Special collections libraries collect and preserve materials of intellectual and cultural heritage, providing access to unique research resources. As their holdings continue to expand, special collections in research libraries confront increased space pressures. Off-site storage facilities, used frequently by research libraries for general…

The materials of a library, exemplified by books, have traditionally been viewed as presenting two aspects involving two distinct problems: their description and control as unique items, and their treatment as sources of information on various subjects. But this view has tended to overlook a third fundamental aspect: that of the "works" which are…

This report presents an analysis of the problem of descriptive cataloging as a whole: the aspects of the problem, the questions they raise, the issues involved, the course adopted in the new "Anglo-American Cataloging Rules," and the principles that would serve best the objectives of the catalog. (Author)

In setting out to design a system of cataloging, or to evaluate a given system, or to apply a system in effect, it is necessary to begin with a clarification of the ends which the product of cataloging - that is, the catalog - is to serve in the library. To contribute to an understanding of these ends, the present study considers the role of the…

Utilizing both the experience gained from the Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC) Pilot Project, which tested the feasibility of distributing Library of Congress cataloging in machine readable form to various users, and the results of extensive consultation with the library community and persons at the Library of Congress, a format for…

The objective of this cataloging manual is to recommend specific methods for cataloging audiovisual materials for use in individual school media centers. The following types of audiovisual aids are included: educational games, filmstrips, flat graphics, kits, models, motion pictures, realia, records, slides, sound filmstrips, tapes,…

Originally written in the 1950s, this article addresses the question of subdividing and grouping entries under a given author as a main entry that paved the way for the American Library Association's Catalog Code Revision of 1967. It also includes referee responses by Elaine Svenonius, Allyson Carlyle, and Michael Carpenter. (LRW)

Notes are indispensable to serials cataloging. Researchers, reference librarians, and catalogers regularly use notes on catalog records and, as the audience for these notes has expanded from the local library community to the global Internet community, the need for notes to be cogent, clear, and useful is greater than ever. This book is a…

The identification of information elements can provide an important tool for the systematic development of an information system design. A state-of-the-art survey reveals mounting recognition and interest in the problem, a considerable history of prior efforts, but no well-defined methodology. A study in the context of a national information…

This document describes the major organizational components of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system, the interactions between those components, and the major products and services provided by those components. (WTB)

This loose-leaf manual provides the detailed rules, guidelines, and examples to be used by the components of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Network in acquiring and selecting documents and in processing them (i.e., cataloging, indexing, abstracting) for input to the ERIC computer system and subsequent announcement in…

The Retrospective Conversion (RECON) Working Task Force investigated the problems of converting retrospective catalog records to machine readable form. The major conclusions and recommendations of the Task Force cover five areas: the level of machine-readable records, conversion of other machine-readable data bases, a machine-readable National…

Based on the principle that alphabetical arrangement should be based on the characters actually appearing in the sort field, a computer filing code was produced which provides rules for formatting entries for computer manipulation. This study applies the principles developed in that code to library subject headings, using a sample of the Library…

In addition to books, brochures and other printed materials, collecting operations gather together a daily increasing number of records, tapes, slides, cinematographic films or magnetoscopic tapes. Author discusses the special problems of processing these documents. (Author/HB)

After the decision was made to continue the Library of Congress machine-readable cataloging (MARC) project as an operational system, a conference was held to permit discussion of the new MARC II format, problems concerning the character set used for bibliographic data, and the feasibility of sharing program specifications for bibliographic…