The Library Cataloging Tradition

1
The Library Cataloging Tradition

• Marty Kurth (mk168_at_cornell.edu)
• CS 431
• February 9, 2005
• slides stolen from Diane Hillmann

2
From the beginning ...

• The traditional catalog and its boundaries
• How catalogs have evolved
• Library catalog content standards
• Catalog metadata transmission format (MARC)

3
The Boundaries of the Traditional Catalog

• Books
• Serials/Journals at the title level
• Article level access left to commercial services
• Archival collections at the collection level
• Sub-collections and individual items described in
  finding aids
• Funny Formats not always integrated or
  traditionally cataloged

4
Evolution of The Catalog

• Book catalogs
• Card catalogs
• Union catalogs
• Union lists
• Online catalogs
• Bibliographic utilities

5
The Card Catalog lives on ...

• LC card distribution begins in 1890s
• MARC developed (by Henriette Avram) at LC in the
  1960s
• OCLC (first bibliographic utility using MARC) in
  the early 1970s
• AACR2 (takes effect in 1981) pushes libraries
  into the online catalog era

6
... and on

• MARC Format Integration prepares MARC for
  rational extension
• Second (third?) generation library management
  systems bring on web-based catalogs in 1990s
• AACR2 and MARC extended to remote resources in
  mid-1990s
• Metadata other than MARC begins to filter into
  libraries

7
From Cutters Objects (1875)

• 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)

8
To the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic
Records (1998)

• Description (FRBR identify, select)
• Access (FRBR find)
• Subject access
• headings
• classification
• Other access points
• Holdings (FRBR obtain)

9
Description Access

• AACR2 divided into two major parts
• Description
• Organized by format, with specific rules for
  describing each type of materials
• Headings, Uniform Titles, and References
• Choice of access points
• Headings for persons, geographic names, corporate
  bodies, etc.
• References to guide readers to the correct heading

10
Subject Analysis, the third estate

• Can be either term based (alphabetically
  arranged) or alphanumeric (arranged by topic)
• US research libraries generally use the Library
  of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and
  Classification (LCC)

11
Ranganathan Colon Classification

• S. R. Ranganathan
• developed Colon Classification System in the
  1930s based on the concept of facets
• subdivides each of 42 main classes into facets,
  which are then combined to make subordinate
  classes as needed (which yields a
  polyhierarchical result)
• Art Architecture Thesaurus and PRECIS based on
  this model (so is Yahoo, in a simplified way)

12
Dewey Classification

• Dewey Decimal Classification System (DDC) first
  published in 1876 by Melvil Dewey
• Most widely used classification system in the
  world (used in 135 countries)
• In this country used primarily by public and
  school libraries

13
Dewey, continued

• DDC is divided into ten main classes, then ten
  divisions, each division into ten sections
• The first digit in each three-digit number
  represents the main class.
• 500 natural sciences and mathematics.
• The second digit in each three-digit number
  indicates the division.
• 500 is used for general works on the sciences
• 510 for mathematics
• 520 for astronomy
• 530 for physics

14
More Dewey

• The third digit in each three-digit number
  indicates the section.
• 530is used for general works on physics
• 531 for classical mechanics
• 532 for fluid mechanics
• 533 for gas mechanics
• A decimal point follows the third digit in a
  class number, after which division by ten
  continues to the specific degree of
  classification needed.

15
Library of Congress Subjects

• Essentially an artificial indexing language
• Based on literary warrant
• Entry vocabulary provided in the form of
  reference structure
• Moving slowly towards a real thesaurus structure
  (not there yet)
• Not facetedsubdivisions pre-selected, based on
  individual heading or pattern heading

16
LCSH Example

• Digital libraries
• see from Electronic libraries
• see from Virtual libraries
• see broader term Libraries
• see also Information storage and retrieval
  systems

17
Library of Congress Classification

• 21 basic classes, based on single alphabetic
  character (Klaw, Nart, etc.)
• Subdivided into two or three alpha characters
  (KFAmerican Law, NDpainting, etc.)
• Further subdivision by specific numeric
  assignment
• Author numbers and dates arrange works by a
  particular author together and in chronological
  order

18
MARC Formats (Bibliographic)

• Books
• Serials
• Maps
• Visual materials
• Sound recordings
• Computer files
• Archives and manuscripts

19
Control fields (00X)
Number code fields (0XX)
Access point (1XX main entry)
Title, publisher, etc. (2XX)
Physical description (3XX)
Series (4XX)
Notes (5XX)
Subject headings (6XX)
Local fields (9XX)
20
From Holdings Record
21
Authorized heading
Cross-references
Source where data found
22
Authorized heading
Place/Publisher
Treatment codes
Source where data found
23
LC Classification
Authorized heading (topic)
See also ref.
See also from (broader)
See also from (related)
Information in other headings
24
Heading (name)
Heading (series)
Classification (subject)
Heading (subject)
Bibliographic Record (paper version)
Bibliographic Record (digital version)
Holdings (paper)
Holdings (paper)
Holdings (digital)
25
Traditional library ? digital libraries?

• MARC and AACR2 categorizations by physical format
  break down for digital resources
• Efforts to integrate digital materials ongoing
• Catalog boundaries are at issue

26
Current Questions

• What will be cataloged?
• How can we further maximize automation to
  minimize costs?
• How much catalog data is enough?
• What will catalogs look like?
• How will catalogs integrate with other retrieval
  systems?