January 20, 2009

Over the weekend I compiled a spreadsheet that included a column for notes where I could add reminders to myself once I actually go through it and get into the records. I sent one copy to Dan (the site supervisor) and one to Rose Bond, who is a faculty member at PNCA with whom I am working on to fix the animated film collection. She has a group of international artists visiting this summer and she really needs my help so that she can tell them what PNCA actually has in their collection. Right now it is convoluted and confusing to search the catalog, as many of the titles do not show up because of incomplete cataloging.
On a reflective note: While I realize that PNCA is fairly short staffed right now, I feel as if I've been given the responsiblilty to fix their cataloging problems and then left to my own devices. At this point it appears that there are so many problems with their cataloging that it's difficult to know where to begin. I need to remind myself that I am working with artists and art students. The climate here is so very relaxed and things like organization and specificity are not mutually exclusive. I have to formulate a plan that is both effective and and do-able. I really want to leave this place more organized than when I got here. But I am only one person, so there's a limit to what I can do. I think the key word here is "framework". I just need to come up with the methods by which the staff can complete the projects. I should try to get to the root of some of these issues and create rubrics for catalog entries, and manuals for the video conversion process.