The Colorado State Library announces the 2026-27 cohort of New Cataloger Camp, a learning group designed to address the needs of early career and “accidental” library catalogers in Colorado. The cohort begins on September 3, 2026 and wraps up on April 15, 2027.

Cohort members can expect to: strengthen their familiarity with foundational terms, concepts, and standards; practice implementing the standards within a local context; and build a toolkit of useful resources. The focus will be on practical application and problem-solving for catalogers already working in the field. It is not intended to be a Cataloging 101 course, as some practical experience will be assumed.

Here’s what’s included in the cohort, which runs from September 3, 2026 through April 15, 2027:

• Twice-monthly group meetings on the first and third Thursday from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm MST. At the first meeting of the month we will explore foundational concepts and topics like content standards, MARC, subject headings, and classification. The second meeting is discussion-focused; cohort members will have the opportunity to share their experiences and seek feedback regarding their real-world cataloging questions and challenges. 
• Shared toolkit. Throughout the course, participants will contribute to a collection of useful resources, tools, and training materials that they can draw from to create their own curated toolkit.

There is no cost to participate, and all course content is freely available online. There are no graded homework assignments and no educational credit offered.

If you work in Colorado and are interested in participating in the 2026-27 cohort, please register by end-of-day August 24, 2026. Registered applicants will receive confirmation and additional information on August 25, 2026.

At this time we are tentatively planning to run the cohort again in 2027-28. Please contact Amy Hitchner, [email protected], if you are interested in receiving an email when registration opens for that cohort.

New Cataloger Camp is part of the Cataloging Fundamentals Program, which currently includes online video tutorials and the Chatalogers discussion group. The program is made possible through grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) administered by the Colorado State Library.