Copy Cataloging Practices

Abstract

As a service to the library community, the Library of Congress adds Dewey Decimal numbers to approximately two-thirds of the books receiving full cataloging at the Library of Congress. This substantially reduces the cataloging effort required by Dewey libraries. However, shelflisting is still a major expense for individual libraries. Copy catalogers frequently modify the call number to meet local needs. Even libraries that accept LC classification without revision may adjust the cutter number to avoid conflicts in their local catalog. Dewey libraries usually add a cutter number or cutter-like addition to the class number and may modify the Dewey Decimal number itself. OCLC and the Library of Congress jointly conducted a study of library cuttering practice to learn the extent and types of changes made to call numbers-particularly cutter numbers-during copy cataloging. The study looked at how both Library of Congress and Dewey Decimal call numbers are used by OCLC member libraries. This paper discusses findings related to the use of the Dewey Decimal numbers. An earlier pilot study found that call numbers in the OCLC Online Union Catalog (OLUC) are revised frequently. The resulting differences are due either to changes made by local libraries or to revisions to the OLUC bibliographic record which occurred after the library used the record. Most of the changes to OLUC records resulted from upgrading Cataloging-in-Publication (CIP) records due to significant differences between the published book and its prepublication form. These revisions can require changes to the classification number and/or the book number portions of the call number. Determining which record had been changed is difficult. In the pilot study, we borrowed several books through interlibrary loan to obtain the CIP versions-printed by many publishers on the back of the title page-of the call numbers. Although the pilot study was too small to have any statistical significance, all the local call numbers that differed from the OCLC bibliographic record matched the original call numbers in the CIP records. This meant that the call number in the OLUC record had been changed. A study on the local use of call numbers requires a sample of pre- and post-cataloging versions of call numbers. The pre-cataloging form is the call number as it existed when the cataloger attached the library's holding symbol. The post-cataloging form is the call number as it appears in the local library's catalog. By examining these two versions of call numbers, the extent and types of changes made to the call numbers can be determined.