PERSIAN NACO MANUAL PUBLISHED
The draft of the revised Persian NACO Manual has been posted for feedback from members of Persian cataloging community and other interested librarians. Please send comments to Denise Soufi by January 21, 2022. Many thanks to the Persian NACO Manual Group for all their hard work on this project!
Post date: Dec., 2021
MELA CONC PROGRAM 2021
26 October (Tuesday): 2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET.
- Workshop, 2:30 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. ET.
“Subject Analysis Workshop” (Video\ Q&A) by Margaret W. Hughes, Metadata Librarian for Africana, Social Sciences & Humanities; Head, Classification Unit; Team Lead, Metadata Creation Unit, Stanford Library.
To reinforce cataloging skills in describing the content of our materials, to enhance discoverability of our materials, and to enhance library catalog searching skills, this workshop will provide a look at the principles, best practices, and common mistakes when applying Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms (LCGFT) to our bibliographic records.
- Panel: Toward Access and Discovery, 3:30 p.m. – 4:10 p.m. ET.
Moderator: Denise Soufi, Metadata Librarian for Middle Eastern Languages and Special Collections at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- “Cataloging manuscripts in the IFLA-LRM model” (Video\PDF\PPTX) by Dr. Jean N. Druel, OP, Researcher at the Dominican Institute, Cairo.
Since 2018, and in the frame of the research project Adawāt funded by the EU, the Dominican Institute and the Arabic Manuscript Institute, both located in Cairo, have been cataloging more than 5,000 Arabic manuscripts in the database AlKindi, using the online application Diamond-ILS. These records are available online. This application, which has been developed since 2013 by René-Vincent du Grandlaunay, a member of the Dominican Institute, is natively implementing the FRBR model and the RDA data format. In this presentation, I will propose a reflection based on our experience of implementing this model and data format to the cataloging of Arabic manuscripts.
- “Wikidata and Libraries, a Potential Platform to Explore” (Video\ PDF) by Iman Dagher, Arabic & Islamic Studies Metadata Librarian, UCLA Library.
In their attempt to explore linked data initiatives and to expand the visibility of their collections, many GLAM institutions from around the world have been involved with projects related to the use of Wikidata, the free, public, and open knowledge base. This presentation will introduce the basic features of Wikidata and highlight some of the benefits it provides: curating structured and reusable data, supporting multilingualism, serving as a hub of identifiers, and providing potentials of using its data in research and scholarship. It will also highlight some of the challenges with its use from a librarian/metadata professional perspective.
- Q&A.
- Round Table: Cataloging Issues in OCLC, 4:20- 5:00 pm ET.
- “Unicode in OCLC: what can go wrong?” (Video\PDF) by Pavel Angelos, Metadata Librarian, Arabic Specialty at Princeton University Library.
There is a good diversity of Unicode characters for romanization of Middle Eastern languages, while OCLC accepts a limited range of Unicode values for the creation of paired fields or the production of NACO records. We will discuss how this causes an overflow of duplicate records in OCLC and slows down NACO production. Possible solutions will be provided as well.
- Open discussion based on the feedback accumulated via the form on the MELA ConC website (Video\ PDF\Form).
Post date: Sept, 2021
NEW CONC WEBSITE IS LIVE!
Approximately a year ago Google announced a mandatory migration from Classic Google sites to the new version of platform. Since that time ConC members have been working on the transition of our web-site, organizing and categorizing materials on cataloging in Middle Eastern languages, accumulated almost over a decade. We sincerely hope that you are enjoying the result! Please kindly report any web-site related issues or suggestions to the webmaster. Thank you.
Post date: Sept, 2021
MELA CONC WORKSHOP 2020
“IMPROVING ACCESS TO MIDDLE EASTERN MATERIALS”
Wednesday, 30 September, 2020
- Kurdish materials: romanization and access. (Video)
(Michael Chyet, Senior Cataloger, Middle Eastern Languages, ASME/MESA, The Library of Congress)
- Urdu resources : obstacles to discovery. (Video)
The presentation discusses Romanization, Unicode and cataloging issues which impact on the discovery of Urdu resources records in databases.
(Younas, Muhammad, Subject Authority & Database Maintenance Specialist, UCLA) & (Magda Gad, Metadata Librarian for Middle East resources, Stanford
The presentation discusses the issue of romanization in library records for Arabic materials, highlight some of the challenges, and propose some tips to overcome them and allow for better discovery
(Iman Dagher, Arabic & Islamic Studies Catalog Librarian, UCLA)
- Q&A – Part 1
- Improving access to the Middle Eastern materials in OCLC by the means of automation. (Video\ PPT with notes)
This is a review of the possibilities of OCLC built-in macro editor, where we plan to show examples of automation of a very well-known cataloging routines and automatic verification of compliance to the cataloging rules in the records.
(Angelos, Pavel – Metadata Librarian, Arabic Specialty, Cataloging and Metadata Services, Princeton University).
Process and completion of UCLA Cyrillic and Armenian Projects to Add Non-Latin Parallel Script to Bibliographic Records via Batch-Process Automation in OCLC. We will discuss the process of automatically adding scripts to OCLC records, including problems we had to overcome.
(Nora Avetyan, Armenian and Persian Cataloging Librarian, UCLA, and Peter Fletcher, International Team Leader, Cyrillic Catalog Librarian, UCLA Resource Acquisition & Metadata Services UCLA)
Post date: Feb, 2021
MELA 2018 CONC WORKSHOP
“OCLC’s Project Passage Presentation” by Joyce Bell, Head Cataloging & Metadata Services at Princeton University. The workshop talk about a linked data authority project that OCLC has been working on which they are calling Project Passage.
Post date: Nov 29, 2018
MELA 2018 CONC WORKSHOP
“OCLC’s Project Passage Presentation” by Joyce Bell, Head Cataloging & Metadata Services at Princeton University. The workshop talk about a linked data authority project that OCLC has been working on which they are calling Project Passage.
Post date: Nov 29, 2018
MELA 2016 CONC WORKSHOP
The cataloging workshop on “Linked Data and BIBFRAME” from MELA’s 2016 annual meeting is available. The PowerPoint notes cover the spoken content of the presentation.
Post date: Nov 23, 2016
MELA 2016 CONC WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT
Please join us for ConC’s workshop on linked data and BIBFRAME.
Ideas about how to structure library data are evolving to fit into the larger data universe available in the semantic web. New structures are being developed with the goal of transforming cataloging metadata from textual descriptions into structured data which can be machine-actionable. The Library of Congress worked with Zepheira to develop BIBFRAME, a new way of modeling cataloging data to replace MARC and make library data linked data-compatible, and several projects are currently underway to begin using BIBFRAME.
The Committee on Cataloging invites you to come learn more about the concepts, structures, and goals of these developments in handling library data.
Joyce Bell is the Director of Cataloging and Metadata Services at Princeton University Library. Previously participating in LC’s BIBFRAME Testbed Initiative, Joyce currently leads Princeton’s team participation in the collaborative Linked Data for Production (LD4P) project.
The Committee on Cataloging generally presents a workshop on a topic of interest during the annual conference. Presentations are always made available following the conference on the main page of the Committee’s website.
When: November 16, 2016 2:30-4:00
Where: MIT, Bartos Theater (E15 00LA), 20 Ames Street
ConC also has a committee meeting during the conference which is open to all interested MELA members. In addition to the Committee’s own agenda topics, input and additional topics from guests are welcome, time permitting. MELA members interested in being considered for membership on the Committee can notify a Committee member or e-mail: cataloging@mela.us
MELA Committee on Cataloging has three opportunities to serve on the committee this year. Catalogers of Middle Eastern materials with valid MELA membership are strongly encouraged to apply.
Post date: Oct 10, 2016
MSS CATALOGING DOCUMENTATION AVAILABLE ONLINE
Evyn Kropf and Denise Soufi presented a workshop on Manuscript Cataloging at MELA 2015, Denver, CO.
Post date: Dec 1, 2015
MELA 2015 CONC WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT
Please join us for ConC’s workshop on cataloging Islamic manuscripts.
This workshop will offer a practical treatment of manuscript cataloguing in a library environment. The focus will be on descriptive approach and bibliographic record creation according to AMREMM (Descriptive Cataloging of Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, and Early Modern Manuscripts) with slight adaptations for RDA. Issues related to workflow strategies and resources will also be briefly addressed. The workshop will concentrate on essential (“minimal”) description and will leave more detailed (“full”) description to a future “advanced workshop.” Sample records and exercises will reinforce the ideas being introduced.
Evyn Kropf is Librarian for Near Eastern and Religious Studies and Curator, Islamic Manuscripts Collection at the University of Michigan Library. As cataloguer for the Library’s “Collaboration in Cataloging: Islamic Manuscripts at Michigan” project (2009-2012), she led the descriptive effort which realized the detailed, full cataloguing of 904 codex manuscripts from the Library’s Islamic Manuscripts Collection. She has trained in manuscript studies and book structures with Adam Gacek and Julia Miller.
Denise Soufi is the Middle Eastern Cataloger at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She previously held the position of Islamic Manuscript Cataloger in the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Princeton University (2009-2013), where she worked on a project to provide both full and preliminary bibliographic records for approximately 7000 codex manuscripts.
The Committee on Cataloging generally presents a workshop on a topic of interest during the annual conference. Presentations are always made available following the conference on the main page of Committee’s website:
ConC also has a committee meeting during the conference which is open to all interested MELA members. In addition to the Committee’s own agenda topics, input and additional topics from guests are welcome, time permitting. MELA members interested in being considered for membership on the Committee can notify a Committee member or e-mail: cataloging@mela.us
Post date: Aug 30, 2015
MELA 2014 CONC WORKSHOP
As part of the ConC workshop, held at MELA’s 2014 conference, Iman Dagher gave a presentation on authority records under RDA.
Post date: Dec 2, 2014
MELA 2014 CONC WORKSHOP
The Annual Meeting of MELA at GW’s Gelman Library included a well-attended cataloging workshop, presented by Joyce Bell and Iman Dagher, who presented on RDA cataloging and authority records, respectively.
Post date: Nov 30, 2014
MELA 2014 WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Committee on Cataloging is pleased to invite you to the RDA: Beyond the Basics workshop. Presentations will cover bibliographic and authority work focusing on specific issues common to Middle Eastern publications, and will include information on LC/PCC practices, relevant rules, and changes in RDA. It is an opportunity to reinforce your knowledge with RDA and find answers on some rather special cases.
When: Friday, 21 November 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm.
Where: Gelman Library (Room 702), George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Presenters: Joyce Bell, Princeton and Iman Dagher, UCLA.
This workshop is free, but registration is preferred for logistic purposes. To register, please email Iman Dagher at: idagher@library.ucla
Post date: Oct 28, 2014
MELA 2013 CONC WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT
In continuation of the RDA workshop conducted at MELA in 2013, the MELA Committee on Cataloging will be conducting Part II: RDA advanced workshop. The objective of this workshop is to reinforce some of the basic RDA rules and practices and to cover certain specific problem areas.
The workshop will be held on the 2nd day of MELA’s annual meeting, Friday 21 November at12.30. A more detailed agenda will be announced shortly.
Post date: Aug 28, 2014
MELA 2013 MANUSCRIPT CATALOGING WORKSHOP
The workshop on cataloging manuscripts presented by Evyn Kropf at MELA 2013 was a great success. In response to many requests for copies, we have now made the documentation and the recording available.
Post date: Oct 22, 2013
OCLC NON-ROMAN CHARACTERS INTEREST GROUP (NCRIG)
A newly-formed interest group is looking into Non-Roman script search capabilities, and search optimization. The minutes of the first meeting are available in the Archive section, as is a copy of the ConC’s response to it (see attached file). Comments from all MELA members are most welcome, and encouraged. Please forward your suggestions to the head of the committe, Iman Dagher.
Post date: Oct 8, 2013
FRBR NOW AVAILABLE IN ARABIC TRANSLATION
An Arabic translation of Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records, prepared by Duʿāʾ ʿAlī Muḥammad, is now available on the IFLA site.
Post date: Apr 19, 2013
NEW ON THIS SITE
The RDA section on this site now includes documentation of the workshop held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of MELA. The sample records for works in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hebrew, etc.. are of particular relevance to members of MELA, as is the discussion of Middle Eastern names by Joyce Bell.
Copies of these files reside in the Archive section, where you will also find the latest Annual Report by the Chair of ConC, Iman Dagher.
Post date: Dec 3, 2012