No More Foreign Titles

My trepidation and a little excitement over learning how to catalog French titles was cut short. After much deliberation, Mitinet decided that both the interns and contracted employees did not have enough experience cataloging foreign titles, nor did we have proper translating tools to translate titles, subject headings, summaries, etc. So, after struggling through cataloging four French titles (probably not well) I was told to stop cataloging. Luckily, the batch that contained the French titles also contained English ones so I still had work to finish. However, this week I have not yet received new titles to catalog, mainly due to the fact that most of the incoming titles to Mitinet are foreign. I spoke with my site supervisor who assured me as soon as new titles come in the interns would be the first to receive them. In the meantime, I have been continuing research for my position paper on trends in cataloging jobs. I am currently researching other master's in library science programs' curriculum and whether or not cataloging is a required course, how many cataloging courses are offered, etc. I am finding out that while most programs don't require cataloging courses, many job descriptions mention knowledge of MARC format or experience in cataloging, even if cataloging is not the main focus of the job. Cataloging may be less important within the curriculum of MLIS programs, it is still a valuable skill in the library workforce.