Strengthen cataloging skills with new LiFT course series
WebJunction is excited to announce the publication of three new LiFT (Library Foundational Training) courses to complete the new Library Catalog series.
• Introduction to the Library Catalog
• Classification and Call Numbers
• Subject Headings
• Copy Cataloging
These courses are part of the LiFT program of free, on-demand courses. OCLC’s WebJunction, in collaboration with the Idaho Commission for Libraries, created the LiFT program to give staff and volunteers practical skills, build confidence, and strengthen foundational library knowledge.
These four courses cover the basics of library catalogs and cataloging that all library staff should know. They are a great starting point for anyone seeking to learn more about this topic. Each course includes activities to help learners apply concepts at their own library. Discussion guides for each course support colleagues learning together and extra resources are included to provide paths for deeper learning. Learners who complete all four courses in the Library Cataloging Series earn a badge, which you can add to a LinkedIn profile or digital backpack.
Great for beginners
One course tester said, “The courses were well-structured with digestible sections, making it easy to follow and absorb, and great for beginners—minimal jargon made it very approachable. The downloadable resources, and glossary were great! They added extra value and were really helpful for reference.”
In the Introduction to the Library Catalog course, learners focus on why libraries catalog, key terms, and basic search concepts. In the Classification and Call Numbers course, learners explore how the Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress classification systems organize collections and support user discovery. Learners discover how subject headings organize catalog information in the Subject Headings course. While the courses can be taken in any order, the Copy Cataloging course assumes a level of knowledge covered in the other courses in the series. This course builds skills like spotting a quality bibliographic record and matching it to an item. This course also covers common MARC fields in more detail.
Meeting a need
“When we surveyed library staff and state continuing education consultants, cataloging was far and away the #1 area that library staff identified as the skill they wanted to increase their confidence in, and we are thrilled to publish these new courses to address that need,” said WebJunction director, Andrew Harbison.
For new catalogers seeking more detailed coverage of the work of library cataloging, we will continue to offer the original ABLE (Alternative Basic Library Education) cataloging courses, now with improved functionality. Despite being older, they offer a level of detail that can be valuable to library staff needing a deeper dive into cataloging.
This project was made possible in part by a grant from the
Institute of Museum and Library Services (RE-256627-OLS-24) and support from OCLC.