Cataloging-Oct. 15th and 19th

My most recent visits to the library involved cataloging an assortment of books Summer purchased from the book fair. She has been saving this chore for me so I could get some hands on experience with using both Renaissance (for AR reading levels) and Destiny for adding the titles to the library collection. My first step was to add bar codes to the books, and then to add them to the online catalog. I searched each book by title, then clicked on the appropriate search result. After clicking on the title, I was able to enter the bar code number, call number, and purchase price. Once this information was in the system, I clicked on Save Copies, and the titles were stored in the Destiny catalog. The next stop involved capturing the Accelerated Reader information. This time, I searched the titles in AR Bookfinder, then wrote the corresponding information inside of each book (reading level, quiz number, and point values). Some of the books already included the AR information in the catalog MARC record, while others needed to be entered manually. This allowed me the opportunity to practice my MARC skills again! I couldn't believe how much information I actually retained from my cataloging class a few semesters ago! All I needed to add in each case was the 526 tag, or the AR numbers including the grade level, book level, and points.

Once this process was complete for about 20-30 books, it was time to print the AR labels for the front covers. This time I used Renaissance to create the labels. Each title was searched by quiz number, then added to a cumulative list to be printed once all of the titles were added. I printed out the finalized list, then adhered each label to its corresponding book. This was all I had time for today, so I will finish the AR labeling next time (colored tags, AR blue and white labels, and tape). Also, for my next visit I will be shadowing Summer's assistant, Jeannie, as she discusses the Playaways with some of the first and second grade classes. It's never a dull moment in the library!