It's now the second month of cataloging, and as Maria sang, "I have confidence in me!" Or at least, I have much more than I had the last time I blogged. I feel like I can handle AACR and ISBD pretty well. I remember the major punctuation rules, what information goes in which section, and anything that I don't know off the top of my head, I feel like I can look it up and find what I need to know. About a week ago, when a fellow classmate asked several questions about punctuation, I was pleased that I knew the answers without consulting the book. Checking the AACR manual later that night confirmed that I was correct.
I’ve been happy to find that I enjoy cataloging. Once I started figuring it out, I discovered that I liked being able to make catalog records. I tried to catalog different items in the practices to see if I could figure out how to do a CD, DVD, etc.
Now as I begin to tackle MARC, I feel less certain simply because I haven’t had much experience with it yet. However, after my positive experience with AACR, I am confident in my ability to pick MARC up. I realize now that, though formidable, cataloging is not as scary as I first was inclined to think. Just like any other format I have learned over the years – MLA, APA, etc. – cataloging is merely a system to be learned and mastered.
