Cataloguing and Processing

A Resource for School Library Personnel

Chapter 1: Library Organization

1.1 Standards

Most small, private, or classroom library collections do not need a formal system of library organization as the individual books can be easily located. As the collection becomes larger, access becomes problematic unless some method of grouping is devised. Many different systems address this problem. For most school libraries, the international standard is the Dewey Decimal Classification scheme and either Sears List of Subject Headings or the Library of Congress Subject Headings (for large collections). Descriptive cataloguing is defined by rules outlined in the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR2). Refer to the latest editions of these resources to obtain the most current practices in cataloguing.

Every item in the collection must be described using a standard format. The same basic components are contained in each description. Always cited in the same order, they must employ consistent punctuation. Such standardization of procedures enhances the local, national, and international exchange of bibliographic data and is essential in computerized systems.

To a computer, Hamlet and Shakespeare are just a string of characters. The machine will fail to recognize one as a title and the other as an author unless it is told where each is located in a descriptive record and how each will be introduced. If schools intend to exchange bibliographic data on a local or provincial basis, they should conform to the standards outlined in this document.

The exchange of bibliographic data or information can occur in a number of ways, one of which is participation in a union catalogue. Historically, union catalogues have progressed from manual card and paper files to on-line shared databases to catalogue records electronically linked via Internet. Union catalogues form one of the main building blocks of resource sharing or shared services such as interlibrary loan, cooperative cataloguing, cooperative preservation, and cooperative collection development activities (Lunau, Carrol, 1995). Standards must be used by libraries and library systems to participate in union catalogues.

1.2 Educational Rationale

For students and staff to make the most effective use of the school's educational resources, the nature, extent, interrelationship, and location of these resources must be clearly identified. School libraries do not exist in an information vacuum but are part of a growing information network. Therefore, they should be provided with access to systems that are compatible with national and international standards.

The process of standardized cataloguing and classification results in the creation of a library catalogue.

In a school library, the catalogue is a tool to

list, according to a consistent plan, the print and non-print resources available in the school
describe print and non-print resources
direct users to similar materials
record purchasing and publishing history
indicate the location of the resources
assist students in obtaining the skills of information retrieval

The catalogue enable users to

retrieve information efficiently
increase understanding by students and staff of information retrieval systems
plan, order, and check resources efficiently
develop information retrieval skills that are transferable from one school library to other school, public, college, university, and special libraries

1.3 Non-Standard Systems

In-house devised methods of library organization are to be discouraged. These non-standards-based solutions result in the following:

students and staff requiring training in the specific use of the collection, the knowledge of which is not transferable to other libraries
systems becoming inconsistent over time with changes in personnel
cataloguing becoming useless when an attempt is made to convert it to a standard machine readable format

1.4 Methods of Implementing Standards

In applying these standards, school libraries and school divisions/districts which do not have centralized cataloguing have a number of options. They may

do their own original cataloguing
obtain derived cataloguing
purchase commercially produced cataloguing
use any combination of the above

Wherever possible, commercially produced cataloguing should be attained.

No matter what options are used, consumers of cataloguing should be knowledgeable in terms of what to look and ask for about the standards. This recalls the importance of the training in cataloguing required to ensure consistency and accuracy. School libraries must be familiar with cataloguing standards and should establish local cataloguing policies.

1.4.1 Original Cataloguing

Original cataloguing refers to cataloguing an item by examining certain parts of it to obtain information needed to describe it.

While original cataloguing allows for on-site, immediate, and locally applied cataloguing, there are some concerns. These include:

Original cataloguing is time-consuming for the cataloguer and the data processor/typist. The teacher-librarian's time can be much better spent working with teachers and students. In addition, library technician and library clerk time in school libraries is usually at a premium.
Lack of library technician and library clerk time usually results in a backlog of materials which have not been catalogued or processed fully. These materials cannot be used by staff or students.
Inexperienced cataloguers spend long hours misapplying rules. Thus, the advantages of using a standard system are often negated and re-cataloguing is often necessary at a future date.
Cataloguing is an expensive process when done by unqualified personnel. If the hours spent by cataloguers and data processors/typists were costed out, it would become apparent that commercial cataloguing is more economical.

1.4.2 Derived Cataloguing

Derived or copy cataloguing refers to the process of cataloguing items by using existing bibliographic records obtained from various sources and altering those records to conform to local cataloguing standards.

Cataloguing information may be found in

cataloguing-in-publication (CIP) data found within the item
book catalogues
non-book catalogues (e.g., microfiche and CD-ROMs)
electronic catalogues (e.g., the Internet). An on-line directory known as Hytelnet provides a well-organized means by which to browse through library catalogues or databases worldwide. Two telnet addresses worthy of mention are:
1. telnet locis.loc.gov (Library of Congress, mainly books) and
2. telnet dra.com (Library of Congress -- Data Research Associates, Inc., mainly films and videos).
Two important Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) for web-based searching are:
1. http://www.loc.gov/ (Library of Congress) and
2. http://www.libdex.com/ (Peter Scott's LibDex "The library index" ).

While derived cataloguing does result in definite cataloguing savings, both in terms of cost and time, it should be noted that catalogue cards still must be typed manually or cataloguing records must be entered manually into an automated library system. Furthermore, cataloguing standards and formats may vary from catalogue to catalogue. This will also affect the amount of editing required to meet locally established practices.

1.4.3 Commercial Cataloguing

Commercial cataloguing refers to cataloguing services now being offered by a number of firms. It may take the form of simplified cataloguing records for only certain titles to customized cataloguing for specialized collections. Care should be taken in choosing commercial cataloguing that follows national and local cataloguing standards. The advantages to purchasing commercial cataloguing include

requiring less expertise on the part of the teacher-librarian (the main task for the school library staff may be in filing the cards in a manual environment or loading MARC records in an automated environment)
converting a card catalogue to an electronic format enables the school to have it done by a commercial vendor
improving consistency
centralizing cataloguing reduces time spent duplicating the cataloguing for the same titles

Many jobbers or wholesalers routinely offer cataloguing for a nominal fee. Libraries considering automation in the future will want to consider ordering MARC catalogue records along with card sets. This investment in the future allows the school to stockpile MARC data for the automation project. It also greatly reduces the amount of time required to complete the recon, or retrospective conversion of the catalogue.

1.4.4 Combination

Most schools opt for a combination of commercial and original cataloguing, purchasing commercial cataloguing whenever possible, and doing original cataloguing for items in the collection for which commercial cataloguing is not available.

1.5 Union Catalogues

Centralized cataloguing in a divisional or district processing centre can result in a union catalogue where print and audiovisual materials of that network of libraries are known. Union catalogues achieve uniformity throughout the system, avoiding duplication of effort and promoting resource sharing.