Copy Cataloging Research Articles

Malaria Research and Reference Reagent Resource Center

Malaria is a global health problem requiring a concerted international effort to find an effective solution. Traditional control measures are losing their effectiveness and resources remain relatively limited. In response, malaria researchers from Africa, Europe and North America convened in 1997, together with representatives of the major funding agencies, at the ‘International Conference on Malaria in Africa= in Dakar, Senegal. The objectives of this meeting were to identify the pivotal malaria research questions, determine effective response strategies to address those questions, and recommend collaborative mechanisms to further the research. An important consensus was that new ways were needed to strengthen and sustain the capability of malaria-endemic countries to carry out research and improve tools for malaria control. A specific need was identified for improved worldwide access to parasite, vector, and human-host reagents, and standardization of assays using well-characterized reference reagents. The Malaria Research and Reference Reagent Resource Center (MR4) is a program developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to meet this specific need.The basic aim of MR4 is to support the international malaria research community through improved access to well-characterized, quality-controlled malaria research reagents. Another aim is to promote technology transfer to malaria-endemic countries, and to foster exchange between new and established malaria researchers worldwide. Since September 1998, the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) has been responsible for management of MR4, with anopheline reagents provided through the Centers for Disease Control Foundation. An international Scientific Advisory Committee oversees MR4 operations and liaises with the malaria research community.The successful development of MR4 as a resource program requires active participation from the malaria research community. In material terms, this development is primarily dependent on the generous contributions of reagents by scientists engaged in malaria research and control. MR4 currently has >100 donated reagents ready to distribute, including antibodies, antigens, DNA plasmids, EST clones and genomic/cDNA libraries. The only cost of reagents for the recipient will be those for shipping. An online database can be searched at the MR4 website for detailed information about each reagent, or can be provided in a hard copy catalog upon request. Additional reagents, soon to be added, include parasites and mosquito genetic stocks. In the future, MR4 will include renewable reference standards and introduce reagents from new technologies.To promote technology transfer and to foster scientific exchange, MR4 will develop workshops, training programs, comprehensive online databases and printed materials. Information about new and existing technologies will be rapidly disseminated to the malaria research community through workshops, an electronic bulletin board, printed bulletins and training activities, which will hopefully promote a sense of openness and collaboration among the community.Registration with the MR4 is an important aspect of the participation of a malaria research laboratory in the program. Only the Principal Investigator, or head of a laboratory, needs to register in order for a group to participate in the programs. Registration requires the recipient to exercise care in the handling of the materials, to maintain control over the distribution of the materials, to acknowledge the provider in publications, and to follow relevant guidelines governing research safety. The MR4 Registration Form is similar to a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) and requires institutional authorization. Registration also allows users to access an electronic bulletin board to communicate their needs, comments, and, most importantly, to obtain reagents from the MR4. Unlike a standard MTA, the MR4 Registration Form serves as a multi-reagent, multi-year, multi-partner document that will minimize paperwork between institutions and still protect the interests of all participants. MR4 and NIAID staff can answer questions and otherwise assist with the registration process.MR4 staff can be contacted via the website or through postal delivery at MR4, ATCC, 10801 University Blvd, Manassas, VA 20110, USA. Tel: +1 703 365 2700; Fax: +1 703 365 2701; e-mail: malaria@atcc.org, http://www.malaria.mr4.org.NIAID staff can be contacted via the website or by postal delivery to MR4 Program, Parasitology and International Programs Branch, NIAID, 6700B Rockledge Drive, Room 3103, Bethesda, MD 20892-7630. Tel: +1 301 402 8302; Fax: +1 301 402 0659; e-mail: malaria@niaid.nih.gov, http://www.niaid.nih.gov/reposit/malrep.htm.

Name Authority Work for OCLC Copy Cataloging: Is It Worth the Effort?

ABSTRACT In 1996, a study was undertaken at the University of Arkansas Libraries to evaluate the practice of front-end authority work for monographs copy cataloging. A sample of 283 name headings originating from Library of Congress, OCLC “Enhance” member, and general member copy was examined, and analysis revealed that 47.3 percent of headings correctly matched authority records already present in the library's local file. Another 41.3 percent exactly matched records in the OCLC authority file. These findings prompted the library to cease checking name headings at the point of cataloging. However, the level of inaccuracies present, combined with the value of authority records for cross-reference and note information, ensured that the Database Maintenance Unit would continue to review local headings reports and perform needed authority work.

The Virtual Canadian Union Catalogue Project (vCuc)

ABSTRACT Between late 1996 and March 1998, twenty-one Canadian libraries participated in the virtual Canadian union catalogue project (vCuc) coordinated by the National Library of Canada. This project tested the use of Z39.50 to link disparate library catalogues in emulation of a centralized union catalogue. The primary project conclusion is that use of a virtual catalogue is effective now for functions such as copy cataloguing. The effectiveness for other activities will increase as software products evolve and improve. This paper describes what was done, the issues identified, and the achievements of the project.

Paraprofessional Catalogers in ARL Libraries

The authors conducted a survey of ARL member libraries to identify the minimum education and experience required of paraprofessional catalogers. The majority of surveyed libraries responded that they use paraprofessionals to catalog various types of materials. A higher number of libraries use paraprofessionals in copy cataloging than in original cataloging. Although no single model of education and training for paraprofessional catalogers exists, certain patterns emerge. The educational expectations for copy catalogers are lower than those for original catalogers. Training takes place on the job. The library profession is not as far along in developing structured paraprofessional degree requirements along the same lines as other professions, such as law or medicine.

What Happened to the Serials Cataloger

Summary As many academic libraries continue to redefine positions in response to budget cuts, downsizing, outsourcing, technology and the incorporation of electronic resources, the effects on managers and team leaders in bibliographic access services are overwhelmingly shifting from day-to-day hands-on experience to primarily administrative. At Lehigh University the only serials cataloger was reassigned to a team leader's position, which left no other professional serials catalog librarian in the department at a time when the library began canceling print subscriptions and acquiring electronic journals. This paper will discuss the changing roles, responsibilities and challenges the team leader experienced and its effect on the copy cataloging of serials.

Untapped Resource: Art Students Cataloging Art Exhibition Catalogs at Virginia Commonwealth University

ABSTRACT In the fall of 1993, the James Branch Cabell Library of Virginia Commonwealth University received a gift of approximately 12,000 art exhibition catalogs formerly housed in the library of the School of the Arts. After considering various options to provide access to this comprehensive collection, it was decided to hire art students to copy catalog the bulk of the collection, under the supervision of two professional librarians. This article describes how the cataloging project was successfully implemented, thanks to a well-designed workflow and well-trained, dedicated student catalogers. Problems specific to cataloging art exhibition catalogs and enhancements made to the catalog records were also highlighted.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing, an established practice in the business world and for selected library functions, is now being used increasingly for routine copy cataloging. When done well, it is a strategic partnership involving the library, materials vendor, bibliographic utility, and local system vendor. All partners contribute to and benefit from the relationship, which leverages the strength of each participant for the benefit of all. The library serves as lead partner, with responsibility for creating the partnership and for ensuring that all parties comply with the terms to which they have agreed. Ongoing evaluation by the library and modification as needed to enhance the effectiveness of the partnership will assure its long term viability.

The case for international co‐operation in cataloguing: from copy cataloguing to multilingual subject access – experiences within the British Library

An outline of a cataloguing strategy that might be adopted for the millennium is given with reference to how such a strategy is being implemented at the British Library. The first stage has involved co‐operation with American libraries and future plans are linked to co‐operation with European libraries. Such developments involve countries with different languages and different cataloguing cultures and so present many challenges. Finally skills required by staff needed to implement the cataloguing strategy are discussed.

Creating Better Subject Access with Multiple Vocabularies: Upgrading the Subject Heading List for the Alzheimer’s Association

Although the Alzheimer’s Association’s Green-Field Library’s catalog has been available to local chapters and interested people for some time through modem access, placing the catalog on the World Wide Web would make it available to casual browsers as well as determined searchers. When a review of the subject list revealed numerous inconsistencies and duplications, a new list was generated, giving preference to Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) where possible. The result was a mix of MeSH and Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), augmented by a few local- and reviewer-supplied terms. The new subject authority list gives the Green-Field Library an authoritative list of terms to use when performing original and copy cataloging. It can also be placed with the library’s catalog on the Web to aid users in performing searches.

Catalogers in Academic Libraries: Their Evolving and Expanding Roles

Catalogers in academic libraries who belong to ALA’s Technical Services Division were surveyed to determine if and how their job functions have changed over the past ten years. The 271 respondents indicated a change from print to electronic formats, involvement of nonprofessionals in higher levels of cataloging, a trend toward outsourcing (particularly, copy cataloging and foreign-language materials), and more cataloging of specialized items, audiovisual materials, and digital documents by professional librarians. The latter now use their expertise to edit problematic records, engage in managerial tasks, catalog and attempt authority control of Internet resources, do Internet training or Web page design, and use HTML. More and more catalogers are involved in activities formerly in the domain of systems librarians (selecting and implementing catalog products, database maintenance, etc.).

Authority Work in Copy (Derived) Cataloging

As electronic, monetary, and human resources keep dwindling, library materials waiting to be cataloged increase in volume and complexity. The cataloging process is scrutinized; time and effort expended are investigated. The entire copy cataloging process was observed, with eight participants. Each step was timed and the authority control component isolated. Workflow issues and managerial trade-offs are discussed.

“Cataloging Must Change!” and Indexer Consistency Studies: Misreading the Evidence at Our Peril

ABSTRACT An article published in 1991 “Cataloging Must Change!” by Dorothy Gregor and Carol Mandel, has popularized the belief that there is only “ten to 20 percent” agreement among subject catalogers in assigning LC subject headings. Because of this alleged lack of consistency, the article suggests, catalogers “can be more accepting of variations in subject choices” in copy cataloging. This inference, however, is based on a serious misreading of previous studies of indexer consistency. The “ten to 20 percent” agreement figure actually derives from studies of people trying to guess the same natural language key words, precisely in the absence of vocabulary control mechanisms such as thesauri or Library of Congress Subject Headings. The sources cited by Gregor and Mandel fail to support their conclusion; in fact, some of the sources directly contradict it. A naive acceptance by the library profession of the “ten to 20 percent” claim can only have negative consequences for the quality of subject cataloging created, and accepted, throughout the country.

Teamwork in Technical Services

The recent reorganization of the Michigan State University Libraries Technical Services Division implemented a team concept and outlined a model for Division workflow which emphasized inter-team cooperation. Thesis processing was selected as the first application of this model because of increasing backlogs and patrons' concerns regarding the availability of these items. An internal task force chaired by the Principal Cataloger and composed of representatives from appropriate Technical Services Division Teams developed a procedure designed to use each team's strengths to process both the backlog and current receipts in a continuous workflow. Theses were received in the Monograph Acquisitions Team and groups of theses to be processed were delivered weekly to the Copy Cataloging Team, where descriptive records were created by student workers using the Cataloging MicroEnhancer Plus software. The theses groups were then delivered to the Original Cataloging Team, where subject analysis was completed. The final step involved transfer of the theses to the Database Management Team, where the records were uploaded from disk into OCLC and theses were processed for shelving. In the first full year of the project, 1,669 theses were processed.

Cutting Cataloging Costs: Accepting LC Classification Call Numbers from OCLC Cataloging Copy

Cataloging policy at the University of Alabama Libraries allows the acceptance of LC classification call numbers from OCLC cataloging copy into the local database without shelflisting. In this study, we measured error rates for locally unshelflisted samples and a control group of locally assigned and shelflisted call numbers to determine whether this policy produces disarrangement of the local online shelflist. The results show no significant differences between samples, indicating that cataloger’s task of local shelflisting is not a cost-effective use of their time. An analysis of the error data suggests that the types of disorder created by shelflisting errors would not impede the retrieval of items while subject browsing, but further study is needed to confirm this.

Bibliographic Utilities and Latin American Collections

There appears to be a conflict between the principles of cooperation in cataloging and the acquisition of Latin American materials. A recent look at the literature revealed that the availability of copy cataloging for Latin American imprints in the bibliographic utilities seems to be on the decline. The author surveyed large, medium, and small Latin American collections via the Internet to determine the usefulness of bibliographic utilities for cataloging Latin American material. It was found that some large collections use more than one utility. Library representatives said their institutions were using more than one utility because they were trying to receive the maximum benefit from copy cataloging. Some catalogers of Latin American imprints seem unaware of the decline of copy cataloging in the bibliographic utilities that has been documented in the literature.

An Analysis of Eight RLIN-Members' Authority-Controlled Access Points for Purposes of Speeding Copy Cataloging Work Flow

The authority-controlled headings in a random sample of cataloging records from eight RLIN-member libraries were examined to determine the extent to which they either matched the forms as established in RLIN's on-line authority files or, in cases where no headings existed in the files, had been formulated according to AACR2R principles and LC guidelines. The primary purpose of the study was to add libraries to a preferred list kept by the Monograph Cataloging Section of the New York Public Library and used to speed its copy cataloging work flow. The way that the Section uses this list was described.

Old solutions in a new age: Cataloging and the future of access to government information

The availability of U.S. Government Printing Office bibliographic tapes for copy cataloging or for loading directly into online catalogs may have lulled documents librarians into believing that the problem of bibliographic control for documents collections has been solved. Others may believe that with the move to an electronic distribution system for United States government information, creating and loading bibliographic records for government publications into local library catalogs is becoming an anachronism. This article discusses the functions of cataloging in light of continuing needs and current developments in access to government information. Recommendations are made for ways that the library community, providers of government information, and automation specialists can work together to reexamine bibliographic standards, expand tape loading to non-U.S. depository documents collections, link useful bibliographic databases with library catalogs, and use cataloging of Internet resources to show relationships between physical collections and remotely accessible government information.

Promptcat issues for acquisitions: Quality review, cost analysis and workflow implications

PromptCat is a new service offered by OCLC, in conjunction with monograph materials vendors, that provides libraries with a full bibliographic record from the OCLC Online Union Catalog (OLUC) simultaneous to the supply of materials from a vendor. The library's holdings are set automatically on the OLUC record. Because PromptCat eliminates the need for libraries to do individual title-by-title searching and record selection when materials are received, it will streamline local cataloging activities. It may also provide an impetus for libraries to reevaluate local editing practices and determine whether materials can be processed quickly upon receipt in acquisitions rather than in copy cataloging. This article addresses issues relating to PromptCat, including tests of the service conducted at The Ohio State University (OSU) and Michigan State University (MSU), an estimated cost/benefit analysis based on OSU's approval plan, and issues including coordination between OCLC, materials vendors, system vendors, and the library as well as workflow, organizational implications and staffing issues.

Availability of cataloging copy for microfiche U.S. documents on OCLC

This paper reports the results of a study using the 1993 Depository Libraries Shipping Lists for microfiche U.S. documents (approximately 24,000 documents) to determine the availability and timeliness of microfiche bibliographic records from OCLC. A random sample of 931 records was searched on the OCLC bibliographic database in November 1994. Results reveal that records were available for 44 percent of the sample within one month of the shipping list date. By three months after the shipping list date, cataloging copy was accessible on OCLC for 76 percent of the sample. Six months following the shipping list date, 89 percent of the sample had bibliographic records on OCLC; and one year after the shipping list date, there was cataloging copy for 97 percent of the sample. This study demonstrates that cataloging copy for many U.S. federal microfiche documents is available in a timely manner from the OCLC database.

Developing new roles for paraprofessionals in cataloging

Changes in cataloging practices and philosophies, new technologies and vendor services, and enhanced efficiency and productivity produce new assignments for copy catalogers in academic libraries. Paraprofessionals, as a result, perform cataloging tasks previously done by librarians. They should have opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills, and benefit from challenging work assignments.