What Is Cataloging?

What is Cataloging The Big Question LIB 630 Classification and Cataloging Spring 2009 Do we need to be FRBRizing, or what?

What is Cataloging?
cataloging
The process of creating entries for a catalog . In libraries , this usually includes bibliographic description , subject analysis , assignment of classification notation , and activities involved in physically preparing the item for the shelf , tasks usually performed under the supervision of a librarian trained as a cataloger . British spelling is cataloguing . See also : cataloging agency , cataloging-in-publication , centralized cataloging , cooperative cataloging , copy cataloging , descriptive cataloging , encoding level , and recataloging .
Online Dictionary of Library and Information Science, ODLIS
June 7, 2009 What is cataloging?

2 kinds of cataloging
Original cataloging
Copy cataloging

What is original cataloging?
original cataloging
Preparation of a bibliographic record from scratch, without the aid of a pre-existing catalog record for the same edition , more time-consuming for the cataloger than copy cataloging .
i.e.: Do-it-yourself cataloging!

Copy cataloging?
copy cataloging
Adaptation of a pre-existing bibliographic record (usually found in OCLC , RLIN , NUC , or some other bibliographic database ) to fit the characteristics of the item in hand, with modifications to correct obvious errors and minor adjustments to reflect locally accepted cataloging practice, as distinct from original cataloging (creating a completely new record from scratch).
i.e. Copy from others cataloging!

But what are we actually doing when we catalog a book or whatever?
We’re entering information about the book into the library’s catalog, so that when patrons are searching, they can find what they’re looking for, or, at least, something that will help them find an answer to their question.

What is a card catalog?
card catalog
A list of the holdings of a library , printed , typed, or handwritten on catalog card s, each representing a single bibliographic item in the collection . Catalog cards are normally filed in a single alphabetical sequence ( dictionary catalog ), or in separate sections by author , title , and subject ( divided catalog ), in the long narrow drawers of a specially designed filing cabinet, usually constructed of wood ( click here to see an example). Most large- and medium-sized libraries in the United States have converted their card catalogs to machine-readable format. Also spelled card catalogue . Compare with online catalog .

Online catalog?
online catalog
A library catalog consisting of a collection of bibliographic record s in machine-readable format , maintained on a dedicated computer that provides uninterrupted interactive access via terminal s or workstation s in direct, continuous communication with the central computer. Although the software used in online catalogs is proprietary and not standardized , most online catalogs are searchable by author , title , subject heading , and keywords , and most public and academic libraries in the United States provide free public access, usually through a Web -based graphical user interface . Click here to log on to the online catalog of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Synonymous with OPAC .
OPAC= online public access catalog

Why make this distinction?
There are those who call an online catalog the “online card catalog” or something similar.
There are no cards on the computer, so that calling the online computer the “card” catalog is a misnomer
“ Card” refers only to the medium the catalog appears on
PLEASE DON’T DO IT!

Elements of cataloging
From ODLIS definition :
bibliographic description
subject analysis
assignment of classification notation (which is essentially what classification is)
activities involved in physically preparing the item for the shelf

What information do you put into the catalog, then?
Basic bibliographic information (AKA bibliographic description ):
Author, title, publisher, date
Edition
Basic physical information (AKA physical description ):
Size, no. of pages, whether illustrated, if it has a bibliography and/or index
Format (book, recording, electronic, etc.)
Subject information (AKA subject analysis )

What is bibliographic description?
The official international definition:
“ . . . lists all the elements which are required to describe and identify all types of material which are likely to appear in library collections, . . .”
ISBD(G): General International Standard Bibliographic Description 1992 http://www.ifla.org/VII/s13/pubs/isbdg0.htm

Wait, there’s more, though!
International Standard Bibliographic Description
“ . . . assigns an order to the elements of description, and specifies a system of punctuation for the description.”
ISBD(G): General International Standard Bibliographic Description 1992 http://www.ifla.org/VII/s13/pubs/isbdg0.htm

What is the prescribed order?
Area 1: title and statement of responsibility (for example: author, editor, artist).
Area 2: edition.
Area 3: material-dependent information (for example, the scale of a map or the duration of a sound recording ).
Area 4: publication and distribution.
Area 5: physical description (for example: size and number of pages in a book or number of CDs in the same jewel case ).
Area 6: series.
Area 7: notes.
Area 8: standard number ( ISBN , ISSN ).
International Standard Bibliographic Description From Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Bibliographic_Description

What is the punctuation? June 7, 2009 What is cataloging? Slide from presentation Introduction to Description: History of Cataloging Codes Spaces before and after the special punctuation (shown in red)! GMD=General material designation. New rules: [ ] not ( )

An Example June 7, 2009 What is cataloging? Slide from presentation Introduction to Description: History of Cataloging Codes Notice the spaces! Title Author Edition Author

What do the punctuation symbols mean?
[ . . . ] usually means that what’s included within the [ ] is General Material Designation, i.e. physical or electronic or other format
: usually means that what comes first is the main title and what comes after is the subtitle (if there are spaces before and after) OR what comes first is the place of publication and what comes after is the publisher
/ means that what follows is the “statement of responsibility”, i.e. author, editor, etc

What’s the advantage of having everything so standardized?
You can recognize and read a bibliographic record, no matter what language or script it’s written in
You can tell what’s being described, no matter what kind of material it is

An example in English June 7, 2009 What is cataloging? Main title GMD—format realia =real-life object Subtitle Statement of responsibility Publication info Physical description Series info Slide 14 from CATALOGING: Ticket to the Past, the Present, and the Future © 2000 Arlene G. Taylor Edition and edition responsi-bility

An example in German June 7, 2009 What is cataloging? Title GMD=General Material Designation (in this case: electronic resource) Subtitle Statement of responsibility Publication area Series information Standard Number Physical Description

An example in Bulgarian June 7, 2009 What is cataloging? Author Title Subtitle (or GMD?) Statement of responsibility Edition area Publication area Physical description

ISBD in an online catalog / shows statement of responsibility, i.e. author, follows General Material Designation Spaces before and after punctuation to separate sections

What does AACR2 have to do with this?
Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR)
A detailed set of standardized rules for cataloging various types of library materials . . . which is divided into two parts: rules for creating the bibliographic description of an item of any type, and rules governing the choice and form of entry of heading s (access points) in the catalog .
June 7, 2009 What is cataloging? Click here to read a brief history of AACR2 , courtesy of the JSC .

Do we need to learn all these rules?
If you plan on specializing as a cataloger, especially in a large research library, where you will be doing a lot of original cataloging, then you will need to learn the rules.
As an LMS, most of your cataloging will be copy cataloging, so that a general awareness of the rules will be all you need—plus knowing where to look them up!

Will there be an AACR3?
Yes and no—FRBR is coming!

What is FRBR?
Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records
Either F-R-B-R or “Ferber”
A report in 7 languages (soon to add simplified and traditional Chinese)
A “conceptual model”
entities
attributes
Relationships
This comes from the Powerpoint presentation below:

Goal of cataloging
FRBR
To enable a person to:
Find
Identify
Select
Obtain
Cutter ( 19 th century cataloging pioneer)
To enable a person to find a book of which either
the author
the title
the subject
...is known
To show what the library has
by a given author
on a given subject
in a given kind of literature
To assist in the choice of a book
as to its edition (bibliographically)
as to its character (literary or topical)
Adapted from FRBR; or, How I learned to stop worrying and love the model

Do we need FRBR? June 7, 2009 What is cataloging?

And then there’s RDA
. . . maybe!

Probably! What is RDA?
RDA: Resource Description and Access
the new standard for resource description and access designed for the digital world. Built on the foundations established by AACR2, RDA provides a comprehensive set of guidelines and instructions on resource description and access covering all types of content and media.
http://www.rdaonline.org/

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What Is Cataloging?

by Johan Koren on Jan 26, 2009

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What Is Cataloging? — Presentation Transcript