Julie Moore, catalog librarian in the Special Collections Research Center at the Henry Madden Library, joins an elite group of cataloging librarians worldwide working toward helping people find information more easily through the Name Authority Cooperative (NACO) Funnel.

What is a NACO funnel you ask? The Name Authority Cooperative is run by the Program of Cooperative Cataloging at the Library of Congress and is charged with helping libraries worldwide agree on the official name for an author or entity so that people can find resources easily.

Only a fraction of all catalogers (librarians who catalog books and other materials so they can be searched by author, title and subjects) in the country are trained and authorized to ascertain and establish the correct name for each person, corporate body or geographical place.

Moore has been a cataloger for the Henry Madden Library for 14 years. She said that she loves Fresno State because the student body is reflective of the diverse Fresno population.

“Fresno is a good place to make a living and make a life,” Moore said. “It’s a great city for families.”

Born and raised in Indiana, Moore is a Hoosier at heart. She graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, where she double majored in anthropology and German. She has also studied Japanese, Spanish, French and Lakota. Moore earned an Associate of Science degree in computer science at St. Petersburg Jr. College and a Master of Library Science at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Before moving to Fresno in 2005, Moore worked at libraries in Alaska, Florida and New Jersey. During her career, she has accumulated an impressive amount of knowledge about cataloguing and building online resources. She is passionate about preserving history through cataloguing texts and historical artifacts.

One of the most famous examples of the importance of this work is the established name for author Lewis Carroll, who wrote “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” in 1885. Carroll's birth name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson but he was best known by his pseudonym.

Agreeing on the official name for this author streamlines searches for those researching his work. The NACO work ensures that whether you type in “Dodgson” or “Carroll” as the author's name, the “Alice” books (and any other books Carroll wrote) will come up in your search.

Moore is particularly known for cataloging 3D objects such as a Tyrannosaurus Rex tooth, wooly mammoth hair and more.

The NACO Funnel and the Program of Cooperative Cataloging are charged with promoting the discovery and use of the world’s knowledge by supporting metadata producers in library and other cultural heritage communities. Within the CSU library system, all 23 libraries participate in the CSU NACO funnel, which means that the few catalogers who are authorized to establish names through the Name Authority at the Library of Congress will work on researching names submitted to the CSU NACO funnel.

So, the next time you are searching for an author or subject in OneSearch, you can thank catalogers like Moore, who have labored to ensure that only the correct names are used so you do not have to look for all kinds of variants.

University Communications news intern Payton Hartung contributed to this report.

(Editor's note: Campus News accepts nominations for faculty and staff profiles. These stories allow the campus community to learn about the many colleagues who contribute to the success of Fresno State. If you know someone with an interesting story — a passion for helping the community or a cause, a remarkable life journey, or there is just something fascinating about them to share — please email campusnews@csufresno.edu.)