ARLIS/NA 45th Annual Conference

At many institutions the challenge of identifying and acquiring material from under-represented and previously inaccessible regions has been superseded by the challenge of cataloging it properly and promptly. Our panel session will have two speakers addressing this topic: Jared Ash, Assistant Museum Librarian for Slavic and Special Collections (Thomas J. Watson Library), will discuss recent initiatives adopted by Watson, and share innovative tips and free online resources to enable even the most language- and staff-limited libraries to begin making their way through non-Roman script backlogs. He will discuss the Watson’s success in using Metadata Maker, an open access record generator, and in engaging volunteers, work-study students and interns in cataloging Asian and Slavic language material. He also will share time-saving techniques including: using transliteration engines and macros; importing MARC records from national library catalogs and other resources beyond WorldCat; and identifying books with no Roman characters or ISBN's through reverse image searching. Christina Peter, Head of Acquisitions (Frick Art Reference Library), will introduce the updated version of the Slavic Cataloging Manual. The implementation of RDA necessitated a complete review of this tool, essential for catalogers of Slavic and Eastern European language materials. In 2014 the Slavic and Eastern European Section of ACRL formed a Task Force to review the SCM. 22 librarians with a variety of language and subject expertise volunteered for the project led by Larisa Walsh (University of Chicago). By the time the Task Force finished its work in March 2016, 145 chapters, new and revised, had been uploaded to the manual. Ms. Peter oversaw the work of the Authority Control Group, which revised 49 chapters. The manual may serve as a practical model for other language- or script-specific cataloging websites, hopefully breaking down the impediments to describing and making these materials accessible to all.