Special section on cataloging trends: introduction

Ann Ercelawna,*, Steve Obergb

aOriginal Cataloger, Vanderbilt University Library, 419 21st Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37240-0007, USAbSystems Analyst, Endeavor Information Systems, Inc., 1426 Stonebridge Circle, K-8, Wheaton,

IL 60187-7199, USA

This issue celebrates the recently expanded scope ofLCATSby including a special sectionon cataloging and other intellectual access issues. Contributors to this section (to bepublished in two parts, one in this issue and one in the next) survey what is taking place inthis area of endeavor today. Organizing, describing, and providing access to library collec-tions has always been an essential library function, but how that function is accomplished hasundergone considerable change in recent years. Reasons for change are many. The rapidemergence of new electronic resources published in a variety of formats, the development ofnew metadata standards, changing patterns of staffing in cataloging departments, and theshift in collection development models from ownership to access have all played a role inchanging what catalogers do, and how they do it. Catalogers have acquired new tools andskills in the practice of their craft and in some cases have forged creative alliances with otherplayers in the information community to accomplish their fundamental mission of linkinglibrary resources with users.

Mary K. Bolin (University of Idaho) provides some valuable historical perspective in anarticle that discusses past and present governance of library catalogs. She notes that althoughcatalogs were once the exclusive creation of catalogers, today’s online, Web-based catalogsare more of a collaborative endeavor by a variety of participants. She notes the emergenceof new standards for catalog design and maintenance, but argues that the full potential of theMARC-based catalog, a more important resource than ever before in the context of remoteaccess, has not yet been fully realized.

As libraries reallocate their professional staff to cope with new or expanded services,catalogers have often had to assume new responsibilities. Sandy L. Folsom, who holds jointcataloging and reference assignments at Central Michigan University, describes the chal-

* Corresponding author. Tel.:11-615-343-2088; fax:11-615-343-1292.E-mail address:ercelaa@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu (A. Ercelawn).

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lenges inherent for catalogers in adopting new roles. She notes that the organizational andknowledge-management skills that catalogers possess can enhance library services and,conversely, that public service experience can enrich the perspective that catalogers bring totheir role of providing access to library collections.

Ferment and change are perhaps nowhere more evident than in the area of serials.Libraries often expend a large proportion of their budget on their serials collections, andaccess to this body of current scholarship is usually a high priority. The emergence of newtypes of publications has prompted a reexamination of serials cataloging practices. ReginaReynolds (head of the National Serials Data Program, Library of Congress) analyzes theimplications of the Hirons’ report,Revising AACR2 to Accommodate Seriality.This reportproposes a new type of publication model in response to a changed bibliographic universe,in which newer, electronic publications no longer fit quite so neatly into the traditionalmonograph/serial dichotomy of the print world. In addition, Reynolds explains other pro-posed rule revisions in the report that address inadequacies in the current cataloging code, aswell as proposals that promote a harmonization of international cataloging practice for moreefficient record sharing.

Serials also pose a challenge to catalogers when packaged in various aggregations bypublishers and vendors. These resources, to which the library has access for a stipulatedcontractual period, are information-rich but often characterized by shifting content. In acollections environment that is increasingly dependent on subscription-based, remote re-sources whose content is no longer under direct library control, how can limited catalogingstaff provide timely access for users to the thousands of titles encompassed by publisher/vendor aggregations? To solve this problem (and others related to easy patron access to theirperiodical collection), Carole A. Kiehl and Edward H. Summers (Old Dominion University)describe the creation and maintenance of a comprehensive periodicals database that inte-grates all of the library’s periodicals, regardless of format. This database, separate from thelibrary’s catalog but easily accessible from the library’s Web site, is repopulated at intervalsfrom external vendor sources and internal catalog holdings to provide users with an updatedresource for periodical information.

A slightly different solution to this same problem has been adopted by the University ofTennessee Libraries. Bill Britten and his colleagues describe a project that features theautomatic creation of brief MARC-like bibliographic records from vendor-supplied title lists,which are then loaded into the library’s catalog. Again, re-loading records to refresh thelibrary’s catalog is a critical component of this approach. Both Old Dominion and theUniversity of Tennessee Libraries provide examples of the successful application of cost-effective, automated techniques to solve an access issue that could easily overwhelmcataloging staff.

Catalogers have a long history of working together to develop standards and to sharerecords. The proliferation of electronic resources has created new opportunities for sharingworkloads. Karen Cary and Joyce L. Ogburn describe a consortial approach to providingaccess to electronic resources undertaken by the Virtual Library of Virginia. Members ofVIVACAT have successfully collaborated to develop and share cataloging guidelines,cataloger training, and records for electronic resources within institutions of higher education

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across the state. They note the multiple, long-term benefits that accrue to all participants fromworking in a collaborative environment.

In the next issue,LCATSwill continue its survey of the current cataloging landscape.Contributors to the next issue will focus on themes of vendor records and library catalogdatabase quality, applications of Dublin Core and other metadata schemas, how the Web asa publishing medium affects cataloging work, and the changing role of paraprofessional andprofessional cataloging staff. We hope that these articles will not only inform, but will alsochallenge our collective thinking about access issues and will provide insights that lead to thesolution of shared problems.

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