This document discusses the different forms that library catalogs can take, including physical (outer) forms like book, sheaf, and card forms, as well as inner forms like author, title, subject, dictionary, classified, and alphabetico-classed catalogs. It outlines the merits and demerits of each form and notes that the choice of catalog for a library depends on factors like its type, available resources, and attitudes of leadership. Modern libraries often use computerized catalogs and online public access catalogs (OPAC) to overcome issues with traditional forms.

1. By
Dr. S. L. Sangam
Professor and Chairman
Department of Library and Information Science
Karnataka University, Dharwad

2. Introduction The library catalogue has been an indispensible and
effective tool to make the library resources available to its
users.
 The modern librarians have attached much importance to the
convenience of readers for making the use of the present
action of the library catalogue has greatly influenced its
shape which has led to the adoption of various forms.
 There are two forms of catalogue
1. Outer Forms or the Physical Form
which relates to the external shape, size, and appearance of
catalogue installed for the use of the readers.
2. Inner Forms:
which refers to various varieties of construction and
arrangement of catalogue.

3. Consideration in the choice of physical
form
In choosing the physical form of catalogue, the following
requirements should be kept in mind.
 To keep it up to date
 To bring together entries
 Accessible
 Portability
 Easy to handle and consult
 Economical to produce and maintain
 Compact in size
 Reproduction
 Fast speed of search.

4. Outer Forms
Book Form: As the name suggests it resembles to a
book or a register in appearance.
 The entries are printed on separate sheets as per
a desired arrangement and the sheets are then
bound together to form a book or register.
 It is easy to prepare, however, lacks flexibility.
Entries for newly coming books cannot be
accommodated at proper places, hence, requires
frequent revisions.

5. Cont
 As such it is not economical to keep it up-
to-date. Moreover, it cannot be used by
more than one user simultaneously; only a
single user can use it at one time.
 It has the advantage of portability. Its use is
not subject to the availability of electricity.
It is free from any machinery fault.

6. Merits and Demerits of Book Form
The merits are
 Book form is the easiest form to consult.
 Portable and easy to handle
 Several entries can be seen on a single page
quickly and at time.
 It occupies much less space
 Very useful as bibliographical tools to the
scholars and researcher students.

7. Cont
The demerits are
 It is too expensive
 This can never be kept up to-date.
 No place for new entries
 Used by limited number of readers

8. Cont
Sheaf Form: This form consists of separate
sheets preferably of manila paper on which
a couple of entries are printed.
 The sheets in turn are punched at one side
and loosely bound either with a spiral
thread or a comb spine.

9. Cont
 This form resemble to the book form as it
shares most of the advantages of the book
form.
 It is a bit superior to the book form in the
sense that it partly overcomes the non-
flexibility problem faced by the former.
However it becomes much voluminous

10. Sheaf Form

11. Merits and Demerits of Sheaf
form
The merits are
 Flexilibility of insertion and with drawl of
entries.
 Easier and cheaper to produce
 Easier in handling and can be moved one place
to another
 Occupies less space
 Duplicate copies can be prepared cheaply by
simply carbon copies.

12. Cont
Demerits are
 Only one entry is recorded on the paper slip, much
wastage of space on the slip.
 The operation of withdrawal and insertion of entries is
not very easy.
 Handwritten entries get distorted and defaced, and
time of labor is wasted in preparing the same entries.
 Guiding is not satisfactory
 Library using sheaf catalogue cannot take advantage of
co-operative cataloguing.

13. Cont
Card Form: The non-flexibility problem faced by
the previous physical forms of the catalogue was
gravely felt.
 In order to eradicate it fully, stiff paper cards of
the dimension of 3 x 5 in. size and 0.25 mm.
thickness are used to prepare different catalogue
entries discussed earlier.
 One card is used for every individual entry, main
or the added. The card has a small hole in the
lower middle part, so that each card can be
inserted into a steel rod.

14. Cont
 The cards held together by the steel rod are
arranged as per the desired sequence in
wooden trays.
 The wooden trays are then placed in the
pigeonholes of the catalogue cabinet.

15. Cont
 Each tray on its outer face is marked by an appropriate
label in alphabetical or classified sequence, the
sequence in which the cards are arranged inside.
Entries for newly coming books can be accommodated
at proper places, hence, does not require frequent
revisions. As such it is economical to keep it up-to-
date.
 Moreover it can be used by more than one user
simultaneously; each user can use one or the other tray
at a particular time. Its use is not subject to the
availability of electricity. It is free from any machinery
fault. However, such catalogue is voluminous and
lacks portability.

16. Card Form

17. Merits and Demerits of Card
form
Merits are
 Far from growing obsolete or congestion.
 Allows flexilibility and maximum case of insertion of
new entries.
 Capable of infinite expansion and manipulation
without any hindrance.
 Easily changed at any time by replacing new ones
and can be arranged in any order.
 Easy to consult and handle by many readers.
 It can be easily guided.

18. Cont
Demerits are
 Card cabinet occupies much space and as such it
creates the problem of space.
 It is not portable and cannot be consulted like a book
form.
 In a busy library when a single reader monopolizes the
whole tray or section of the cabinets he kills the time of
other reader.
 The cards can be easily removed or distracted by errant
reader who can create problems.
 Only one title can be located by the reader at the time.
 These days cards are too expensive
 It is not economical

19. Cont
Computerized Form of Catalogues/ OPAC: The
problems faced by the previous forms of catalogue
have been addressed to a great extant by the
computers.
 With the advent of computers the library activities
ranging from acquisition to withdrawal of books
from the library records can be automated. Same is
the fate of cataloguing.

20. Cont
 The process not only helps in preparation of
different catalogue entries, but also, in generation
of book type or card type printouts.
 In addition it has revolutionized the storage and
retrieval mechanism of the libraries through its
electronic version. As a matter of fact OPAC (on
line public access catalogues) are nowadays
available in libraries.

21. Cont
Microfiche readerOPAC

22. Merits and Demerits of
Computerized Form of Catalogues/ OPAC
Merits are
 Micro forms inexpensive to reproduce COM
catalogue and can be placed in many locations
inside and outside of library.
 There can be separate film for other entries, title
entries and subject entries.
 Several records can be viewed at one time
 Entries can be easily copied if a microform
rear/printer is available.
 Equipment for the use of COM is relatively
inexpensive.

23. Cont
Demerits are
 Microforms are often not easily read compared to
print form.
 It is not easily updated.
 Updating is by supplements which may confuse the
catalogue user who must look in several files.
 Rearrangement of information is difficult
 Equipment requires.

24. Inner Forms
 By simplest definition catalogue is a list of Books and
other material in a library or collection.
 The entries in the list being arranged in same
systematic order. This order, or the mode of
arrangement of entries determines the “ inner form”
catalogue.
 JamesOrmerod in his book style in card cataloguing
Ed.2 1932 mentioned that catalogues likes sentences in
grammar are of 3 kinds
1. Simple
2. Compound
3. Complex

25. Cont
The 3 kinds can be divided as
1. Simple
Author, title and Alphabetico-subject
2. Compound
Author-Title
Name- Subject
3. Complex
Dictionary
Classified
Alphabetico-Classed

26. Main Inner Forms
1. Author Catalogue
2. Name Catalogue
3. Title catalogue
4. Alphabetical subject Catalogue
5. Dictionary Catalogue
6. Classified or systematic catalogue
7. Alphabetical-classed catalogue

27. Author Catalogue
 Generally accepted that author catalogue is
supreme in value and important, because it is
the only catalogue from which a reader can
be perfectly certain of ascertaining whether a
library has a particular book,
 Assuming that he has the author's name
correctly, for the author name is the one
indisputable thing about a book.

28. Cont
 Cataloguers have felt justified in giving
the author catalogue first place, and no
library is complete without some form of
it.
 British Museum, which possess one of
the finest examples of printed author
catalogue, and also provides an equally
valuable subject index.

29. Name Catalogue
 Which is arranged in a single alphabet of
authors and of people written about, whether
biographies descriptions and criticisms of their
work.
 Within its limits it is a catalogue of great value,
and one that may be used to advantage in
conjunction with a classified catalogue, taking
the place of author index.

30. Title catalogue
 The catalogue in which titles are arranged
alphabetically
 And the totally documents available in the
library are arranged title wise.

31. Alphabetical subject Catalogue
 Alphabetically arranged under each
subject.
 And under each subject to show on which
specific subject or topic.
 With the help of chain procedure process
can be carried out.

32. Dictionary Catalogue
 It appeals particularly to people who
want very specific information, or who
are not pursuing a detailed investigation
of a wide branch of Knowledge
Ex: The gardener who wants books about
roses only.

33. Classified or systematic catalogue
 Here entries are made under class symbols
or class numbers.
 One scheme is chosen i.e CC, DDC,UDC
 Subject arranged accordingly
CC-A-Z
DDC 000-999
330 Economics
331 Labour and Lobour problem

34. Alphabetical-classed catalogue
 In an Alphabetico-classed catalog, the headings of
bibliographic records are arranged alphabetically,
but subject headings display the generic
relationships of subjects.
 While this type of classed catalog is generally useful
it requires titles sometimes to be forced into the
subject-headings. This is particularly true for inter-
disciplinary or multi-disciplinary works

35. Conclusion
Both catalogues have their advocates who strongly
support their favorites.
 While the opponents of the classified catalogue argue
that it was a complicated tool difficult to decipher by
users.
Its supporters have held the view, which they
constantly propagate that there is no substitute for it.
There is a lack of objectivity on the part of both groups
because very few people are familiar with both types of
catalogue

36. Cont
 The dictionary catalogue as certain weaknesses, but a
carefully worked out network of cross can help to
reduce limitations resulting from the absence of a
classified arrangement.
 However, there is no doubt that very often careless use
of cross references can prove irritating to users.
 Choice of catalogue by a library would depend upon
certain factors –type of library, avalibility of printed
catalogues cards ,types of catalogues used by
neighboring libraries ,kind of training of the chief
librarian and chief cataloguer ,and the attitude of
authorities.