EDITORIAL By Ruth Carter
The Cataloging Laboratory: The Active Learning Theory
Applied to the Education of Catalogers. by Lisa Romero
ABSTRACT. The active learning theory as a teaching method applied
to traditionally taught classes could be instrumental in
producing a more productive learning environment for students. It
provides a balance between theory and practice and requires that
students be inquirers, creators and receivers of knowledge.
Library education is one area which would profit from active
learning due to the dual importance of theory and practice.
Within library education, those courses whose knowledge is based
around techniques and skills would benefit the most from the
active learning concept. One of these courses is cataloging. The
following article shows how a laboratory environment, based on
the active learning theory, can be successful in teaching
cataloging and thereby better prepare students to enter the work
environment.
Le dépôt légal: Implications for Cataloging.
by Jeff Edmunds
ABSTRACT. Rules governing dates are one of the most complex, and
yet one of the least discussed, aspects of descriptive
cataloging. The pitfalls encountered by the cataloger are doubly
treacherous in the case of French-language materials, which by
law must bear dates of legal deposit (dépôt légal) in
addition to any stated dates of publication and copyright. AACR2r
does not explicitly address the issue of legal deposit and in
this respect is an inadequate resource for the cataloger of
French titles. This article attempts to rectify the inadequacy by
examining the French dépôt légal and its implications
for cataloging.
Cooperative and Contract Cataloging of Foreign-language
Materials in Academic and Resarch Libraries. by James S.
Chervinko
ABSTRACT. Many collections of foreign-language materials remain
uncataloged because of the lack of catalogers proficient in the
uncommon languages. Two-way and three-way cooperative exchanges
and contractual arrangements among libraries are ways to obtain
cataloging. Libraries willing to participate in cooperative
exchanges must locate reciprocating partners. Those wanting a
contractual arrangement must find other libraries willing to
accept materials, offering the required language proficiency, and
charging acceptable fees. Potential two-way and three-way
cooperative exchanges and potential contractual arrangements
between sending and receiving libraries are investigated. These
modes of outsourcing cataloging to other libraries, although a
partial solution, could substantially reduce the size of
backlogs.
The Online Series Authority File at Hofstra University.
by Laurie Lopatin
ABSTRACT. In 1992, Hofstra University began a project to convert
the manual series authority file to an online authority file. The
project consisted of three stages. In the first stage, the online
catalog was searched for series authority records downloaded into
the database in 1987 when it was initially prepared for the
online catalog. In the second stage, either OCLC series authority
records or locally created records were transferred into the
online catalog. The third stage, which is still ongoing, consists
of editing series tracings in bibliographic records to conform to
the series authority records. The article discusses the project's
methodology and assesses its benefits.
A Study on the Chinese Romanization Standard in Libraries
by Suping Lu
ABSTRACT. Two major Chinese romanization systems are used in
libraries: Wade-Giles and Pinyin. Due to structural defects and
distorted pronunciation, Wade-Giles, the Chinese romanization
standard in the North American library community, is beyond the
knowledge of most library users. On the other hand, Pinyin, the
international transliteration standard for Chinese, is as
accurate in rendering standard Chinese pronunciation as it is
popular with library users. Though the shift of the Chinese
romanization standard from Wade-Giles to Pinyin appears to be a
logical and reasonable choice, the conversion issue has been
repeatedly raised and discussed, but has never materialized. In
order to facilitate the implementation of the switch without
delay, the issues must be clearly and widely understood so that
the attending problems can be promptly resolved.
BOOK REVIEWS
Classification: Its Kinds, Systems, Elements and Applications, by
D. W. Langridge.
Colon Classification, 7th Edition: Some Perspectives. Edited by
M. P. Satija, and
Theory of Knowledge Classification for Librarians, by Anand P.
Srivastava assisted by M. P. Satija, R. Padmanabhan, Anil
Srivastava.
Reviewed by Alan R. Thomas
The Classification of Fiction: The Development of a System
Based on Theoretical Principles, by Clare Beghtol.
Reviewed by Michael Carpenter
CATALOGER'S BOOKSHELF
CATALOGING NEWS
Elizabeth N. Steinhagen, News Editor
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