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Mississippi Libraries Vol. 67, No. 1, Spring 2003 Page 16Tech Notes, et al.Column Editor: Rick Torgerson, Delta State UniversityGuidelines for Supervising andManaging a Cataloging DepartmentBy Ann BrantonHead of Bibliographic ServicesThe University of Southern MississippiAnn.Branton@usm.eduIt is a truism that graduate school doesnot always prepare librarians for administrativejobs and supervisory responsibilitiesin cataloging. Most of us came upthrough the ranks, becoming very skilledin cataloging rules and MARC formats,but not necessarily in leadership, organizationalor management skills. Withoutopportunities to learn these skills prior toappointment, a cataloging manager mayonly gain experience through trial anderror. This can be a very tough, painfulapproach in training, too often yieldingonly marginally successful results.Appointments of department headsoften depend on seniority in the departmentrather than on searching out andselecting the best-experienced cataloglibrarian suited for administrative duties.Additionally, managing workflow andsupervising staff are related but differentresponsibilities; success in one does notguarantee success in the other. It wouldbe helpful for a new catalog departmenthead to have a roadmap, or perhapssome guidelines, as there are many waysto administer and direct a departmentwithin technical services. This article providessome basic concepts that any librarytechnical services department can implementregardless of the technology or theexperience of the manager.HOW TO ORGANIZEOrganizing the units or departments intechnical services will depend on: 1) thesize and economic health of the institution,and 2) the mission of the librarywithin that institution. Reflecting on thesetwo aspects of your institution is a goodplace to begin in organizing the followingunits in your technical services domain:acquisitions; cataloging; database maintenanceand authorities; and physical processingand preservation, which may alsoinclude binding, gifts and exchanges, andserials management. The most streamlineddepartments are found in fully integratedautomated library systems, where,for example, acquisitions duties can bemerged with cataloging. Other librariesmay adhere to more traditional lines intechnical services and perform manualand/or automated processes in a morestandard workflow. Most libraries fallsomewhere in between. In organizing,managing, and supervising the catalogingdepartment as a new manager, give carefulattention to: 1) the specific goals ofthe library and how the goals of technicalservices support them; 2) the internalorganization as well as the culture of eachindividual unit in technical services andhow integrated the workflow really is; and3) the management style of the supervisorsfor each unit. While this informationmay take a little time to gather and understand,it will help in formulating thevision, goals, and priorities of a catalogingdepartment under new leadership.VISION, GOALS AND PRIORITIESWhen employees understand thevision and goals of their library, they alsosee their place within that larger organization.If a vision statement is carefullyarticulated and communicated to staff, itgives focus to the routine and daily workflow.It is a good beginning in determiningwhat is important to the library as awhole so that all of the technical servicesstaff are in step with the library directorand other administrative personnel.Concerning the cataloging unit ordepartment, the primary question to askthe library administration is: will thelibrary support efficient and effectiveaccess to materials? If this is a priority ofthe library, it follows that the means andresources will be provided to support thisgoal. Accurate and timely cataloging ofmaterials is dependent on sufficient staffto perform the work, i.e., staff who arewell trained and well equipped to meetthe expectations of their library’s users,their supervisors, and their library’sadministration.Establishing priorities that are evaluatedseveral times a year keeps everyonefocused on the goal. Measurement andassessment on a monthly or quarterlyschedule will facilitate progress in achievingthe goals of the department. The catalogingand processing of materials ofmarginal value, such as county phonebooks, needs to be weighed against thecataloging and processing of materialsthat have research value and need full catalogingwith many access points to insureretrieval. Resources need to be allocatedto these materials categories in accordancewith their priority. Evaluating thedifferent kinds of subject materials andformats will also determine the skills necessaryto catalog and process them. Thisinformation will determine the number ofprofessionals and paraprofessionals neededto accomplish the job in the most costeffectiveand efficient manner.DIVISION OF LABORDividing up the workload can be donein several ways. Materials to be catalogedcan be divided by subject or academic