Cataloguing Article - Essay Example

Cataloguing Article Introduction This article on cataloguing discusses the current and projected future status of the MARC record, with reference to standards, current developments in record formats, and the impact of FRBR on the bibliographic community. A Catalogue is a list of documents, arranged according to some definite plan, which records and describes the resources of a collection. A Union catalogue is a catalogue of the holdings, partial or complete, in a number of document collections, which provides the location of the items held. When in printed form, such a catalogue may also be known as a union list. . Current and projected future status of the MARC record Although the Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC) standard is often underestimated or disregarded in the library community, the MARC standard does provide a lot of robustness and flexibility for data mapping. The Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC) standards are made up of the MARC formats, which are standards for communicating and representing bibliographic and other related information in machine-readable form. The Machine-Readable Cataloging also defines a bibliographic format for data which was developed at the Library of Congress in the 1960s by Henriette Avram. MARC provides the protocol through which there can be exchange and interpretation of bibliographic information by various computers. A lot of library catalogs in use today have their foundation in the data elements in MARC are the foundation of most. The current record structure of MARC is an implementation of ISO 2709, also known as ANSI/NISO Z39.2. "MARC records are composed of three elements: the record structure, the content designation, and the data content of the record. The record structure implements national and international standards (e.g., Z39.2, ISO2709). The content designation is "the codes and conventions established to identify explicitly and characterize data elements within a record and support their manipulation. The content of data elements in MARC records is defined by standards outside the formats." (Evans, G.E. 1995) The future and projected future status of the MARC record formats has been a topic for debate in the library science community throughout the world. Although the storage formats for MARC are based on a somewhat outdated technology, and the format is quite complex, there really is no alternative bibliographic format that has the same degree of granularity as the MARC. Due to the large user base with billions of records in tens of thousands of various libraries it might have the problem of inertia. Over the past 40 years, the MARC record has evolved considerably to reach its current status as MARC21. Over roughly the same period, the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules have evolved in parallel, as have, over a shorter period, the ISBDs. However, there will be no AACR3 - AACR2's place will be taken by Rules for Description and Access (RDA), based on the principles set out in Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR). There has also been considerable discussion of the continued relevance of the MARC format, the best-known example of which is probably Tennant (2000), and RDA has been criticized by Gorman (2007). FRBR, devised by IFLA, is explained by Tillett (2004). In order to facilitate the usage of machine-readable cataloging (MARC) data, there must be committed record format and data element standardization. Several research libraries have initiated early machine readable formats in order to attend to the requirements of the systems in various libraries. In the development of machine-readable cataloging, experience can be drawn from other libraries for the establishment of a standard that will be acceptable to the research library community, and which will be used for interchanging bibliographic data. By the mid 1960S, computers were being used for the production of machine readable catalog records by the Library of Congress. "Between1965 and 1968, LOC began the MARC I project, followed quickly by MARC II. MARC was designed as way of 'tagging' bibliographic records using 3-digit numbers to identify fields. For example, a tag might indicate 'ISBN,' while another tag indicates 'publication date,' and yet another indicates 'Library of Congress subject headings' and so on. In 1974, the MARC II format became the basis of a standard incorporated by NISO (National Information Standards Organization). This was a significant development because the standards created meant that a bibliographic record could be read and transferred by the computer between different library systems." (Anuradha, K.T. and Sivakaminathan, R, 2009) Current developments in record formats These days, more and more people are routinely bypassing library catalogs and using various other discovery tools, thus the catalog in continually representing a lesser proportion of general scholarly information. It has been noted that the catalog is in decline, as its structures and processes seem to be becoming more unsustainable, and so there is need for change, and this should be done swiftly. Recently, there has been a lot of research aimed at producing a framework which will provide a precise and commonly shared understanding of the aims and objectives of bibliographic records, as relates with the satisfaction of the user's needs. A bibliographic record aims to answer user needs of finding, identification, selection and obtaining of the desired objects. These days, research library catalogs, including catalogs with records for thousands of scholarly databases and e-journals only reflect a small portion of the ever increasing size of scholarly information. Library catalogs now manage access and description for tangible materials like books, serials, and audiovisual media, and also licensed materials like indexing and abstracting services, electronic journals, full text databases and other published resources. "In contrast, the stuff of cultural heritage collections, digital assets, and pre-print services and the internet, research labs, and learning management systems remain for the most part outside the scope of the catalog. Transparency is necessary for seamless data interchange, requiring a standard widely known throughout the digital library community. There also has to be extensibility in order to permit changes to the general structure without breaking the whole or requiring reprocessing of already ingested materials." (William E. Moen 2007) A lot can be learned by the examination of MARC bibliographic records. "The Standard record structure for exchange of descriptive and other types of metadata evolved since late 1960s as key mechanism for sharing metadata among libraries Metadata record with about two thousand available elements." (Johnson, Peggy 1991) There is also the issue of MARC Content Designation Utilization, which can be used to identify the commonly used elements of bibliographic records and for providing empirical evidence of catalogers' designation and utilization of MARC content. In the 1970s, storage devices and computer chips were invented, leading to the increased usage of micro and minicomputers. The use of commercial systems like DIALOG for conducting searches in reference databases started. In the late 1970s, the Bibliographical Automation of Large Library Operations (BALLOTS) also came about, and was later to become the foundation for the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN). "The Bibliographical Automation of Large Library Operations was initially designed to integrate closely with the technical processing functions of the library and consisted of 4 main files; a catalog data file containing an on-line record for each item, MARC records from LOC, an in-process file containing information on items in the processing stage, and a reference file. The Bibliographical Automation of Large Library Operations also contained a wide search retrieval capability with the ability to search on truncated words, keywords, and LC subject headings." (Karen M. Spicher, 1996) These significant developments in record formats helped to facilitate technical processing in library cataloging systems in the 1970s, and they have grown considerably. "In order to have automation, there must first be a computer. The development of the computer progressed substantially from 1946 to 1961, moving quickly though a succession of vacuum tubes, transistors and finally to silicon chips." (Pitkin, G.M. 1991) A good knowledge of the new trends in cataloging and use of online selection tools enable the building of a quality collection. The forming of consortia in academic libraries also helps in the sharing of physical resources and helps in providing users with common access to online resources. "The use of microcomputers during the 1980's expanded tremendously into the homes, schools, libraries and offices of many Americans. The microcomputer of the 80's became a useful tool for librarians who put to them to use for everything from word processing to reference, circulation and serials. On-line Public Access Catalogs began to be used extensively the 1980s. Libraries started to set-up and purchase their own computer systems as well as connect with other established library networks. Many of these were not developed by the librarians themselves, but by vendors who supplied libraries with systems for everything from cataloging to circulation. One such on-line catalog system is the CARL (Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries) system. Various other software also became available to librarians, such as spreadsheets and databases for help in library administration and information dissemination." (Athena Salaba, Yin Zhang 2008) The impact of FRBR on the bibliographic community The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) involves a conceptual model of entity-relationship which was developed by the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations). FRBR is used to relate user tasks of access and retrieval in bibliographic databases and library catalogs, from a user's perspective. The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records represents a more hollistic approach to access and retrieval of materials, as the relationship between the materials provides the links with which a user can navigate through the hierarchy of those relationships. The FRBR has had quite a positive impact on the bibliographic community, as the model is significantly separate from specific standards of cataloging like the International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD) or AACR2. The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records is built upon the relationships between the materials that can be found among their entities. "With FRBR, Relationships serve as the vehicle for depicting the link between one entity and another, and thus as the means of assisting the user to navigate the universe that is represented in a bibliography, catalogue, or bibliographic database." (Karen Calhoun, 2006) The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) describes four user tasks of finding, identification, selection and obtaining of the desired objects. Nowadays, many scholars and students tend to bypass library catalogs, and turn to other discovery tools, thus leading to a situation in which the catalog now represents a decreasing proportion of the whole body of scholarly information. The catalog is in decline, its processes and structures are unsustainable, and change needs to be swift. Thus, The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records provides various libraries with a broader view and a more modern perspective of the bibliographic universe that can meet the challenges faced by library users and the libraries themselves. The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records has also shown a lot of promise for the development of more efficient systems both for libraries and library users. Another impact of FRBR on the bibliographic community is that FRBR has improved cataloging efforts, and brought about better resource management in digital environments. "As a result of its great potential, it is important that library professionals continue to work to better understand FRBR, keep current with its developments, and be aware of the related issues and future directions in implementing it in libraries." (Nelson, N.M. 1990) It is notable that most librarians are now seeking to examine the future international viability and direction of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules and how the rules might be revised given the rapidly changing environments in bibliographic access, emerging and changing formats, and human resource issues. According to Olivia M. A "Another important development has been the emergence of what is called the Dublin Core and its standard metadata for electronic resources that are accessible in a networked environment, such as the Internet. This standard for metadata represents a core bibliographic description whose elements can be used to find, identify, select, and obtain resources. It has been recommended that a set of standards for the components of a bibliographic record based upon the functions it performs through its essential bibliographic entities and the relationships important to those entities within a record and to other records. Based upon the results of the study, the report recommends how the bibliographic record should assist the user within the bibliographic universe and what minimum data and relationships should be required for a basic national bibliographic record." (Olivia M. A. 2000) The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records can be applied to various types of collections and settings, including domain-specific and format-based catalogs. FRBR provides numerous benefits both to library staff and the end user including greater ease of searching, clustering at the work level, focused search results, and better understanding and usage of bibliographic references. Library staff will also enjoy better placement of data in their record, easier copy cataloging and sharing of records and adding new data such as rights management. The application of The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records is also expected to be more beneficial to certain kinds of resources than others. Generally, collections that may have the most benefits are those that consist of works expressed in a variety of ways, like works that are published in different editions by different publishers, and in different mediums. Aberdeen Business School MARC21 INPUT WORKFORM See http://www.itsmarc.com/crs/bib0001.htm Student Name: __________________________ Course: _______ ISBN 0 2 0 0877547637 CLASS MARK 0 8 2 PERSONAL/CORP 1 Gregory, Ruth W NAME HEADING Gregory, Ruth W TITLE AND 2 4 5 Ile mystrieuse STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITY EDITION 2 5 0 PUBLICATION, 2 6 0 DISTRIBUTION PHYSICAL 3 0 0 DESCRIPTION The DNA story : a documentary history of gene cloning SERIES 4 4 0 1# $a Colonial American craftsmen NOTES 5 0 0 ## $a Includes index Library of Congress 6 5 0 #0 $a Theater Subject Heading (topical) Library of Congress 6 5 1 #0 $a United States Subject Heading (geographical) ADDED ENTRY / 7 0 0 1# $a Baldridge, Letitia ENTRIES Electronic Location 8 5 6 and Access References Anuradha, K.T. and Sivakaminathan, R (2009) Enhancing Full text Search Capability in Library Automation Package: A Case Study with Koha and Greenstone Digital Library Software Athena Salaba, Yin Zhang (2008) Functional requirements for bibliographic records: From a conceptual model to application and system development Barbara Tillett. (2003). What is FRBR A Conceptual Model for the Bibliographic Universe William E. Moen (2007) Future of MARC: Challenges and Opportunities of 21st Century Cataloging IFLA Study Group on Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records, 1992-1995 B. Tillett (2003) A conceptual model for the bibliographic universe Karen M. Spicher (1996) The Development of the MARC Format Sharon Mosley-Hixon and Ray L Ransom Storage Strategies for Data, Formats, Catalogs and Other Information in Application Development Evans, G.E. (1995). Developing library and information center collections. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited. Johnson, Peggy. (1991) Automation and organizational change in libraries Massachusetts: G.K. Hall & Co. B. Journals Singh, P. "Special Libraries in India: Some Current Trends." Library Review, vol.55. Thornton, Glenda A. (2006) The Impact of Electronic Resources on Collection Development, The Rules of Librarian and Library Consortia" Library Trends, vol. 48 no.4 pages 842-926 Karen Calhoun. (2006). The Changing Nature of the Catalog and its Integration with Other Discovery Tools Bibliographic Services Task Force (2005) Rethinking How We Provide Bibliographic Services for the University of California Moen and Benardino. (2003). Assessing Metadata Utilization: An Analysis of MARC Content Designation Use Olivia M. A. (2000). The IFLA Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records. Library Resources & Technical Services. American Library Association Goldsmith and Knudson (2006). Repository Librarian and the Next Crusade: The Search for a Common Standard for Digital Repository Metadata Roy Tennant. (2004). A Bibliographic Metadata Infrastructure for the Twenty-first Century Sally H. McCallum. (2006). MARC Forward Nelson, N.M. (1990). Library Technology 1970-1990: Shaping the Library of the Future. Research Contributions from the 1990 Computers in Libraries Conference. London: Meckler. Pitkin, G.M. (1991). The Evolution of Library Automation: Management Issues and Future Perspectives. London: Meckler Understanding MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/marc/umb/um07to10.html Read More