I completely enjoyed every single moment of my practicum. It was two happy, intense months and this time is unforgettable.
The original purpose of my practicum was to practice RDA cataloging. In reality my learning experience was significantly broader and more diverse. I learned to work in the Voyager ILS where I created not only ibc and cbc records using RDA, but also five authority records. I assigned call numbers and subject headings for my cbc records. I enjoyed a unique opportunity to prepare three subject proposals and one class proposal while working over my cbc records. I later took part in the subject heading committee of the Policy and Standards Division and received a personal overview in advance of the meeting. It was a very informative experience to see real people discussing the proposed subject headings and understanding the problems they face in their everyday activity. I respected their professionalism and commitment to the integrity of the process.
I was given an opportunity to work with monographs and with electronic resources as well as with serials. The serials specialist shared with me his knowledge, passion and love for this type of publication. He took me to the stacks for the general collection and to the temporary storage area where serials are kept until being sent for binding. He invited me to take part in several investigations and showed me his mastery in handling tangled cases. I cannot hide from you that I enjoyed it enormously. It reminded me Sherlock Holmes’s investigations that I liked reading so much in my childhood.
During my practicum I attended several training seminars:
LSCATX407Q ILS Cataloging
LSCATQ401T ILS Searching for Bibliographic Control
LSCATX42 Cataloger’s Desktop 4 New Features Overview
LSSCCGA Subject Curriculum: Cataloging the Grey Areas
Searching Uniworld Database Training Session
The Library of Congress is a great cultural institution. Every day it organizes and hosts many events of different kinds. I visited several of them (Irish dance and author presentations) and liked those experiences very much. It helps to create a rich and encouraging working environment.
In my last blog I want to say thank you to all people in the African, Latin American & Western European Division and particularly to my supervisor and colleagues from Africa Section who helped and supported me in every way possible and who gave me their attention and time and made my practicum extremely precious and memorable. Speaking honestly, it’s very hard to leave.
Thank you very much.
To keep my memories about this experience fresh for a long time I took a series of pictures that memorize my daily walk to the Library.