Library catalogue : objectives, purposes and functions

Chapter Outline

Objectives
Cataloging and Classification
Introduction
Summary
Library Catalog
Exercises
Definitions References
Purposes of a library catalogue
Objectives of a library catalogue
Cataloging Process

Introduction

• Library catalogue is a list of print and nonprint materials accessible from a particular
library.
• It discloses to the reader the list of a library collection as well as materials accessible
from a particular library via web.
• We introduce you to some of the basic ideas relating to library catalogues and
cataloging
 Chapter 1:Catalog

• The word ‘catalogue’ comes from the Greek phrase Kata logos. Kata means “according
to” or “by”.
• Logos has different meanings. Sometimes, it means simply “words”, sometimes “order”
and other times “reason”.
• Catalog is a work in which the list of documents are arranged in a “reasonable” way in a
particular “order” or according to a set “plan”
• Generally speaking, a library catalogue is a list of books and non-book materials in a
particular library or accessible from a
particular library via web, arranged according to a definite plan or determined order
• It contains specified items of bibliographic information for the purpose of identification
and location of the materials catalogued.
• If the catalogue in physical form represents the collection of two or more libraries, the
catalogue is termed as union catalogue.
• If a search is made in multiple resources/databases, it is called federated search.

Purpose of a library catalogue

• To serve as a guide to the collection of materials acquired for the library.

• It also serves users as a retrieval tool.
• Libraries generally acquire reading and reference materials in various physical forms or
non-physical forms such as Internet resources.
• These materials are utilized by users for study, reference, and research.
• It is necessary that a library prepares and provides a public record of all the materials
irrespective of their physical-forms acquired/accessed by it in order to give the readers an idea
of the entire collection possessed by it.
• Main purpose of a library catalogue is to aid readers in making use of the collection of
the library by providing author, subject, title and other approaches to the collection
• Serve as a guide to the library collection accessible by the library to know its location.
 Objectives of a Library Catalogue

• Charles Ami Cutter described the objectives of a library catalogue in 1876 when he first
published the first edition of his book Rules for a Dictionary Catalogue.
• His views on the subject are often quoted and are relevant even today.

1. To enable a person to find a book of which either

(A) the author
(B) the title is known
(C) the subject

2. To show what the library has(D) by a given author

(E) on a given subject
(F) in a given kind of literature

3. To assist in the choice of a book

(G) as to its edition (bibliographically)
(H) as to its character (literary or topical) 

(questions for discussion)

• The statement was written over a hundred years ago.

• Have the objects of the catalogue changed very much?
• How they changed at all?
• Should we add or subtract any?
• Which are the most important?
• Discuss this in a group, or this about these questions yourself.

Exercise 1.1

Write in your own words the purpose of the catalog

Cataloging Process

• Catalogue consists of various entries of documents acquired for the library/accessible by

the library.
• Operations and procedures associated with the preparation of entries for incorporation
into the catalogue are known as cataloguing or cataloguing process.
• Cataloguing is the art of preparing records in such a way that a document is quickly
identified and located by the reader.
• It is a practical art is learnt by practice alone.
• There are three types of entries in the library catalogue: main entry, shelf list and added
entry
• Main Entry:
–Main entry give detailed information about the documents in various sections or areas
(descriptive part and tracing part)
• Shelf list:
– accession number is written in the main entry.
– This is for the use of library staff.
– There is no prescribed rule for this purpose.
– For the sake of uniformity, we will transcribe the accession number on the 5th line from
the red horizontal line of the card.
– Is an inventory record of a library which bibliographical data of items arranged exactly
the way the items are arranged
• Added entry:
– prepared under various access points such as author, title subject and give brief
information of the document in manual catalogue.

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Operations of cataloging

• Choice and creating of headings of main entries, added entries and sections of main as
well as added entries
• Recording of information in the sections of entries
• Determination of style of writing, punctuation marks, capitalization, etc.
• Writing call numbers on all entries
• Filing of catalogue cards in manual entry
• Preparation of guide cards/entry
• Maintenance and updating of entries in a catalogue

•Cataloging is the preparation of bibliographic information for catalog records/cards.

•Catalogers use a set of cataloging tools, which are the agreed international rules and
standards.
Cataloging consists of
• Descriptive cataloging
• Assigning subject heading (subject cataloging)
• Classification

A catalog record

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Descriptive Cataloging

• Descriptive cataloging describes an item, identifies access points and formats access point,
using the Anglo-American cataloging rules and appropriate name and authority files

Subject Cataloging

• Subject cataloging determines subject headings for an item, which represent the subject(s) of
the work in words and/or phrases using Sears List of Subject Headings or a similar authoritative
subject headings list.
 Classification

• Classification determines a classification number for an item

• Represents the subject of the work in a number and/or letters, using Dewey Decimal
Classification or a similar authoritative classification scheme, and provides a location for an item
in a collection.

Cataloging Networks

• There are many cataloging networks within library sectors, regions, OCLC (Online
Computer Library Centre, Inc.), has over 80 million items cataloged and libraries all over the
world share its records.
• With the development of web, most of the integrated library software have the protocol
of z39.50. This protocol allows other libraries to download their records.
Purposes of Cataloging Rules
• To provide consistency within a single library.
• To provide consistency between libraries
• To reduce time involved in cataloging
• To provide ease of use for library users using more than one library
• To ensure that the purposes of the catalog are achieved
To provide consistency within a single library
• That is, a description and headings created by one cataloger need to be consistent with a
description and headings created by another cataloger or at a different time.
To provide consistency between libraries
• In order to share catalog records and reducing costs in a centralised or cooperative library
system, libraries must use an agreed set of cataloging rules To reduce time involved in
cataloging
• If codes did not exist, catalogers would have to start from scratch with every work they
cataloged 
To provide ease of use for library users using more than one library
• Cutter states “ The convenience of the public is always to be set before that of the
cataloger” 
To ensure that the purposes of the catalog are achieved
• Catalog must enable users to find what they need efficiently and reliably

Cataloging and Classification

• Call number, expresses what subject matter a book has *in common* with other books,
• Catalog record is used to express what makes that book *unique* from others in your
collection.

Exercise 1.3

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Chapter-2:Bibliographic Record

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An Example..

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Bibliographic...

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 Access Points

• Users find records in the catalog by a person’s . name, title, series, organization or
subject. The name or term a user searches for is called access point, since it gives the user
access to the record,. It is also called a heading, since it is written at the top (head) of the record
in a card, book or microfiche catalog.
• Catalogers determine the access points using cataloging rules, with particular attention
to what users are likely to look for

Main Entry Heading

• When a catalog record is created, the cataloger decides that one of the access points is the
main entry heading. It is usually first-named author or the title.
Added Entry Headings
Added entry headings (i.e. the other access points) reflect other names-other authors, editions,
illustrations, translators, titles, series and organizations-by which a user may look for the
record.

Subject Headings

• Subject heading s are also access points, since many users look for information on a
subject without knowing particular authors or titles.
• Subject heading are decided in subject cataloging, rather than descriptive cataloging,
but they usually form part of the bibliographic record. A catalog record also contains a
classification number, so that the user can locate the Item.
 Formats of catalogs

• Increasingly library catalogs are automated, i.e. the records are stored on a computer,
and clients find their information using a computer.
• However, other formats-including card, book, microfiche, computer printout and CD-
ROM are also used.
• Standard access points-main entry, added entry and subject headings-were established
for card catalogs,
• In a set of catalog cards, one card is provided for each access point, with the appropriate
heading at the top of the card.
• An extra main entry card is used as a shelf list card.
• In computerized catalogs, each access point gives users the same view of the record.
Users generally need to search using the correct heading.
• Users of sophisticated automated catalogs can look up almost any piece of information
or combination of details, to find a record.

Exercise 2.1

• Here are two online catalog records. Highlight all the access points you find in an OPAC
(Online Public Access Catalog), you are familiar.

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Library catalogue and the Five Laws of Library Science

Books are for use-1st law

Implication for a library catalogue
• Accessibility to library collection through a well designed physicals form of a catalogue as well
as the inner structure of catalogue entries and their organization.

Every reader his book-2nd law

Implication for a library catalogue
• The physical form as well as its internal structure of a library structure should be designed to
help every type or category of users such as children, specialists or physically handicapped
persons.

Every Book its Reader- 3rd law

Implication for a library catalogue
• Provision of analytical entries of documents to reveal the hidden contents of documents.
Save the Time of the users- 4th law
Implication for a library catalogue
• All possible approaches to the catalogue through author, title, and subject indexes, cross
reference entries, and guidelines to the use catalogue all these to provide speed of service.

Library is a Growing Organism-5th law

Implication for a library catalogue
• Provision to adapt a library catalogue to changes in publications, both paper print and
electronic, and changing needs of users and other environment factors.