To catalog the printed materials held by the Beinecke Library, the Elizabethan Club, and the Franklin Collection, in accordance with national and local standards for description and access, facilitating the scholarly use of these collections by students, faculty, and other researchers.

Objectives:

• To create and maintain bibliographic records in the online catalog, including records converted retrospectively from older catalog cards, providing accurate descriptions and appropriate access points
   
• To create and maintain authority records in the online catalog, providing cross references that aid searching by patrons and staff 
   
• To catalog items in a timely manner, preventing the accumulation of new backlogs and eliminating inherited backlogs
   
• To catalog items in accordance with national and local standards, ensuring records of a high level of quality and consistency
   
• To document local policies and procedures
   
• To keep current with new technologies and standards
   
• To work together effectively as a team, meeting regularly to foster open lines of communication and making decisions by consensus whenever possible 
   
• To collaborate with Beinecke Library staff in maintaining efficient cataloging workflow and developing strategies for description and access
   
• To participate in the appropriate activities of the Catalog Department, the Beinecke Library, the Yale University Library, and the wider library profession

The Rare Book Team reports administratively to the Yale University Library Catalog and Metadata Services Department and fiscally to the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.  The team is physically located in the Sterling Memorial Library in the Catalog Department, but also maintains two workstations in the Beinecke Library Technical Services area.