Descriptive Cataloging of Monographs

1. IntroductionDRAFT

Expectations (1)

• You should be able to state the purpose of cataloging

• You can define the major objectives of descriptive cataloging

• You can explain how authority control relates to descriptive cataloging

Purpose of Cataloging

• Functional Requirements of Bibliographic Records (FRBR) model

• What can cataloging do for you?– Find what you’re looking for (the ultimate) … by

finding a bibliographic record (via access points)– Identify: there has to be enough information in the

bibliographic description to verify the “find” (title/author, edition, pagination)

– Select (from description, subjects, classification)– Obtain (call number, ISBN, citation)

What is Descriptive Cataloging?

• Task 1. Creation of a bibliographic record: a written representation of an entity selected for cataloging

• Rules, decisions & difficulties: what elements to include and leave out, the ordering & “marking” of the descriptive elements

http://www.amazon.com/

Bib Record from the LC Online Catalog

ISBD

• International Standard Bibliographic Description

• A standard for ordering information in a bibliographic record

• Uses punctuation to delimit the descriptive elements of the bibliographic record

ISBD Plus MARC

MARC 21

• MARC tagging: an alphanumeric system for marking the elements of the bibliographic record to make it intelligible for computer processing

• U.S./UK catalogers use “MARC 21”

• Different MARC systems are used in Canada & Australia

Underlying Assumptions

• Description of one copy applies to all copies

• Standard descriptive rules are difficult to apply to– Rare materials (specific copy is more

important)– Online resources (no tangible copy)– Archival materials (not a copy by definition)

What is Descriptive Cataloging?

• Step 2. Provide access to the bibliographic record through “headings”/“access points”/“catalog entries”

• Access in descriptive cataloging is limited to names & titles; subject access through headings & classification is out of scope

• Rules, decisions, & difficulties: which access points to use & how to justify the choice, what form the entries should take, different entities with the same or similar names, different names for the same entity

Underlying Assumptions

• Description represents both a discrete entity (physical or virtual) and the intellectual content of the entity [description of the e-book Great Expectations also represents the intellectual content of the “work” by Charles Dickens]

• Access points do double duty– Access to the bibliographic record (metadata in some

cases provides direct access to content)– Relating the intellectual content to other expressions

in the library’s catalog

Access PointsRelationship of Various Work Expressions

Authority Control

• To support intellectual relationships in the catalog – Intellectual contributions by the same person– Works issued by the same body – Uniform titles (to bring together all works)

• Tasks– Differentiating catalog headings (disambiguation)– Access for different forms of the same name

(references)– Updating previously assigned headings for catalog

consistency (maintenance)

Descriptive Cataloging Values

• Access to the bibliographic record is best accomplished through the values of– Consistency (supported by ISBD & MARC)– Accuracy (of transcription, of identification)– Informed selection (what to transcribe, access

points) – Informed differentiation (sufficient information

to allow the user to select among similar editions or similar access points)

Summary

• The fourfold FRBR purpose of cataloging– (FISO) Find, Identify, Select, Obtain

• Objectives of descriptive cataloging– Creation of bibliographic record; access to the

bibliographic record

• In the catalog, authority control supports access to & intellectual relationships of bibliographic records through– Disambiguation, References, & Ongoing Maintenance