¶ … Fingertips
Computers and Cataloging in the Modern Library
The library has come a long way from the days of gigantic filing cabinets packed with typewritten cards. Of course, the librarian of yore got a good deal of exercise running down into the basement and racing past those long cabinets until at last she arrived at the correct drawer. Yet, the job wasn't finished there. More often than not, finding the proper card meant hauling out the entire drawer and heaving it onto the nearest tabletop. This was then followed by the amusing chore of trying to force your fingers in between cards that were inevitably too tightly packed together to be moved. Well, at least the cards were in order...that is unless a patron had had the same trouble as you and had carelessly opened that long metal bar and thrown out the cards that were in his way. At least once you found the card, you would have all the information to find the book you needed - author, title, subject, Dewy Decimal Number. Yes, the Dewey Decimal System was a wonderful invention, too bad not everyone used it. The Library of Congress had its own system, as did various other libraries, and well, if you went overseas
Unfortunately, while computers have in many instances made cataloging large collections much easier than before, they are not foolproof. Systems such as OCLC and RLIN are not immune from human error, and numberless books have simply been "lost" as a result of not being cataloged. (Akey, 2000, p. 150) In fact, overwhelmed by the dauntingly enormous task of re-cataloging millions of books and periodicals, the Library of Congress has adopted what it calls "Core Level Cataloging." The system allows for a simplified entry of certain records that make it faster to get all of those entries into computer, but can often have serious repercussions for the research librarian, or person off the street who is looking for a particular item, or even worse, a particular passage in a particular item. (Akey, 2000, p. 150) Nevertheless, computers do have their advantages, and there are now many cataloging systems from which a library can choose. The Online Computer Library Center is the largest of these.
The Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit consortium of 9,000 libraries, including the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library. The OCLC Online Union Catalog, with records on more than 19 million unique titles, is the result of the largest cooperative library venture in the world. The database contains descriptions of books, government documents, serials, audio-visual items, maps, microforms, and other library materials. Information is updated continuously through the day, and records also indicate which member-libraries own a particular title. (Lavin, 2000, p. 65)
In addition to OCLC, which was one of the earliest services, numerous other services have sprung up. There is the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services
ALCTS) that provides a variety of technical assistance to the librarian. (ALCTS, 2002) The American Libraries Online is allows its users to keep abreast of the latest news, especially as it concerns library operations and funding; both essential pieces of knowledge when it comes to deciding how and when to expand one's computer system. (American Library Association, 2002)
For those looking for more technical sort of advice on cataloging as well as various other issues that relate to the subject, an excellent choice is the Cataloging and Classification Quarterly, that is available online as well as in print.
Cataloging & Classification Quarterly is respected as an international forum for discussion in all aspects of bibliographic organization. It presents a balance between theoretical and applied articles in the field of cataloging and classification, and considers the full spectrum of creation, content, management, and use of bibliographic records. This includes the principles, functions, and techniques of descriptive cataloging; the wide range of methods of subject analysis and classification; provision of access for all formats of materials including electronic resources; and the policies and planning leading to the effective use of bibliographic records in modern society. (Carter, 2002)
On a still more technical note, Library High Tech offers a review of applications that are available for library purposes. It offers very good advice regarding the latest systems. Among the new applications it describes is a system called Z39.50 that allows the user to negotiate various different cataloging systems without having to learn his or her way around each individual screen.
Z39.50 is an American communications standard recently adopted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and supported by most library system vendors. As a standard it specifies the rules and procedures for two computer systems...
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