Cataloging Code Research Articles

Uniform Title in Theory and in Slovenian and Croatian Cataloguing Practice

ABSTRACTPurpose: The paper investigates the importance and development of uniform title that enables collocation in the library catalogue. Research results on use of uniform titles in two union catalogues, the Slovenian COBISS and the Croatian CROLIST are also presented.Methodology/approach: Theoretical apects of the uniform title are treated: for the first time by Panizzi, then in the Paris Principles being the basis for the Verona's cataloguing code; in the latest International Cataloguing Principles including conceptual models Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) and Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD); and last but not least in the international cataloguing code Resource Description and Access (RDA). To find out whether the uniform titles are used consistently according to the Verona's cataloguing code and to the requirements of the bibliographic formats COMARC and UNIMARC, the frequency of tags 300 and 500 in bibliographic records is explored.Results: The research results indicate that the use of uniform titles in COBISS and CROLIST is not satisfactory and that the tags 300 and 500 are often missing in bibliographic recods. In online catalogues a special attention should be given to the uniform title as it is considered an efficient linking device in the catalogue and as it enables collocation.Research limitations: The research is limited to bibliographic records for translations of works of personal authors and of anonymous works; corporate authors are not included.Originality/practical implications: Presenting development of the uniform title from the very beginning up to now and the first research on the uniform title in COBISS.

RDA at the Swiss National Library: Challenges and New Opportunities

The first national libraries implemented RDA: Resource Description and Access in Spring 2013 and others are planning to implement the new standard in the course of the year or in the years to come. The Swiss National Library (NL) has decided to adopt RDA, and now needs to plan its implementation. In March 2013 a master's student in library and information science at the University of Zurich wrote a thesis which examined the NL's situation and made suggestions for the next steps in the implementation process. It served as a basis for this article. The article provides information about the NL's current situation in terms of cataloguing, RDA and cooperation. It outlines the NL's special situation in Switzerland, a country with four national and three official languages. In particular, it explains the legal directives the NL has to observe. It elaborates on the NL's activities in international committees, as well as on its undertakings at a national level. Furthermore, it highlights the challenges the national library of a multilingual country faces when adopting a new cataloguing code and it presents the next steps the NL will have to take.

Book Review: Demystifying FRAD: Functional Requirements for Authority Data

Demystifying FRAD: Functional Requirements for Authority Data. By Qiang Jin. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2012. 134 p. $45.00 softcover (ISBN: 978-1-59884496-2). The back cover of Demystifying FRAD: Functional Requirements for Authority Data describes the volume as the first book of its kind, a phrase that proves to be a very apt descriptor. Besides Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD) published by the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) in 2009, (1) only a few articles have been published on this topic. Now that RDA: Resource Description and Access is being adopted, (2) understanding the underlying conceptual model behind authority data in conjunction with the new cataloging code is crucial for librarians who handle authority work. Jin, a librarian who specializes in and publishes about authority work, achieves her objective of offering a basic [and accessible] explanation (1) of the FRAD model. The book tackles the topic in a logical manner, building the reader's knowledge from the ground up. As the vocabulary of FRAD is similar to that of Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR),' Jin rightly situates the discussion in this book within the larger concept of entity-relationship models, entities and attributes, and user tasks shared by both FRBR and FRAD. Jin lays foundational groundwork in the introduction to put readers on the same page with regard to identifying acronyms, the purpose of FRAD, and the context in which FRAD was created. She offers a precise yet succinct history of the development of FRBR and FRAD, and how RDA relates to these conceptual models. This background may not be new information for all readers, but the concise timeline approach and contextualization are helpful for understanding how and why the creation of FRAD was necessary. The meat of the book consists of describing the entities, attributes, and relationships in FRAD. For each entity, Jin provides a thorough definition adapted from the aforementioned 2009 IFLA Study Group report on FRAD, and expanded for further clarity. Attributes are comprehensively explained, enhanced by examples and rationales for the importance of each attribute. For example, the entity person has gender as one of its attributes. Jin points out that assigning the value for the attribute gender is especially important when two people have the same name in romanized form (18). Rationales such as these not only establish a universal understanding for each attribute, but also take the guesswork out of determining why a librarian should take the time to assign a value for an attribute. While the brief lesson on entity-relationship models and diagrams is informative, the diagrams included for practically every possible entity and attribute relationship are the most helpful. As Jin works through the eleven entities and their possible combinations to each other as well as various attributes, each combination is clearly displayed and explicated for the reader. These entity-relationship diagrams for each relationship and the coordinating descriptive paragraph provide practical, applicable scenarios for various entity and attribute combinations. In the final section of the book, Jin maps the FRAD entities and attributes to RDA. …

Journey of Catalogue from Panizzi’s Principles toResource Description and Access

This paper discusses that cataloguing continues to be basic tool of knowledge organisation whichhas taken over even the function of classification bringing together similar ideas accessible on multiplepoints. It traces the history of cataloguing and individual contributions made by Panizzi, Lubetzky, Cutter,and Ranganathan who laid the foundation for modern cataloguing. It discusses the background ofResource Description and Access (RDA) code as development over AACR-2. The conceptual model of Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) along with its new terminology and basicprinciple of entity-relationship have been explained. While discussing new features of RDA, it has alsobeen compared with AACR-2 to show the main difference between the two. It concludes that RDA is adescriptive catalogue code with metadata structure with added scope and advantages over AACR-2R but with mixed professional reaction on its adoption. http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/djlit.33.5007

Conversations with Catalogers in the 21 st Century ed. by Elaine R. Sanchez (review)

Reviewed by: Conversations with Catalogers in the 21stCentury ed. by Elaine R. Sanchez Molly Larkin Conversations with Catalogers in the 21stCentury, ed. Elaine R. Sanchez. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO / Libraries Unlimited, 2011. 283p. (ISBN 978-1-59884-702-4) Today’s catalogers exist in a world of flux and uncertainty. As more and more people rely on non-library searching mechanisms for their information needs, the role of the traditional library catalog is unknown. Catalogers’ expertise has been in their ability to organize, classify, and provide subject analysis to the resources acquired by libraries, but these skills are not always as highly valued in a world of keyword searching. In addition, the last several years have seen many libraries shift their collection emphasis from traditional print materials to online resources and unique special collections that can make an individual library stand out. Furthermore, the catalogers themselves are faced with the challenge of learning a new cataloging code at the same time they are trying to acclimate to the myriad of other changes that are becoming a routine part of their everyday work life. Editor Elaine R. Sanchez, head of cataloging & metadata services at Texas State University—San Marco, pulls together essays from some of the major names in cataloging to illustrate the issues facing the cataloging world today. Conversations with Catalogers in the 21stCentury generally provides a readable account of the current state of cataloging without getting bogged down in the technical aspects and terminology of cataloging. The book opens with three chapters devoted to Resource Description and Access (RDA), which is the new set of cataloging rules set to replace the Anglo American Cataloging Rules Second Edition (AACR2) in March of 2013. Published in 2011 and no doubt written even earlier, the issues discussed in these chapters have become dated as RDA has continued to evolve and the decision was made by the Library of Congress to definitely adopt these new rules following a period of testing to determine the rules usability and usefulness. These chapters may serve to provide perspective on what the issues were, but anyone looking to learn about RDA and its effects on cataloging would be better served by following blogs or electronic lists dedicated to this topic. In addition, these chapters do not really provide a good overview as some of the discussion gets weighed down with very specific examples of the differences between RDA and AACR2. Anyone who regularly follows the discussions on RDA-L or even on AUTOCAT will find nothing new in these chapters. [End Page 213] In the second section of this book, library specialists address issues facing cataloging workflows, bibliographic control, and information retrieval systems. Jon Gorman provides a fascinating vision of a utopian cataloging environment that combines currently available or easily feasible technology with the strength and expertise of individual catalogers to provide useful and searchable information to those seeking resources. This section provides the most technical discussion in the text as the authors seek to illustrate essential components of a catalog, the best means for storing and sharing the data that make up the catalog, and how this all can remain relevant now and in the future. How catalogers react to these inevitable changes will determine the survival of the profession going forward. Lynnette M. Fields and Christine Schwartz provide somewhat similar accounts of their transitions from “cataloging” librarians to “metadata” librarians. Building upon their strengths in organizing and describing collections, catalogers may be uniquely positioned to make special and “hidden” collections more accessible to library patrons as libraries place an emphasis on these collections as a means to draw attention and associated funding to themselves and to the institutions that host them. However, at a time when these traditional cataloging skills coupled with programming and scripting knowledge along with project management abilities is becoming crucial, most American Library Association (ALA) accredited library programs are lowering requirements and course offerings for cataloging and information organization. In the final section of the book, Sylvia Hall-Ellis and Janet Swan Hill provide thoughts on how the education for catalogers can be improved, how to attract those with degrees from fields outside the humanities...

DGI-070 The Purple Waste Stream – How North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) Deals with Hazardous Waste Medicines

BackgroundAll hazardous pharmaceutical waste must be clearly identified, segregated and consigned with the six digit European Waste Catalogue code (18 01 08) within purple-lidded containers to permit safe destruction. [The...

RDA: Resource description & access—a survey of the current state of the art

Resource Description & Access (RDA) is intended to provide a flexible and extensible framework that can accommodate all types of content and media within rapidly evolving digital environments while also maintaining compatibility with the Anglo‐American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2). The cataloging community is grappling with practical issues in navigating the transition from AACR2 to RDA; there is a definite need to evaluate major subject areas and broader themes in information organization under the new RDA paradigm. This article aims to accomplish this task through a thorough and critical review of the emerging RDA literature published from 2005 to 2011. The review mostly concerns key areas of difference between RDA and AACR2, the relationship of the new cataloging code to metadata standards, the impact on encoding standards such as Machine‐Readable Cataloging (MARC), end user considerations, and practitioners' views on RDA implementation and training. Future research will require more in‐depth studies of RDA's expected benefits and the manner in which the new cataloging code will improve resource retrieval and bibliographic control for users and catalogers alike over AACR2. The question as to how the cataloging community can best move forward to the post‐AACR2/MARC environment must be addressed carefully so as to chart the future of bibliographic control in the evolving environment of information production, management, and use.

Book Review: Practical Cataloguing: AACR, RDA and MARC 21

Practical Cataloguing: AACR, RDA and MARC 21. By Anne Welsh and Sue Batley. Chicago: Neal-Schuman, 2012. 217 p. $75 softcover (ISBN: 9781-55570-743-9). In their preface, Anne Welsh and Sue Batley, both cataloging instructors, write that Practical Cataloguing was commissioned to bridge a between cataloging textbooks meant for the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR2)/MARC21 environment and textbooks focused on the new standard, RDA: Resource Description and Access. (1) Given that many libraries will delay implementing RDA until after the Library of Congress's planned implementation date of March 31, 2013, and that AACR2 records, like pre-AACR2 records, will be in library catalogs for years to come, book indeed Fills a that will be present for some time. Perhaps in recognition of the fact that nobody could write a definitive print cataloging manual in 2012 that would not be obsolete six months later, Practical Cataloguing is neither a how-to-catalog text nor a workbook. Rather, Practical Cataloguing provides a map to the gap between AACR2/MARC21 and RDA by combining a discussion of cataloging theory, history, and the issues (and controversies) created by current and future standards, augmented with practical advice for working catalogers in any environment. The book begins by discussing cataloging codes from Charles Cutter's Rules for a Printed Dictionary Catalogue through RDA. (2) Additional chapters address related issues such as the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD), and access points and headings. (3) The language avoids jargon and is accessible to both novice and experienced librarians. The text takes on a narrative quality as it discusses the evolution of ISBD, AACR2, and MARC21, why and how RDA (with its FRBR underpinnings) has come to replace AACR2, and navigating a workflow where both codes must coexist in an environment with many unknowns. Each chapter contains detailed explanations and copious examples of descriptive data and access points in ISBD, MARC21, RDA, and AACR2. Particularly valuable are the bolded Practice Notes in each chapter that give advice on the local interpretations, shortcuts, and compromises catalogers make in their local library systems. Readers in the United States will quickly recognize that the authors are based in the United Kingdom, both from the British spellings of and colour, and from the wry humor that slips into the text. For example, a practice note tells us that this rule is often ignored or forgotten by cataloguers, as we can see in example from a real catalogue (29); access points are introduced with, When confronted for the first time with the phrase 'access points' you might think that you are being faced with a piece of modern cataloguing jargon. And you might be right (49). Chapter 10 contains a number of sample records illustrating level 1 and level 2 AACR2 and RDA descriptions. The examples are in ISBD (AACR2 and RDA) and MARC 21 (AACR2 only) format. The examples are all for print monographs; given the ready availability of copy cataloging for print monographs, some examples of serial, nonprint, and nontextual materials would have been more helpful to new catalogers. …

Microstructural Study of Cement Composites Produced by Hazardous Waste Stabilization/Solidification

This paper deals with the chosen hazardous waste solidification/stabilisation (S/S) under the catalogue code 190811 using cement matrix with addition of classic fly ash and fluid fly ash as secondary raw binders. The main task of the research works was a microstructural study of the most successful S/S formula that will be used for development of new reclamation material. The S/S process product was subject to X-Ray analysis and to the electron microscopy analysis two years after its production to evaluate the possibility of degradation of the cement composite and releasing the contaminants into environment.

Javier Lasso de la Vega y los principios de la catalogación bibliográfica

Showing cataloging principles prepared by J. Lasso de la Vega, as the foundations of an international cataloging code. It discusses the Cataloguing Principles in Paris (1961) and the International Cataloguing Principles (2009), proposed by the IFLA. It highlights the value of such sets of theoretical literature own cataloging in the creation of catalogs and bibliographies to represent creations uniquely faithful and intellectual, practical and artistic men, and to communicate knowledge, in the double sense of giving and receiving information. We conclude that in the course of the principles of bibliographic cataloging, the figure of J. Lasso de la Vega should have a role commensurate with its responsibility to formulate in 1950 cataloging principles which form the theoretical basis for an international cataloging code. It is emphasized that this Spanish author and his work cataloging suffer from a study that highlights their contributions to the theory of cataloging.

FRBR and RDA: What They Are and How They May Affect the Future of Libraries

"Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records," a document issued by the International Federation of Library Association’s Cataloguing Section in 1997, has achieved the status of an important theoretical model of the cataloging process, in effect, a theory of cataloging. It is the foundation on which the new cataloging code, Resource Description and Access (RDA), is based. An understanding of the FRBR model is essential to the understanding and application of RDA. This paper explains the entity-relationship model which FRBR presents: the bibliographic entities (work, expression, manifestation, item), their attributes, and the relationships that connect them. It explains how bibliographic records based on the FRBR model would be structured, and demonstrates how FRBR informs the structure of RDA. It describes the controversies connected with the forthcoming implementation of RDA in March, 2013, and explores the implications of this implementation for the library community.

FRBR/FRAD and Eva Verona's Cataloging Code: Toward the Future Development of Croatian Cataloging Code

The purpose of this article is to research the feasibility of evolving Eva Verona's Code and Manual for Compiling Alphabetical Catalogues, the current Croatian cataloging code, into a Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR)/Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD) structured code of rules, with the aim of assessing the direction to be taken toward development of the future national cataloging rules. The methodology used is the mapping of conceptual models FRBR and FRAD entities, attributes, and relationships to Verona's Code of rules.

From the FRBR Model to the Italian Cataloging Code (and Vice Versa?)

The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) model has been the main framework of reference for the new Italian cataloging rules. The code puts the work at the center of the catalog and of the rules because users are mostly interested in works and the most wanted works are increasingly available in multiple manifestations. Every work should be identified in the catalog and responsibility relations should be recorded at the proper level. The code is tailored to the specific needs of library cataloging and based on a new thorough analysis of the phenomena to be reflected, organized, and made accessible via the catalog.

Effective Learning and Teaching of RDA: Applying Adult Learning Theory

Significant changes in both the cataloging code and our mode of recording metadata are slated to take place in the coming months and years. These changes give us an unprecedented opportunity to change our teaching strategies and our attitudes towards lifelong workplace learning for the better. In this study, we examine results of the U.S. RDA test, some basic principles of adult learning theory, and currently available training materials in order to consider what is most beneficial to practitioners in developing professional fluency and identity and what changes can be made to serve that end.

Subject Access: Conceptual Models, Functional Requirements, and Empirical Data

One of the central functions of bibliographic control is providing subject access. However, numerous studies conducted over decades have shown that users routinely experience problems with subject access in library catalogs and databases. These problems are often due to inadequate quality of subject metadata, which is greatly influenced by complexity of subject representation. The fact that major cataloging standards (e.g., AACR2 and its predecessors) have been overlooking the importance of subject access and have not addressed subject cataloging is arguably one of the reasons behind problems in organization of subject access. The new cataloging code—Resource Description and Access (RDA)—attempts to fill this gap. Upon examination of how subject access is addressed in RDA and its underlying conceptual models that specify functional requirements for bibliographic control—FRBR, FRAD, and FRSAD—this article presents results of a study that used FRBR model as an analytical framework in examination of user search queries in a large-scale digital library. The findings of this study provide empirical data to inform the development of RDA sections that cover subject access, particularly subject entities and relationships.

RDA, el nuevo código de catalogación: cambios y desafíos para su aplicación

An in-depth study presenting the new cataloging code, RDA (Resource Description and Access) and its relationship to technology. Its origin, what it represents and its implications for cataloging are analyzed. The state of bibliographic control and the foundations of the new cataloging code are reviewed. Details are presented concerning its structure, changes and advantages of being based on the FRBR model. Reference is also made to RDA’s adoption by the international community. Finally, the article sets forth the changes and doubts that RDA prompts. The exhaustive bibliographic review permits the identification of the most significant changes as well as the pros and cons. Likewise, a detailed study of the Functional Requirements of Bibliographic Records (FRBR) and the Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD) enables a better understanding of the new code’s instructions, connections and relationships to them.

The U.S. RDA Test Process

From July through December 2010, three U.S. national libraries, the Library of Congress, the National Agricultural Library, and the National Library of Medicine, coordinated a test of Resource Description and Access (RDA) that included 23 other test participants representing a broad range of institutions. The goal of the RDA test was to assure the operational, technical, and economic feasibility of the new cataloging code in order to help determine whether the national libraries would decide to implement the new code. The design and methodology of the test, how the data were analyzed, and specific impact of RDA on the serials community were presented.

Designing policy for copy cataloging in RDA

The Library of Congress and other national libraries will adopt Resource Description and Access (RDA) on March 31, 2013, but RDA is already an established cataloging code. Copy catalogers are likely to encounter RDA records in the near future, and need local standards to guide their work. This article provides technical service personnel who establish policies with the information needed to establish standards for copy cataloging RDA records, particularly monographs. An example of one successful standard, that of Kent State University Libraries, is provided for readers to adopt or adapt.

Keeping libraries relevant in the Semantic Web with resource description and access (RDA)

Cataloging is not just building a catalog, but about providing users with timely access to information relevant to their needs. The task of identifying resources collected by libraries, archives and museums results in rich metadata that can be reused for many purposes. It involves describing resources and showing their relationships to persons, families, corporate bodies and other resources, thereby enabling users to navigate through surrogates to more quickly get information they need. The metadata constructed throughout the life cycle of a resource is especially valuable to many types of users, from creators of resources to publishers, subscription agents, book vendors, resource aggregators, system vendors, libraries and other cultural institutions, and end users. The new international cataloging code, RDA (resource description and access), is designed to meet fundamental user tasks in a way that produces wellformed, interconnected metadata for the digital environment.

Testing Resource Description and Access (RDA) with Non-MARC Metadata Standards

Columbia University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign participated in the 2010 U.S. National Libraries Test of Resource Description & Access (RDA). As devised, the new cataloging code is format and schema independent. Because creating descriptive metadata records in non–MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging) metadata standards is now a part of regular cataloging practice, the three institutions chose to test RDA with the standards, Metadata Object Description Standard (MODS), Encoded Archival Description (EAD), and Dublin Core. This article describes the set-ups and workflows of each institution, the issues encountered with record creation, and the conclusions drawn from the test.