[metadataLibrarians] Newbie question about metadata librarian skills and training

[JJ Jacobson]

Hi Tom

I'm probably the least qualified person on the list to answer your 
question, but...

I graduated this spring, and am in a brand-new position, so I'm still 
sort of figuring out what it is I do. My intro was through cataloging.  
I took a cataloging class that went a little beyond 
MARC/AACR/LCC/DDC/LCSH.  That, and a couple of other classes (IA, online 
access to archival materials) got me interested in metadata overall. I 
had some experience in original cataloging with MARC (with a culinary 
collection at my school, followed up by an internship in one of the 
cataloging divisions at LC ) and did a few projects in classes (with EAD 
and DC.) I also did a ton of reading on my own, trying to get the bigger 
picture: blogs, presentations, reports, etc. I'm happy to send you my 
reading list if it's be of use

I was a little surprised, with so little experience, to get interviews 
at all, but one of the catalogers on a hiring committee explained it to 
me this way: "Well, you have that much less to unlearn."

SO
I got the skills through projects at school and as an intern, and the 
conceptual stuff through classes in cataloging /HCI/archival access.
The skills are: an analytic/organizational turn of mind, chunking 
information up into useful categories, experience with some formats and 
extrapolating from the ones you know to the ones you learn.

I'm sure that misses a ton of important stuff that more experienced 
members of the list will fill in

JJ

Tom Tideswell wrote:

>Hi All
>
>I'd be very interested in hearing how folks on this list acquired the skills
>that make up their jobs.
>
>I have a library degree, but currently do something else. I've been seeing
>positions advertised for metadata (or catalog & metadata) librarians, and am
>intrigued by them. They certainly didn't teach metadata librarianship (as
>such) at *my* school, and when I look at websites for various library
>schools and iSchools, I see a wide range of classes that have *something* to
>do with metadata, but nothing about metadata librarian practice per se. I
>guess that's not surprising, since it's a new area.
>
>So, for those of you who are willing to answer naive questions:
>How did you become a metadata librarian?
>What skills do you use?
>How did you acquire the skills and knowledge that are involved in your job?
>
>Thanks!
>
>Tom
>_______________________________________________
>metadatalibrarians mailing list
>metadatalibrarians at lists.monarchos.com
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>
>  
>


-- 
JJ Jacobson
Catalog & Metadata Librarian
Georgia Institute of Technology
Library and Information Center
Atlanta, GA 30332-0900
404-894-4537
jacqueline.jacobson at library.gatech.edu