tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1085351369370530753.post2789597133145035214..comments2023-06-28T15:56:54.832+01:00Comments on Librarian in Training: ALCTS Eforum - What Does Advocacy Mean for Technical Services?Claire Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14323624737569129942noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1085351369370530753.post-69703464587655645792012-02-12T21:53:56.604+00:002012-02-12T21:53:56.604+00:00Thanks for the comment Wendy. Unfortunately, I thi...Thanks for the comment Wendy. Unfortunately, I think there are people out there who see cataloguers as stuck in a backroom somewhere - several people on my library course wouldn't dream of doing our job thanks to their skewed perception of it.<br /><br />But I do agree that there are many ways to change this perception and we should be doing all we can. I think that the discussion on the eforum was as much reassuring as it was depressing. Yes, times are tough but what came out of the eforum was a really positive attitude. I think that you make an excellent point - we do need to show people what we do and how important it is. Hopefully we can promote this postitive attitude to more people outside our departments.Claire Sewellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14323624737569129942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1085351369370530753.post-33345502036931832632012-02-12T16:00:38.168+00:002012-02-12T16:00:38.168+00:00I wonder, who are the people that perceive catalog...I wonder, who are the people that perceive cataloguers to be people working in isolation in 'back rooms'? Do we know for sure they exist? Our cataloguing department is a closed department but I have never considered myself to be ‘working in a back room’ a phrase I only encountered recently when I began using Twitter and reading blogs. I dislike the phrase intensely. We are, surely, as ‘back room’ as we choose to be. <br /><br />We have the potential to be advocates for our profession with everything that we do during our working day (and often beyond). Every time we speak with, or email, a library user or colleague we represent ourselves, our role as cataloguers, our department and our institution. In our department we do this countless times a day, every day. Times are tough, but I look at my colleagues and see enthusiasm, a love of cataloguing, and a passionate desire to enable our users to find and use our resources. I see a willingness to go beyond the core tasks prescribed in our job descriptions, of trying to see the bigger picture, seeing where we fit in with the rest of our institution and of being aware of how our work affects colleagues and the service they offer our users. Conversations with colleagues and users are key – and the positive effects of these conversations ripple out far beyond the four walls of the Cataloguing Department.<br /><br />We are cataloguers and without us we would have a building full of lost things – but we offer much more than our (excellent!) cataloguing skills. We need to show, as much as tell.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17362795962004714807noreply@blogger.com