Catalog Librarian

“Let me search our catalog.” It’s one of the most common phrases a Librarian says. Columns of data on every book the library owns appear in seconds, thanks to the Catalog Librarian.

The Catalog Librarian is responsible for creating detailed catalog entries for books and other materials in the library’s collection. It’s a job that involves creative thinking, a strong grasp of guidelines, and a love of learning.

You are a Catalog Librarian, sitting at your work desk, sipping a hot cup of coffee, when your Manager plops a book about the feeding habits of an unusual breed of spotted lizard down on your desk. Your head buzzes with questions.

What category should it be filed under? When was it published? Are there any similar books? Time to play Detective.

You must type up, often from scratch, a catalog entry for the book that lists all its bibliographic information—title, publisher, date published, etc.—as well as other details like related subjects and keywords. You start poking around to see if the library has any related books.

Bingo! You find an old volume on lizard feeding rituals, complete with colored flowcharts. From its catalog card, you can see which keywords to add to the new book’s list.

Now, thanks to you, budding Novelists can instantly find all the info they need to accurately describe the lizards in their next desert-themed murder mystery. One search of the database is all it takes.