{Work Project} Small Library Catalog

I work for a small agency that helps county governments do their thing. We provide technical assistance in a wide variety of topics like finance, law, environmental, and law enforcement (among others). My specific job includes managing our small physical library as well as our electronic resources and publications. Years ago, my agency published several print manuals that covered many topics. Today, all of that information has been converted into a Drupal site and is maintained electronically. We have the capability to print out an updated version of those manuals, but we no longer go through the lengthy publication process. Converting to Drupal has streamlined our publication process.

However, the physical library is in poor shape. My agency last had an actual librarian over a decade ago. I am stepping into those shoes and trying to bring the physical library into a modern version of itself. Hence a project I hope to complete later this year: An online catalog!

Since we don't need a true OPAC or access to OCLC records, I am planning on using LibraryThing for our catalog needs. Why? Mainly because it's already online. It also allows for relatively easy data entry (and retrieval for some of our materials like the Tennessee Code Annotated, believe it or not). I am hoping that using LibraryThing will allow me to get the catalog up and running in a relatively short amount of time, but also offer the opportunity to expand as needed.

My basic (for now) plan entails:

• Determine cataloging needs: metadata fields to be used, catalog size (rough estimate), operational/functional needs (how will people access it)


• Explore LibraryThing and document aspects to be utilized in agency catalog


• Develop and draft crosswalk between identified metadata fields of existing materials and fields available in LibraryThing


• Document all of this process ;)

My current target date for taking the catalog live is around the end of the year. I would really like to get the meat of the fields sorted and decided by the end of summer. I currently have a hot project I'm trying to finish by the end of summer, so hopefully I will get that one done and can move on to this catalog.

I will probably (read: please remind me) post my documentation or at least some lessons learned from this catalog project to this blog, so keep checking back to stay updated on the ongoing saga project.