Discusses the importance of cataloging to library service and addresses some of the debilitating effects that downsizing or elimination of cataloging departments, combined with outsourcing, and the consequent decline in bibliographic integrity, have on library service. Includes a sidebar on outsourcing. (JKP)

A year's cataloging backlog was sampled to learn if there were categories of materials that would receive priority cataloging at the Library of Congress or identifiable categories that should receive immediate local cataloging attention. Characteristics of uncataloged materials examined included subject areas, type of purchasing plan, and type of…

Discussion of the revision of cataloging rules to simplify catalog records focuses on the information relating to publication, formerly called the imprint. Highlights include a review of cataloging codes; Library of Congress rules interpretations; the impact on bibliographic utilities; implications for technical and public services; and publishing…

Discusses the problem of subject access to material by, for, and about teenagers, and the role that vocabulary and heading assignments play in this problem. Appendices provide examples of Library of Congress Marc records dealing with adolescents, and corresponding records from the Hennepin County Library designed to alleviate the problem. (CLB)

Introduces and briefly describes modifications to the Library of Congress cataloging rules, to be implemented January 1, 1994, which will allow catalogers to describe multiple formats in a single bibliographic record using both fixed and variable field data. (NRP)

Describes the results of a survey of Canadian libraries that explored the nature and frequency of use of the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, second edition revised (AACR2R); the preferred publication formats for acquiring AACR2R; and the contribution of records to a bibliographic utility or other database. (Contains four references.) (LRW)

Discusses the decision by Library of Congress (LC) to include preliminary cataloging records for monographs as part of its tape distribution service. The records' impact on work flow in a research library's cataloging department that uses OCLC is described, and a survey of OCLC/ARL (Association of Research Libraries) members is discussed. (eight…

This handbook is designed to assist experienced catalogers and library school students in the application of the most commonly used rules for bibliographic description, choice of access points, and form of headings in accordance with the revised Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR2R). The book is intended as a supplement to the text of the…

This report examines the costs of and services provided by the three major bibliographic utilities, OCLC (Online Computer Library Center), RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network), and WLN (Western Library Network). The services examined include acquisitions, cataloging, interlibrary loan, and reference. To examine costs, the format of the…

Discusses results from a 1992 survey of various types and sizes of Canadian libraries that was conducted to establish a baseline profile of libraries contributing to shared databases, and to determine the nature and extent of AACR2R use for creating original records being contributed to bibliographic utilities or other networks. (LRW)

Discusses possible technical services functions in electronic libraries of the future. Highlights include acquisition of electronic information; bibliographic control, including MARC format, bibliographic utilities, subject headings, and classification; systems planning, development, and evaluation; systems support; organization of technical…

Describes microcomputer-based networks which have been implemented at Vanderbilt University's library to support technical services workstations that use NOTIS, catalog with OCLC, and transfer OCLC records to the NOTIS database using GTO (Generic Transfer and Overlay). It is noted that the network configurations can serve as models for other…

Reviews developments in the use of computer systems in libraries in Great Britain, North America, and other countries from 1966 to date. Highlights include MARC developments, cooperative cataloging services, use of microcomputers and minicomputers, turnkey systems, and online public access catalogs; 102 references are provided. (Author/LRW)

Discusses issues that must be addressed to determine if a library's cataloging needs are best met with an online system, an optical data disk system, or some combination of the two. The experiences of academic and public libraries in Nevada are used to illustrate issues related to vendors, databases, and system features. (10 references) (CLB)

This kit reports on a survey which focused on the methods by which libraries practice online authority control to ensure that names, subjects, and uniform titles are consistently applied and maintained in bibliographic records. Questionnaires were sent to 32 selected member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) to determine the…