-1938) features materials on the presidency, American and world history, U.S. government and politics, foreign relations, homeland security, and national security. It also houses a core collection in the arts and humanities.

The design of the War Department Library reminds me of one of my favorite childhood movies, 1994's "The Pagemaster" starring Macaulay Culkin. "The Pagemaster" is the quintessential librarian movie. I remember watching it with my litle brother in awe hoping that my books would come to life if I didn't earmark the pages. It is a wonder I didn't realize I wanted to be a librarian earlier. All the signs were there!

The library was designed by Richard Ezdorf who is credit with most of the interior decoration in the building which was orginally named the State, War and Navy Building. He also designed the West Rotunda, the Navy Department Library (now called the Indian Treaty Room), and the light fixtures, sculptural ornamentation, and other decorative elements for the building.

Karen, a 20 year EOP Library vet, gave us a demonstration of the EOP Virtual Library which includes Ask a Librarain, How do I...?, Database Center, E-journals, Online Catalog, and Subject Resources. Karen shared how the Excecutive Office changes every four years when a new cabinet is installed who need assistance with EVERYTHING.

Michele, the Law Librarian told us all about the history of the architecture of the EOP including the symbolism and ornaments used to reflect military heraldy and the mosaic-patterned imported English Minton tiles. She shared with us that the original shelves were built to organize books by size, not subject matter. Dewey what? Dewey who?

Per usual, enjoy the pictures below! Peace.

Sings theme fromt The Pagemaster "Whatever You Imagine"

Old School Mailbox

Add caption

http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Office_of_the_President_of_the_United_States

Fun Post: Ryan Gosling Hey Girl Library Memes

Ryan Gosling is the man. What more could a girl ask for from a celebrity crush whose credits include The Notebook, Drive, and breaking up street fights on the streets of New York? If that girl just happens to be a librarian she might ask him to accomodate and participate in her professional life and passions. Look no further, girl. Ryan Gosling is your man.

 I adore the "Hey girl. I like the library too" Ryan Gosling meme series. Young librarians are a witty bunch, aren't we? A special thank you to Lydia, my fellow NTL intern for introducing these to me. Here are some of my favorites:

Swoon :)

Genius Right?

http://librarianheygirl.tumblr.com/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2011/08/ryan-gosling-street-fight-video-new-york.html

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Library

What's short, fun, and sandwiched with two field trips? My work week! (I'm here all night folks!) This week we visited two libraries, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Library and the Executive Office of the President Library in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building Library.

 On Tuesday the NTL interns and two of the NTL staff hopped the metro to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Library (USHMML). There we were given a tour of the library by Vincent, a librarian who specializes in reference. The library holdings include a comprehensive collection of materials about the Holocaust, with significant holdings of works about the Third Reich, the history of antisemitism, other genocides, human rights issues, and war crimes trials. USHMML's collection includes more than 94,000 items, including books, journals, DVDs, and microfilm.

The USHMML staff shared some fascinating facts about how the unique user population and subject area the library caters to influences the resources provided and how technical services are delivered. A few highlights:

1. USHMML provides access to the complete holdings of the USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive, a collection of approximately 52,000 interviews with Holocaust survivors, rescuers, and other eyewitnesses. We learned that these interviews spanning 32 languages from 56 countries conducted between 1994 and 2001 were a result of Steven Spielberg's experience creating Schindler's List. Spielberg established the foundation in 1994 to gather testimonies from other survivors and witnesses. http://dornsife.usc.edu/vhi/history.php
2. USHMML has contributed over 30 Holocaust related Subject Headings to Library of Congress. Holly, a catalog librarian that spoke with us shared how the library fought to have the subject heading "Holocaust Denial" differentiated from other materials about the Holocaust. 
3. Since the library receives materials in a host of languages, most material metadata must be transliterated from its source language to English before entry into OCLC. 
4. The  library has two separate archival repositories: Archives and Photo Archives which contain objects ranging from jockstraps to manuscripts
5. There is one archivist at USHMML whose job it is travel across Europe meeting with families to acquire their Holocaust materials. The head archivist acts as curator as well. 
6. Genealogists are not the primary patron group the library. Due to sites like ancestry.com and jewishgen.org less people are coming to the archives to find familial information. According to Vincent, when genealogists do visit USHMML they are asking more in depth questions than those required for a family tree.
7. The head archivist is a Public History Ph.D. candidate. I tried to engage her in a conversation about the age old Public History Education vs. Archival Training debate but her response was geared more towards the intern and volunteer program. I asked whether the library looked for  trained archivists/librarians or public historians to fill intern/staff positions. I could have worded the question better.
8. The library has devised a pretty neat method to remind patrons of the basic reading room rules and keep their place when using records in a Hollinger board box. (see picture below)

After our chat with the librarians we tour the museum's permanent three floor exhibit The Holocaust. The exhibition is divided into three parts: “Nazi Assault,” “Final Solution,” and “Last Chapter.” I exited the self-guided exhibit disturbed and furious with humanity. The exhibit was absolutely incredible. I was struck by the portions of the exhibit which displayed photographs from Jewish villages in which every occupant was annihilated. The placards introducing these hallways filled from floor to ceiling (on on ceilings) with pictures told of village photographers who documented community life with passion not knowing that these photos would one day be the only evidence of their existence. Archiving moments, people, stories, histories. Archivists are important, I shall never be convinced otherwise.


I am thankful for NTL's graciousness. Not many library science students get the opportunity to visit so many amazing libraries before entering the field. I would recommend the NTL internship program to other library science graduate students and a visit to the United States Holocaust Museum and Memorial to every human being. Peace. 

Handy Dandy Hollinger Box Bookmark with Rules on Back

Original Community Registers

Book and Manuscript Scanner

Building Design Evokes Gloom



Distorted View of  the Mall



The Burning of Books