Competencies and Education for a Career in Cataloging Interest Group
ALA Annual, Anaheim, California
2012 June 22
Cataloging, Judgment, and Imagination
Enduring Change
Jay Weitz
Senior Consulting Database Specialist
WorldCat Quality Management Division
OCLC
jay_weitz@oclc.org
The world’s libraries. Connected.
Conversations with Catalogers in the 21st Century
Helen Buhler
Halvard (Hal) Cain
J. McRee (Mac) Elrod
Jennifer Marie Eustis
Bernhard Eversberg
Lynnette M. Fields
Jon Gorman
Michael Gorman
Sylvia D. Hall -Ellis
Janet Sw an Hill
Sheila S. Intner
Ed Jones
Susan S. Lazinger
John F. Myers
Scott Piepenburg
Elaine R. Sanchez
Christine Schw artz
James Weinheimer
Martha M. Yee
Jay Weitz
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From ICPSR to Playaways: Evolving Standards for the
Cataloging of Electronic Resources
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The Rushing River of Revision
• Resilience
• Patience
• Skills
• Judgment
• Imagination
• Competence
• Education
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Welcome to the Catalogers’ Madhouse
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AACR and MARC
Anglo-American
Cataloging Rules
(AACR)
• 1967-
Machine-Readable
Cataloging
(MARC)
• 1968The world’s libraries. Connected.
AACR1, 1967
Anglo-American
Cataloging Rules
(AACR1), 1967
•No mention of computers.
•No mention of MachineReadable Data Files.
•No apparent awareness
that the world was soon
going to change.
The world’s libraries. Connected.
CCRC Subcommittee on Rules for Cataloging
Machine-Readable Data Files
• 1970: American Library Association, Resources
and Technical Services Division, Cataloging and
Classification Section, Descriptive Cataloging
Committee created a Subcommittee on Rules for
Cataloging Machine-Readable Data Files.
• Subcommittee was transferred to the Catalog
Code Revision Committee, which was already
looking toward AACR2.
• Final report issued in January 1976.
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CCRC Subcommittee on Rules for Cataloging
Machine-Readable Data Files
Some Perennial Issues Raised by
Subcommittee:
• Frequent absence, inadequacy, or ambiguity of a
chief source of information.
• Medium Designation (later, General Material
Designation or GMD): “Machine-readable data file”.
• Emphasizing edition statements that reflect changes
in content rather than changes in physical format.
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Evolving Standards
Advances in the cataloging world:
•1971: ISBD(M).
•1973: Non-Book Materials Cataloguing
Rules (AACR1, British Text, Revised
Chapters 10-15).
•1974: AACR1 Revised Chapter 6,
“Separately Published Monographs” (North
American Text).
•1975: AACR1 Revised Chapter 12,
“Audiovisual Media and Special Instructional
Materials” (North American Text).
•1976: AACR1 Revised Chapter 14, “Sound
Recordings” (North American Text).
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Meanwhile, Back in the Real World, Part I
Advances in the computer
world:
• 1970: First Random Access
Memory (RAM) chip.
• 1971: First microprocessor (Intel
4004 chip).
• 1971: First “floppy” disk (8 inch).
• 1973: Ethernet networking.
• 1974-1975: First computer “kits”
for consumers (including the Mark8 and Altair 8800); and the first
“portable” computer, the IBM 5100.
The world’s libraries. Connected.
AACR2, 1978
Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second
Edition, 1978, Chapter 9: Machine-Readable Data
Files
•Includes files stored on:
•Magnetic tape.
•Punched cards (with or without a magnetic tape strip).
•Aperture cards.
•Punched paper tapes.
•Disk packs.
•Mark sensed cards.
•Optical character recognition font documents.
•Embraces:
•Data stored in machine-readable form.
•Programs used to process that data.
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AACR2, 1978
• Chief source of information: “internal user label.”
• “A machine-readable identifier containing alphabetic and/or
numeric characters providing information about the file.”
• If information “is not available from the chief
source,” use the following sources in order of
preference:
• Documentation issued by the creator of the file.
• Other published descriptions of the file.
• Other sources (including the container of the file and its labels).
The world’s libraries. Connected.
AACR2, 1978
Chapter 9 has “File Description Area” rather than “Physical
Description Area.”
• Number of “data files,” “program files,” or “object programs.”
• Number of “logical records” or “statements.”
• Name of the programming language.
• Name and number of the machine on which file runs.
• 2 program files (300 statements each, COBOL).
• 1 object program (IBM 360/40).
• Any explicitly physical characteristics (such as the number and further
details of tape reels or punch cards) relegated to a “File Description and
Physical Description” note.
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Machine-Readable Data Files: A MARC
Format
• 1979: Work began on Machine-Readable Data
Files: A MARC Format.
• October 1981: Machine-Readable Data Files: A
MARC Format approved by MARBI.
• October 1984: OCLC implemented MRDF
format.
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Meanwhile, Back in the Real World, Part II
•April 1, 1976: Apple I.
•1977: Apple II, Commodore
PET, Radio Shack TRS-80.
•1978: VisiCalc, the first
computer spreadsheet program.
•1979: WordStar, the first
successful word processing
software.
•August 21, 1981: IBM PC and
its MS-DOS operating system.
The world’s libraries. Connected.
AACR2 Chapter 9, 1978, and the Buggy Whip
• Emphasis in 9.0B1 on the “internal user label” as chief
source of information.
• Emphasis in 9.5 on the number of files and programs
and the corresponding relegation of any physical
description of the carrier to a note.
• Increasingly antiquated GMD “machine-readable data
file”.
• Lack of any guidance for describing the new array of
physical carriers (reels, disks, cassettes, cartridges).
• Need for a note on “system requirements” for the make
and model of the computer, the amount of memory, the
operating system, etc.
The world’s libraries. Connected.
Guidelines for Using AACR2 Chapter 9 for
Cataloging Microcomputer Software, 1984
•Complements, rather than replaces, the
rules in the original Chapter 9.
•Covers “data files and program files
coded in machine-readable form and
produced in multiple copies for
commercial marketing and distribution on
a specific carrier intended to be used by
the purchaser.”
•“Preferred source of bibliographic
description” remained the internal data:
• Explicit acknowledgement was now
made that catalogers may lack means
of access to internal data.
• “Label on the storage medium itself”
and labels on containers move up in
order of preference.
The world’s libraries. Connected.
Bad to Worse
• 1969: Earliest
versions of the
Internet.
• 1971: E-mail.
• 1973: FTP (file
transfer protocol).
• Early 1990s: World
Wide Web.
The world’s libraries. Connected.
AACR2’s Alternatives and Options
AACR2 0.7: Some rules are designated as
alternative rules or as optional additions, and
some other rules or parts of rules are
introduced by optionally. These provisions
arise from the recognition that different
solutions to a problem and differing levels of
detail and specificity are appropriate in
different contexts. Decide some alternatives
and options as a matter of cataloguing policy
for a particular catalogue or bibliographic
agency and, therefore, exercise them either
always or never. Exercise other alternatives
and options case by case. All cataloguing
agencies should distinguish between these
two types of option and keep a record of their
policy decisions and of the circumstances in
which a particular option may be applied.
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Cataloger's Judgment, or, Cataloguer’s Judgement
AACR2 0.9: These rules recognize the necessity for
judgement and interpretation by the cataloguer.
Such judgement and interpretation may be based
on the requirements of a particular catalogue or
upon the use of the items being catalogued. The
need for judgement is indicated in these rules by
words and phrases such as if appropriate,
important, and if necessary. Such words and
phrases indicate recognition of the fact that uniform
legislation for all types and sizes of catalogue is
neither possible nor desirable, and encourage the
application of individual judgement based on
specific local knowledge. This statement in no way
contradicts the value of standardization. Apply
such judgements consistently within a particular
context and record the cataloguing agency’s policy.
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Cataloger’s Imagination
• AACR2
• MARC
• Real-World Resources
Structured Format
• Cataloger’s Judgment
• Cataloger’s Imagination
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Stubborn Reality
Resource Description and Access
•
October 1997: International Conference on
the Principles & Future Development of
AACR (“Toronto Conference”).
•
May 1998: Functional Requirements for
Bibliographic Records: Final Report (FRBR).
•
December 2004: Draft of AACR3, Part I.
•
April 2005: Transition to RDA.
•
November 2008: “Full Draft” of RDA.
•
June 2010: RDA Toolkit published.
•
October-December 2010: RDA Test.
•
June 13, 2011: U.S. national libraries
announce implementation not before January
1, 2013.
•
June 14, 2011: Widespread panic.
The world’s libraries. Connected.
Taming RDA, Transforming MARC
• JSC.
• CC:DA.
• MARBI.
• LC Bibliographic
Framework
Transition Initiative.
The world’s libraries. Connected.
Updating MARC
MARC 21 Update
OCLC-MARC Update
Implementation
OCLC Technical
Bulletin
No. 10 (October 2009)
May 2010
No. 258
No. 11 (February 2010)
May 2010
No. 258
No. 12 (October 2010)
August 2011
No. 260
No. 13 (September 2011)
May 2012
No. 261
No. 14 (April 2012)
May 2012
No. 261
The world’s libraries. Connected.
Content, Media, Carrier
336 - Content Type
• The form of communication through which a
work is expressed.
337 - Media Type
• The general type of intermediation device
required to view, play, run, etc., the content
of a resource.
338 - Carrier Type
• The format of the storage medium and
housing of a carrier in combination with the
media type (which indicates the
intermediation device required to view, play,
run, etc., the content of a resource).
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336 text ǂ2 rdacontent
337 unmediated ǂ2 rdamedia
338 volume ǂ2 rdacarrier
MARC Bibliographic and Authority
Authority
Bibliographic
•
264 - Production, Publication, Distribution,
Manufacture, and Copyright Notice
•
344 - Sound Characteristics
•
345 - Projection Characteristics of Moving
Image
•
346 - Video Characteristics
•
347 - Digital File Characteristics
•
377 - Associated Language
•
380 - Form of Work
•
381 - Other Distinguishing Characteristics of
Work or Expression
•
382 - Medium of Performance
•
383 - Numeric Designation of Musical Work
•
384 - Key
The world’s libraries. Connected.
•
046 – Special Coded Dates
•
336 - Content Type
•
368 - Other Corporate Body Attributes
•
370 - Associated Place
•
371 - Address
•
372 - Field of Activity
•
373 - Associated Group
•
374 - Occupation
•
375 - Gender
•
376 - Family Information
•
377 - Associated Language
•
378 - Fuller Form of Personal Name
•
380 - Form of work
•
381 - Other Distinguishing Characteristics of Work or Expression
•
382 - Medium of Performance
•
383 - Numeric Designation of Musical Work
•
384 – Key
New Indexes
Bibliographic Indexes
Authority Indexes
• Access Restrictions (rs: and rs=)
• Cartographic Data (cm:)
• Date Created as MARC (dm:)
• Description Conventions (dx:)
• Entity Attributes (en:)
• Entity Attributes (en:)
• ISSN Link (ik:)
• ISSN Link (ik: and ik=)
• Language of Cataloging Description (ll:)
• Name and Title Index (nx=)
• National Bibliography Number (nn:)
• Other Class Number (ot: and ot=)
• Physical Description (p3:)
• Provenance (pv:)
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• Relationship (rx:)
Entity Attributes Indexes
Entity Attributes (Bibliographic)
Entity Attributes (Authorities)
•
046
fgklst
•
368
abc
abcdefhijkmno
•
370
abcefgst
344
abcdefgh
•
371
abcdemstz
•
345
ab
•
372
ast
•
•
373
ast
346
ab
•
374
ast
•
347
abce
•
375
ast
•
377
al
•
376
abcst
•
380
a
•
377
al
•
•
378
q
381
a
•
380
a
•
382
abdpv
•
381
a
•
383
abcde
•
382
abdpv
•
384
a
•
383
abcde
•
384
a
•
046
kl
•
340
•
The world’s libraries. Connected.
New Elements, Existing Indexes
Publisher Location (pl:)
Publisher (pb: or pb=)
• 257 a
• 260 b f
• 260 a e
• 261 a b e
• 261 f
• 262 b
• 262 a
• 264 b
• 264 a
• 533 c
• 533 b
• 752 a b c d
The world’s libraries. Connected.
Material Type Index
Video carriers
RDA Carrier Term: 338 ‡a
MARC Code for RDA
Term: 338 ‡b
OCLC Material Type
Index (mt: and mt=)
video cartridge
vc
vid
videocassette
vf
vca
videodisc
vd
vcd
videotape reel
vr
vid
other video carrier
vz
vid
The world’s libraries. Connected.
Connexion Client and Browser
• RDA Workforms
• Set a preference in
the Connexion client
(version 2.40) and
browser.
• RDA Toolkit IP
Authentication
• GLIMIR
• Future option.
The world’s libraries. Connected.
WorldCat
• Ongoing record
matching changes
for RDA elements.
• Additional
validation rules to
help ensure
correct coding.
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Policy Review and Coordination
• OCLC Policy Statement on RDA Cataloging in WorldCat for the U.S. Testing
Period and Beyond
•
http://www.oclc.org/us/en/rda/policy.htm
•
In effect since RDA publication, June 2010.
•
Catalogers WILL NOT be required to use RDA at any time in the foreseeable future.
• Incorporating RDA Practices into WorldCat: A Discussion Paper
•
http://www.oclc.org/us/en/rda/discussion.htm
•
Widely circulated for comments, February 15 through April 15, 2012.
•
OCLC staff currently discussing all users' suggestion and comments.
•
Trying to work toward a consensus about the policies that will work best both for the cataloging community
and for library users.
•
Attempting to balance the dual roles of WorldCat as a catalog and as a repository of bibliographic data.
•
Deeply informed by the work of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging.
The world’s libraries. Connected.
Linked Data
• Schema.org descriptive mark-up
appended to WorldCat.org
pages.
• WorldCat.org now offers largest
set of linked bibliographic data on
the Web.
• Entire publicly available version
of WorldCat is now available for
use by intelligent Web crawlers,
such as Google and Bing, that
can make use of this metadata in
search indexes and other
applications.
• DDC 23 also available as linked
data.
The world’s libraries. Connected.
Enduring Change
• Competencies
• Education
• Resilience
• Patience
• Skills
• Judgment
• Imagination
The world’s libraries. Connected.
Enduring Change: Cataloging, Judgment, and Imagination
Thanks for your kind attention.
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