Showing papers in "Cataloging & Classification Quarterly in 1995"
TL;DR: The Library of Congress Classification (LCC), being a system originally and specifically designed for the Library's own collection, generally eschews alternatives, but many alternative numbers representing different treatment of specific types of materials such as bibliographies and monographic series are provided in LC MARC records.
Abstract: The Library of Congress Classification (LCC), being a system originally and specifically designed for the Library's own collection, generally eschews alternatives. Within the LCC schedules, alternatives are found occasionally in earlier editions; there are no alternative numbers in recently developed or revised schedules. On the other hand, many alternative numbers representing different treatment of specific types of materials such as bibliographies and monographic series are provided in LC MARC records. Such numbers may be used by other libraries that prefer the alternative weatmenl. In addition, many LC MARC records also include class or call numbers based on other classification schemes, including the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), the National Library of Medicine Classification (NLM), and the Superintendent of Documents Classification. The alternative class numbers assigned from other classification systems are provided as services to libraries not using the Library of Congress Classification.
31 citations
TL;DR: The functional capabilities and interface characteristics of OPACs of OhioLINK and its 16 member libraries are compared and evaluated from the user-oriented perspective, using a systematic framework.
Abstract: Compares and evaluates the functional capabilities and interface characteristics of OPACs from the user-oriented perspective, using a systematic framework. OPACs of OhioLINK and its 16 member libraries are the object of the investigation. The interfaces used six system software but showed a variety of features in access to OPACs, operational control, access points, search formulation control, and user assistance. Interface design alternatives are identified and qualitatively analyzed.
17 citations
TL;DR: A pilot project conducted at the Ohio State University Libraries to contract out the cataloging of Slavic books is described, which examined the quality of bibliographic records produced by the vendor and the comparative costs for cataloging in-house vs. outsourcing.
Abstract: This paper describes a pilot project conducted at the Ohio State University Libraries to contract out the cataloging of Slavic books. Two dimensions were examined in this study : (1) the quality of bibliographic records produced by the vendor ; and (2) the comparative costs for cataloging in-house vs. outsourcing the cataloging.
16 citations
TL;DR: A review of the current use of reader-interest classification since 1980 as an alternative arrangement of bookstock to traditional classification is given in this paper, where the authors discuss the reasons for using it, principles, catalog aspects, what it brings together and separates, implementation, arrangement and presentation of the bookstock, the kind and size of library where it is in use and the outlook for its continued use.
Abstract: A review of the current use of reader-interest classification since 1980 as an alternative arrangement of bookstock to traditional classification. Reader-interest classification is known by a variety of names and used in many countries. With a current trend to make libraries more accessible and user-friendly, librarians are experimenting with reader-interest classification. The paper discusses the reasons for using it, principles, catalog aspects, what it brings together and separates, implementation, arrangement and presentation of the bookstock, the kind and size of library where it is in use and the outlook for its continued use. Recent studies and surveys are also considered.
13 citations
TL;DR: Various criteria suggested by cataloging theorists as methods for identifying a work are examined, including criteria of creativity and/or single personal authorship, criterion of content, and a definition of work.
Abstract: Definitions of work are extrapolated from the writings of cataloging theorists. A number of different criteria used to define the concept of work are identified including criteria of creativity and/or single personal authorship, content, text or symbol strings, medium, identity and representation, and interchangeability, as well as the concept of work as product. The functions to be carried out by the ideal definition of work are listed. A definition is proposed.
13 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors revisited the issues relative to the adequacy of subject analysis for African American studies resources and concluded that improvements have been made but that problems continue to exist.
Abstract: In 1973 the author conducted a seminal research study which concluded that subject analysis for African American studies resources was seriously inadequate and that the area was neglected in research. Twenty years later the author revisits the issues relative to the adequacy of subject analysis for African American studies resources. Specifically, Library of Congress subject headings are examined against the capabilities of online catalogs to retrieve materials relating to this body of literature. The conclusion drawn is that improvements have been made but that problems continue to exist. Prescriptive measures for resolving the remaining problems are offered.
9 citations
TL;DR: Anglo-American codes are examined to determine the implicit or acting concept of work in each, in order to trace the development of the current implicit idea of work, as embodied in AACR2R.
Abstract: Anglo-American codes are examined to determine the implicit or acting concept of work in each, in order to trace the development of our current implicit concept of work, as embodied in AACR2R. The following conditions are examined, using comparison tables: (1) contraction of a work (abridgements, condensations, digests, epitomes, outlines, chrestomathies, excerpts, extracts, selections); and (2) change in substance of a work (adaptations, dramatizations, free translations, novelizations, paraphrases, versifications, films or filmstrips of a text, musical arrangements, musical amplifications, musical settings, musical simplifications, musical transcriptions, musical versions, parodies, imitations, performances, reproductions of art works, revisions, editing, enlargements, expansion, updating, translation).
8 citations
TL;DR: This essay provides a general overview of the many facets that make up the cataloger's workstation.
Abstract: Computer technology is currently undergoing rapid development. The cataloger's workstation will act as an important structuring concept in our implementation of this technology in cataloging departments. As this combination of more powerful computer hardware and software is introduced into cataloging production, a new phase in the transformation of cataloging to a fully electronic environment will take hold. Though they existed prior to the introduction of electronic catalogs, the principles of connectivity and coordination will come to play primary roles in the use of the cataloger's workstation. In looking both at its conceptual foundations (Part I of this essay) and at details of its physical configuration (the focus of Part II, to appear in the next issue of Cataloging & Classification Quarterly), the essay provides a general overview of the many facets that make up the cataloger's workstation.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed the options currently provided in the Dewey Decimal Classification system and suggested several devices to introduce options in order to accommodate cultural differences in the classification, and provide a mechanism for emphasizing topics of local importance.
Abstract: Options currently provided in the Dewey Decimal Classification system are reviewed. Options are an appropriate mechanism in a general purpose classification used by different kinds and sizes of libraries around the world. Dewey provides the universal option of close versus broad classification. Options also are provided to give emphasis to jurisdiction; racial, ethnic, or national group; language; topic; or other special characteristics. Various devices are detailed or suggested to introduce options. Options may be an impediment to retrieval of information across systems. Options should not be introduced as a substitute for the appropriate placement of a topic in the Classification. Options help accommodate cultural differences in the Classification, and provide a mechanism for emphasizing topics of local importance.
7 citations
TL;DR: In the early eighties, the Library Establishment was engaged in a battle with the heretics over the implementation of AACR2, arguing that the disruption of implementation would damage library services and be very expensive as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: At the beginning of the eighties the Library Establishment was engaged in a battle with the heretics over the implementation of AACR2. Those who were in favour of the new code wanted immediate implementation. The critics, however, wanted delay, arguing that the disruption of implementation would damage library services and be very expensive. They also argued that delay would mean that progress in automation would make implementation easier in a few years' time. No one would claim that the early implementation was a complete disaster. Few, however, could pretend that it made a dramatic impact in improving the quality of our catalogues while some would argue that it had made them worse. Since there are no figures for the cost of the implementation, the critics are justified in arguing that the Library of Congress and the British Library paid a heavy price in order to ensure that implementation took place. Today we face a new challenge. Bibliographic control is at a stage of development which could lead to a dramatic improvement in its scope and effectiveness. This will not be done by producing another edition of AACR. Nor will it be done by maintaining that the main entry is essential. Horizons need to be widened. Principles need to be reexamined. New methods need to be considered and the whole exercise must be linked to automation and not the traditional methods of the past. This paper is an attempt to look at some of the possibilities.
6 citations
TL;DR: The improvisations of the KFUPM Library in cataloging local and foreign theses and dissertations are described and the existing subject headings lists and classification schemes are described.
Abstract: The existing subject headings lists and classification schemes are inadequate in dealing with narrow and current subjects of theses and dissertations. As a result, libraries find it both costly and time consuming to perform original and full cataloging of theses and dissertations. Many libraries have been forced to improvise on descriptive and subject cataloging to reduce the processing cost. This article describes the improvisations of the KFUPM Library in cataloging local and foreign theses and dissertations.
TL;DR: Study of the organization of knowledge and of theories, systems, and practices of library classification provides a foundation for considering the design of an effective scheme.
Abstract: Study of the organization of knowledge and of theories, systems, and practices of library classification provides a foundation for considering the design of an effective scheme. Use of existing standard systems has disadvantages and requires a library to either adapt itself to a standard or adapt that standard to the library. Prompt reclassification to an effective system will produce ultimate economy in service. Helpful order within a system is secured by application of certain principles. The scheme should be plastic to accommodate differing requirements and include alternative locations and citation orders of components. Construction and application of a relative classification present persistent problems.
TL;DR: The paper describes how the decision was made, the planning that is in place, the method to be used, and the issues that need to be resolved before the project is implemented and it is hoped that other libraries may find this helpful should opportunities arise for a reclassification project.
Abstract: Many libraries undertook reclassification projects during the 1960s and 1970s, and some of them are still struggling to live with split collections due to lack of resources to complete their projects. The University of Kentucky Library is one that has reconciled itself to this predicament until plans begin to take shape for a new library building. An automated local system, NOTIS, presents new found capabilities to perform automated reclassification efficiently and cost-effectively. Retrospective conversion of all Dewey titles will precede reclassification. The paper describes how the decision was made, the planning that is in place, the method to be used, and the issues that need to be resolved before the project is implemented. It is hoped that other libraries may find this helpful should opportunities arise for a reclassification project.
TL;DR: The content and compilation of the Master Reference File, the database of the UDC that will be the starting point for future revision and enhancement of the classification is described.
Abstract: The article gives an overview of recent developments in the organization and the policy of the Universal Decimal Classification. It describes the content and compilation of the Master Reference File, the database of the UDC that will be the starting point for future revision and enhancement of the classification. Some observations are added concerning the direction these developments will take.
TL;DR: The integrated subject tool will give options for the simultaneous presentation of the types of catalogs desired-dictionary, divided, or classified, as well as the concurrent consultation of multiple classification systems.
Abstract: Options in classification available through modern information technologies are explored and discussed in terms of system design options and user searching options. The integrated subject tool will give options for the simultaneous presentation of the types of catalogs desired-dictionary, divided, or classified, as well as the concurrent consultation of multiple classification systems. The problems of electronic union catalogs, including a "virtual union catalog" in particular, are considered and enhancements made possible through classification are explored. The combined system of subject headines and classification is presented as the model of the integrated subject searching tool, which will meet individualized learning styles and user responsive vocabulary. The integrated subject tool box (including classification) for an effective modern subject system is discussed in particular as a searching tool to assist "shelf browsing" of virtual reality (VR) objects.
TL;DR: The guidance provided to catalogers by information contained in Library of Congress authority records is discussed, and the set of "subject headings" under study was used for form/genre access between 6% and 99% of the time.
Abstract: Some Library of Congress Subject Headings have the potential to be used for either subject or form/genre access. A selection of LCSH, cognates with terms from Moving image materials: Genre terms, was searched in OCLC's Online Union Catalog to determine the degrees to which they were used for each of these two types of access. It was discovered that the set of "subject headings" under study was used for form/genre access between 6% and 99% of the time, with a mean average of just over 50%. The guidance provided to catalogers by information contained in Library of Congress authority records is also discussed.
TL;DR: The OCLC/LC Fiction Project is described from the point of view of a cataloger participating in it, and the four types of access to individual works of fiction are discussed-form/genre, character, geographical setting, and topical.
Abstract: This paper describes the OCLC/LC Fiction Project from the point of view of a cataloger participating in it. The four types of access to individual works of fiction are discussed-form/genre, character(s), geographical setting, and topical. Issues involved in applying these headings to works (such as genre definitions, the nature of fiction, intertextuality, and the cataloger's subjectivity) are also considered in regard to the Project.
TL;DR: Projects such as the Luiseno Culture Bank indicate the possibilities opened up by the creative combination of existing techniques and new technologies; such combinations can ensure that libraries continue to provide wider access to wider audiences and a wider variety of sources of information.
Abstract: Librarians-especially catalog librarians-are the gatekeepers of knowledge. Today librarians are crucial in negotiating the interfaces between technology and cultural diversity. Projects such as the Luiseno Culture Bank indicate the possibilities opened up by the creative combination of existing techniques and new technologies; such combinations can ensure that libraries continue to provide wider access to wider audiences and a wider variety of sources of information. Libraries can play a role in enabling cultural projects quite far afield from those which the Library of Congress classification system was originally created to support.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the implicit or acting concept of work in the AACR2R catalog and identified a trend away from the collocation of the editions of a work called for by the second objective of the catalog, suggesting that this tendency stems from failure to take advantage of newer technologies for building catalogs.
Abstract: Anglo-American codes are examined to determine the implicit or acting concept of work in each, in order to trace the development of our current implicit concept of work, as embodied in AACR2R. The following conditions are examined, using comparison tables: (1) same work with different appendages (illustrated works, music with text, texts with commentary and/or biographical/critical material, scholia); (2) separately published parts of a work produced by the exercise of several different functions; (3) appendages to a work published separately (commentaries without text, concordances, continuations, indexes, sequels, supplements); (4) change in title of a work. A trend away from the collocation of the editions of a work called for by the second objective of the catalog is identitied. It is suggested that this tendency stems from failure to take advantage of newer technologies for building catalogs.
TL;DR: The necessity of knowledge of structure of a classification not only to compilers of systems but also to those who classify documents or search is emphasized.
Abstract: The necessity of knowledge of structure of a classification not only to compilers of systems but also to those who classify documents or search is emphasized. American and European assumptions are contrasted. The relationship of a special classification to a general classification is considered. Some differences in the construction of three general schemes are noted. The concept of a "main class" is elucidated. Alternative starting points for dividing knowledge by its forms or by phenomena are exemplified. The idea that the treatment of main classes rcflects a world view is offered and supported by illustrations. Principles for determining degree of detail are presented. The case for specificity is argued. Procedures for making a science class are contrasted with those for making a humanities class.
TL;DR: The various structures and applications of thesauri are surveyed, with an emphasis on their increasing role in electronic information retrieval.
Abstract: Thesauri-structured controlled vocabularies, designed for information retrieval-are compared with classification schemes developed for the arrangement of library materials and/or bibliographic records. The syndetic structure (BTs and NTs) within the alphabetic sequence of thesauri constitutes a hidden classification, but many thesauri include an explicit hierarchical display; some feature notation. The various structures and applications of thesauri are surveyed, with an emphasis on their increasing role in electronic information retrieval. The skills required for thesaurus construction are similar to those for the development of classification schemes. The distinction between these activities is expected to blur in the future.
TL;DR: Development of the 2nd edition of the Bliss Bibliographic Classification (BC2) is outlined and present use of the scheme is summarized and documented and its future application suggested.
Abstract: Development of the 2nd edition of the Bliss Bibliographic Classification (BC2) is outlined. The scope of the Introduction volume is described. Parts already issued, those ready for publication, and those awaiting completion are listed. The level of detail of the vocabulary is indicated. Four forms of synthesis are explained: addition of common subdivisions, facet combination including alternative combination patterns, array combination, and drawing marks from other parts of the system. Notational features which contribute to the relatively brief classmarks are identified. Different kinds of alternative location of subjects are discerned and examples provided. The potential feature of phenomenon-based classificition is noted. Present use of the scheme is summarized and documented and its future application suggested.
TL;DR: User requests resulting in zero hits for author searches in an online catalog are analyzed and data is given to prove that linked bibliographic/authority files and the availability of see references online in the public view of OPACs are reducing zero hits.
Abstract: User requests resulting in zero hits for author searches in an online catalog are analyzed. The need for bibliographic records relating to a name to be brought together under one form of the name and the need for cross references to direct a user from variant forms of the name are discussed. Arlene Taylor's study of this problem in 1983 is replicated. Data are given to prove that linked bibliographic/authority files and the availability of see references online in the public view of OPACs are reducing zero hits.
TL;DR: Measures of classification system performance are discussed, as are different methodologies that may be used to seek answers, ranging from formal or philosophical models to quantitative experimental techniques and qualitative methods.
Abstract: Answers to questions concerning individual library decisions to adopt classfication systems are important in understanding the effectiveness of libraries but are difficult to provide. Measures of classification system performance are discussed, as are different methodologies that may be used to seek answers, ranging from formal or philosophical models to quantitative experimental techniques and qualitative methods.
TL;DR: In 1985 an article in a leading journal asked the question, "Why Not an 'AACR' for Subject Headings?"
Abstract: In 1985 an article in a leading journal asked the question, "Why Not an 'AACR' for Subject Headings?" Over the following decade there were a number of direct and indirect responses, yet the question really has not been adequately answered. However, in the intervening decade there has been some real progress towards a satisfactory resolution of the issue.
TL;DR: The features of Electronic Dewey are described, bringing out the ways in which it differs from the printed version of the Classification, and the CD-ROM heralds the electronic age of classification.
Abstract: This paper describes the features of Electronic Dewey bringing out the ways in which it differs from the printed version of the Classification. The various search techniques available are discussed and the use of the DDC functions is considered. The paper concludes that while improvements could be made the CD-ROM heralds the electronic age of classification.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe various reasons why academic libraries have chosen to do or not to do reclassification projects from Dewey to Library of Congress and provide an historical perspective to assist in making this decision.
Abstract: This paper describes various reasons why academic libraries have chosen to do or not to do reclassification projects from Dewey to Library of Congress. An historical perspective is provided to assist in making this decision. Arguments for and against both Dewey and Library of Congress are presented from this historical perspective alone with modern intepretations. Issues important in planning a reclassification project such as cost, organization of the reclassification team, and the length of the project are also discussed. Implications and ramifications of a reclassification project for staff and patrons, such as disruptions in service and learning new book locations, are also highlighted.
TL;DR: Reasons behind the decisions leading to the use of multiple classification systems, the implications for staff and user training, and the ongoing problems encountered by users are explored.
Abstract: Advantages and disadvantages of using more than one classification scheme are explored through a series of interviews with librarians currently employed at institutions that do so. These institutions can be categorized as falling into one of three major groups: (1) libraries that choose to shelve their government documents or technical reports by preassigned numbers. (2) libraries that retain DDC for some materials and LCC for other materials, and (3) libraries that implemented additional schemes when it became apparent that the existing classification scheme did not adequately cover their needs. Reasons behind the decisions leading to the use of multiple classification systems, the implications of these decisions for staff and user training, and the ongoing problems encountered by users are also explored.
TL;DR: This paper discusses what kinds of problems originated from "undifferentiated name" treatment used in the current cataloging code AACR2, and proposes a workable rule or a modified existing rule dealing with undifferentiated names.
Abstract: Persons with the same name cause confusion and problems for bibliographic access. To minimize the confusion and problems, rules and conventions have been used in indexing and cataloging. From a historical perspective, this paper discusses what kinds of problems originated from these rules in cataloging, especially from "undifferentiated name" treatment used in the current cataloging code AACR2. A workable rule or a modified existing rule dealing with undifferentiated names is also proposed.
TL;DR: The article compares French cataloging rules with AACR2R in detail and finds the most significant ones are found in the rules for choice of access points, for uniform titles, and for reduced bibliographic description.
Abstract: In light of the increasing availability and use of foreign MARC records, this article explores French cataloging rules in relation to AACR2R. After providing background on the French rules and discussing their format, the article compares them with AACR2R in detail. All areas compared reveal noteworthy differences. The most significant ones are found in the rules for choice of access points, for uniform titles, and for reduced bibliographic description.