[metadataLibrarians] metadata or cataloging?

[Karen Benko]

Anne, is this an advanced cataloging course, or an introductory course? 
If it's an introductory course, I am floored that Syracuse considers 
such instruction to be optional. I'm not a metadata librarian, so I am 
also interested in the answers you receive to this.
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2007 10:22:05 -0400
> From: "Anne Piergrossi" <annepiergrossi at gmail.com>
> Subject: [metadataLibrarians] metadata or cataloging?
> To: metadatalibrarians at lists.monarchos.com
> Message-ID:
> 	<fdc362620703120722k763eea8asab49e395e66bb9d5 at mail.gmail.com>
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>
> Metadata listies:
>
> I'm nearly finished with my MLS at Syracuse, and trying to determine what my
> final elective will be. I'm very interested in technical work--I have
> website content management experience, and my elective coursework so far has
> included information architecture, classification, and indexing/abstracting
> (as well as an independent study largely concerned with indexing a 19th
> century newspaper). My internship and much of my volunteer work has been in
> an archive. I'm interested in two possible career tracks: archives, or
> website content management/knowledge management/etc. (and this could happen
> anywhere from a corporation to an academic library or anywhere in between;
> I'm not necessarily tied to traditional library employment models).
>
> For my final elective, I could take either a metadata course or a cataloging
> course, and I'm really torn. Both professors are absolutely wonderful, so
> that doesn't need to figure into the decisionmaking--either way, I'll have a
> great experience.
>
> In the metadata course, I would learn about metadata concepts and roles,
> become familiar with the various metadata schema, design a scheme for an
> application domain by using standards or developing application profiles,
> understanding interoperability and developing mechanisms for communication
> btwn systems, and conceptually design the search and navigation architecture
> based on metadata elements.
>
> In cataloging,  the professor said we'd spend some time on FRBR, and we're
> supposed to purchase AACR2 as well. As the professor says, cataloging is the
> basis for so much information organization, and even if we begin moving in
> different directions, it's important to know the foundations. She also said
> there's fewer people these days who understand the process in depth, so I'm
> wondering if that means there might be more job opportunities?
>
> For those of you currently working in the field of metadata, what would you
> see as the ultimate applicability for either of these courses in a future
> job hunt? Is one or the other more in demand at the moment? How about
> outside the more narrowly defined library world--special libraries or such.
> Which course would be more saleable? Would a single course in metadata suit
> me for some entry-level (are there such creatures?) metadata positions? How
> closely linked are metadata and cataloging?
>
> Thank you very much in advance for whatever advice you can give! I'm finding
> this elective choice to be quite agonizing because, frankly, I want to take
> both, but I've been studying part time for years now and I'm just ready to
> be finished at this point (financially and time-wise)!
>
> anne
-- 

Karen Gorss Benko
Catalog Librarian
Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Karen.Gorss.Benko at williams.edu