Cataloging Practices Research Articles

Contemporary Cataloguing Policy and Practice in Australian Libraries

A survey of current cataloguing practice and policy was conducted amongst a structured sample of 40 Australian libraries from the academic, public, school and special sectors. Responses suggested that while catalogues and other bibliographic databases may be merging, there was still significant demand for cataloguers – even growing demand in some cases, with records for increasing numbers of online resources being created. Moreover, these records were being created mostly by professionals, who were still engaged in traditional activities such as authority control and applying conventional standards such as MARC21, LCSH and DDC. The research found little evidence that cataloguing was being any further deskilled. There was considerable interest in the new standard, RDA, though it looks like AACR-based records will continue to be imported into catalogues for quite some time to come. Less evidence than might be expected was found in relation to the application of other bibliographic standards, such as those u...

RDA and Serials: Transitioning to RDA Within a MARC 21 Framework

This comprehensive preconference focused on transitioning serials catalogers experienced in Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd Edition (AACR2) to the new cataloging code, Resource Description and Access (RDA), using the most current Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) and Cooperative Online Serials (CONSER) RDA decisions and practices. The sessions were taught in six modules: Introduction to CONSER RDA cataloging; Getting started; Identifying manifestations; Identifying works and expressions; Related works, expressions, manifestations; and Working with copy and When to create a new record. Participants received hands-on exercises from actual machine-readable cataloging (MARC 21) records that reinforced each module’s objective.

Establishing a bibliographic database for hand press books : CERL project

AbstractBooks and other printed materials dating to the Hand Press period (ca. 1830) in Europe represent a special field of research. Consortium of European Research Libraries – CERL was founded in 1992 with an objective to establish a machine-readable database for this material. The goals of the project are twofold: to offer one site access to information about the Hand Press books, including holdings data (providing thus the function of a union catalogue), and enable downloading of records into local catalogues, reducing processing costs. To organize a union database named Hand Press Book (HPB), detailed arrangements are necessary to harmonize different cataloguing practices and machine-redable formats, establish use of thesaurus files etc., and make the records as useful as possible. Minimal level requirements have been defined and the characteristics of contributed files are described. The user is also provided with information on characteristics of the material from respective library collections, as well as with detailed instructions for successful searching. Besides, CERL systematically collects information on other related projects and institutions, covering the Hand Press period, manuscripts, together with the history of the book, printing and publishing. Cooperation and project coordination of European libraries is one of the main benefits of this project in which the Slovenian National and University Library participates from the very beginning.

All over the Map: Canadian Map Cataloguing Practices and their Potential for Spatial Searching

The geographic clues embedded in MARC records have the potential to transform the ways in which library materials are searched and accessed. Focussing on cartographic materials, this study examines the MARC fields used to catalogue maps within two Canadian university library systems.Les indices géographiques que contiennent les fiches MARC ont le potentiel de transformer la façon de chercher et de repérer le matériel de bibliothèque. En se concentrant sur le matériel cartographique, cette étude porte sur les champs MARC utilisés pour cataloguer les cartes dans deux bibliothèques universitaires canadiennes.

Social Cataloguing Sites: Features and Implications for Cataloguing Practice and the Public Library Catalogue

International Standard Bibliographic Description elements were used to evaluate the contents of 16 social cataloguing sites’ records. The heuristics Communication, Identity, and Perception were applied to the sites’ social features. While record content was poor, the social features create a community of interest where people can share their reading interests with one another.Des éléments de la description bibliographique internationale normalisée (ISBD) ont été utilisés pour évaluer le contenu de fiches de 16 sites de catalogage social. Les règles heuristiques Communication, Identité et Perception ont été appliquées aux caractéristiques des sites sociaux. Bien que le contenu des fiches était de mauvaise qualité, les fonctions sociales ont créé une communauté d'intérêt où les gens peuvent partager leurs intérêts de lecture.

Positioning Library Data for the Semantic Web: Recent Developments in Resource Description

Recent developments in resource description standards and technologies have aimed at moving cataloging practice to the Web environment and making library data available for exchange and reuse on the Semantic Web. As the library community looks outward and forward, library standards and technologies are converging with Web practices in three areas: content description, data models, and data exchange. This article captures the essence of the core standards and technologies that underlie the daily work of practitioners of library service, including Resource Description and Access, Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records, the Linked Data environment, Resource Description Framework, and the Bibliographic Framework Transition Initiative. The article will discuss their intersections with existing practice during this period of transition as well as their potential impacts on the future cataloging practice.

Tag, You’re It: Enhancing Access to Graphic Novels

Current users of academic libraries are avid readers of graphic novels. These thought-provoking materials are used for leisure reading, in instruction, and for research purposes. Libraries need to take care in providing access to these resources. This study analyzed the cataloging practices and social tagging of a specific list of graphic novel titles in the academic libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Results found that of the 668 graphic novel records 68 (10.17 percent) used the genre heading “graphic novel” and 99 (14.8 percent) were tagged. This limited access could be improved by using social tagging and genre heading.

Hierarchical Relationships in the Bibliographic Universe

The hierarchical relationships among bibliographic entities include whole–part structures and the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) hierarchical relationships among works, expression, manifestations, and items. The traditional MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging) format falls short in representing these hierarchical relationships. Based on detailed analyses of these hierarchical relationships and an examination of Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS) and Encoded Archival Description (EAD), which are well suited for hierarchical description, the author proposes some features of a new data structure standard named Resource Description Metadata Schema (RDMS). New cataloging practices based on RDMS will bring bibliographic description closer to archival description, and take one step further toward merged descriptive practices for bibliographic and archival materials.

Name Authority Work in Public Libraries

Random samples of U.S. public libraries were surveyed in summer 2010 to ascertain their name authority cataloging practices. Comparisons of authority work processes and types of authority work done were made among public libraries of different sizes. Results were compared to previous studies of public and academic libraries.

Online, Practical, and Free Cataloging Resources

This comprehensive annotated webliography describes online cataloging resources that are free to use, currently updated, and of high quality. The major aim of this webliography is to provide assistance for catalogers who are new to the profession, unfamiliar with cataloging specific formats, or unable to access costly print and subscription resources. The annotated resources include general websites and webpages, databases, workshop presentations, streaming media, and local documentation. The scope of the webliography is limited to resources reflecting traditional cataloging practices using the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition, RDA: Resource Description and Access, and MAchine Readable Cataloging (MARC) standards. Non-MARC metadata schemas like Dublin Core are not covered. Most components of cataloging are represented in this webliography, such as authority control, classification, subject headings, and genre terms. Guidance also is provided for cataloging miscellaneous formats including sound and videorecordings, streaming media, e-books, video games, graphic novels, kits, rare materials, maps, serials, realia, government documents, and music.

The ALA Task Force on Gay Liberation: Effecting Change in Naming and Classification of GLBTQ Subjects

The American Library Association’s Task Force on Gay Liberation was the first professional organization in the U.S. to formally organize to protect rights and promote awareness of gays and lesbians. Founded in 1970, the Task Force has evolved to become the Gay Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table (GLBTRT) of the A.L.A. In this paper I will discuss the influence of key members of the group, such as Barbara Gittings, Steve Wolf, Joan Marshall,and Michael McConnell, on Library of Congress classifications and subject headings.I will also discuss how the success and momentum of this agenda depended on the efforts of Sanford Berman, who advised the Task Force and pushed for revisions of gay and lesbian subject headings and classifications.This study significantly informs current classification research, as it documents the beginning of a movement to democratize subject cataloging practices. The actions taken by the Task Force and its individual members broke new ground, and arguably, led to present-day participatory, user-centered classification practices, such as social tagging.<br />

Teoria e prática em catalogação de assunto: a sistematicidade do processo em contexto de bibliotecas universitárias pela perspectiva profissional

A natureza subjetiva da catalogação de assunto imprime certas peculiaridades nas ações dos profissionais que realizam a atividade em domínios específicos. Sendo assim, mostra-se necessária à realização de estudos que cerquem as ações dos catalogadores de assunto, ancoradas na realidade do contexto de bibliotecas universitárias, para a obtenção dos fatores influentes do saber e do fazer profissional. Portanto, analisa-se o conhecimento profissional acerca da sistematicidade do processo da catalogação de assunto em perspectiva sociocognitiva. Para tanto, aplica-se a técnica de Protocolo Verbal em Grupo com três catalogadores de assunto de distintas bibliotecas universitárias do estado de São Paulo, a fim de conhecer a realidade do processo da catalogação de assunto pela perspectiva profissional. Os resultados apontam a necessidade de instrumentos metodológicos que propiciem sustentabilidade prática à catalogação de assunto, em contexto de bibliotecas universitárias.

The Cataloging of E-Book Readers: A Service Model-Oriented Approach

ABSTRACT The popularity of e-book readers has exploded over the past several years, and many libraries have begun purchasing and providing access to these devices for their patrons. A large body of academic literature addresses the popularity of e-book readers and the issues involved with purchasing them and licensing material for them, but there is a relatively slim body of literature regarding the cataloging of e-book readers. At present, there is no uniform approach to cataloging e-book readers and libraries are currently employing a number of different methods. This article will describe the approach to cataloging e-book readers adopted at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library of Wake Forest University, which is based on the local service model for e-readers that takes into account how patrons are expected to use the devices as well as licensing concerns about the use of titles on e-readers. In order to make the devices discoverable for patrons with a minimum of confusion, certain unusual cataloging practices are employed (such as coding e-readers as “realia” but giving them a general material designation (GMD) of “electronic resource”). This article argues that the RDA code should accommodate e-book readers by creating carrier types that accurately describe these devices in a way that patrons can understand.

The Cataloging of E-Book Readers: A Service Model-Oriented Approach

The popularity of e-book readers has exploded over the past several years, and many libraries have begun purchasing and providing access to these devices for their patrons. A large body of academic literature addresses the popularity of e-book readers and the issues involved with purchasing them and licensing material for them, but there is a relatively slim body of literature regarding the cataloging of e-book readers. At present, there is no uniform approach to cataloging e-book readers and libraries are currently employing a number of different methods. This article will describe the approach to cataloging e-book readers adopted at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library of Wake Forest University, which is based on the local service model for e-readers that takes into account how patrons are expected to use the devices as well as licensing concerns about the use of titles on e-readers. In order to make the devices discoverable for patrons with a minimum of confusion, certain unusual cataloging practices are employed (such as coding e-readers as “realia” but giving them a general material designation (GMD) of “electronic resource”). This article argues that the RDA code should accommodate e-book readers by creating carrier types that accurately describe these devices in a way that patrons can understand.

The Making of the 2011 Revision of the Integrating Resources Manual

This installment of Electronic Journal Forum describes the steps taken to revise Integrating Resources: A Cataloging Manual, which was first published in 2003. The revision reflects recent changes in MARC 21 coding and Program for Cooperative Cataloging practices, including provider-neutral record guidance. Examples in the manual were reviewed and purged of inconsistencies in coding.

The Making of the 2011 Revision of the Integrating Resources Manual

This installment of Electronic Journal Forum describes the steps taken to revise Integrating Resources: A Cataloging Manual, which was first published in 2003. The revision reflects recent changes in MARC 21 coding and Program for Cooperative Cataloging practices, including provider-neutral record guidance. Examples in the manual were reviewed and purged of inconsistencies in coding.

“Here be Dragons”: A Wayfinding Approach to Teaching Cataloguing

Teaching cataloguing requires instructors to present and integrate information about the variety and complexity of the field while providing an adequate theoretical foundation for practice. A problem solving pedagogy called “wayfinding” that focuses on instruction about ways to navigate the structural features of rule sets is described. It enables students to learn not only about common rules but also about less well known cataloguing problems (“dragons”), embedding this knowledge in the theoretical foundation of the rule sets underlying cataloguing practice. It provides both pragmatic and pedagogical benefits that mitigate differences between face-to-face and distance learning environments.

A Survey of Batch Cataloging Practices and Problems

Groups of bibliographic records are added to library catalogs with increasing frequency. Batch cataloging requires knowledge of bulk record transfer as well as current cataloging standards. While more efficient than cataloging items individually, batch cataloging requires different skills and creates new challenges. Responses to a wide-ranging online survey document the workload, tools, practices, and problems of batch cataloging. The unique characteristics of electronic resources affect many aspects of batch cataloging. Survey respondents lack consensus on how to share improved batch records, and recent trends in the bibliographic environment seem to make a networked solution less likely.

Electronic Journals: Cataloging and Management Practices in Academic Libraries

The growth and availability of electronic journals offer libraries the opportunity to provide end users with quick and easy access to more journals than ever before, thereby creating a complex new workload in academic libraries. Libraries have addressed the evolving challenges unique to electronic resources by creating new policies and workflows and dedicating staff to work on the processes, despite the lack of best practices. In the fall of 2009, a survey was distributed to ninety-five libraries at peer institutions to gather information about their policies and practices for cataloging and managing electronic journals in order to gauge the current status of electronic journal management among these peer institutions. This paper reports on the survey findings related to cataloging approach, sources for bibliographic records, methods for identifying problems, and the staff and staff hours dedicated to electronic journals.

Faceted navigation and browsing features in new OPACs: A more robust solution to problems of information seekers?

In November, 2005, James Billington, the Librarian of Congress, proposed the creation of a “World Digital Library” of manuscripts and multimedia materials in order to “bring together online, rare and unique cultural materials.” Google became the first private sector partner for this project with a pledge of 3 million dollars (http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2005/05- 250.html). One month later, the Bibliographic Services Task Force of the University of California Libraries released a report: Rethinking how we provide bibliographic services for the University of California. (Bibliographic Services Task Force, 2005). Key proposals included the necessity of enhancing search and retrieval, redesigning the library catalog or OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog), encouraging the adoption of new cataloguing practices, and supporting continuous improvements to digital access. By mid-January, 2006, the tenor of discussion reached fever pitch. On January 12, 2006, the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Library announced the deployment of a revolutionary implementation for their OPAC of Endeca’s ProFind™, which until now had only been used in commercial e-commerce or other business applications. NCSU made the bold claim that “the speed and flexibility of popular online search engines” had now entered the world of the online catalog through the use of faceted navigation and browsing (NCSU, online).