Guest Editorial: Cataloging and Classification: Trends,Transformations, Teaching, and Training. By James R.Shearer and Alan R. Thomas
Cataloging News. By Elizabeth Steinhagen
ABOUT THE GUEST EDITORS
James R. Shearer is Principal Lecturer in the Centre for Information
Management, Thames Valley University, London. He has an MA from Cambridge University and
is an Associate of the Library Association. He worked for ten years for Geosystems, a firm
specialising in earth sciences database development. In 1982 he began teaching in the
School of Librarianship at Ealing College of Higher Education (now part of the Centre for
Information Management, TVU), and has since served on a number of academic committees and
as Head of School. Currently an External Examiner for Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen,
he has also served in that capacity at the University of Brighton. He has published a
number of papers and book reviews and has taught courses on information studies at
universities in Mexico, China and Kenya.
Alan R. Thomas gained the professional qualifications of
Associateship and then Fellowship of the Library Association. He obtained a research MA in
Library and Information Studies from Queens University of Belfast and an MA in Counselling
and Guidance from the University of Reading. He served as Head of the Division of
Information Retrieval Studies at Ealing College (now Thames Valley University, London). He
has taught at several British and American library schools, most recently as Associate
Professor, St. John's University and currently as Visiting Associate Professor, Pratt
Institute, New York. He is also a Visiting Research Fellow, Thames Valley University. He
has published many articles and book reviews, edited a collection on Classification, and
is a member of the editorial board of Cataloging & Classification Quarterly.
THE CATALOGER
The Work-Wide Web: A Cataloging Career for Every Librarian? By Alan R. Thomas
ABSTRACT. Some consequences of the traditional division of library staff into
Technical Services and Reader Services and of decreased interest in cataloging by library
managers are reviewed. Ways in which non-catalogers have had limited involvement in
cataloging are noted. Different forms of a holistic approach to library practice are
described. Advantages of a holistic work plan are suggested. Problems of a holistic work
plan are considered and some solutions advanced. Implications for education in cataloging
in library schools are identified, and several methods for providing a more holistic
context to professional education proposed. The appropriateness of holistic library
science and practice for today and the future is argued.
Changes in Technical Services and their Effect on the Role of Catalogers and Staff
Education:An Overview By Magda El-Sherbini and George Klim
ABSTRACT. Though all library operations are affected by the development of
technology, technical services operations are the first to undergo massive organizational
restructuring in response. Some current changes and their effects on library cataloging
departments are addressed. Two cataloging options are discussed. One is the use of vendor
services, such as OCLC's Contract Cataloging, PromptCat, and OCLC Selection. The other is
the use of non-traditional staff. The impact of such changes on the role of librarians and
on staff education is considered.
Cataloging across the Curriculum: A Syndetic Structure for Teaching Cataloging By
Sherry L.Vellucci
ABSTRACT. Continuous consideration of the curriculum and the environment is
required to provide a cataloging curriculum responsive to an evolving profession yet
grounded in solid theory and principles. The necessary competencies for future catalogers
suggested by the cataloging community are examined. 52ALA-accredited library school
programs are analyzed to determine the strength of cataloging within the curriculum and
the degree to which the competencies are addressed. It is concluded that adequate
education of future catalogers requires an expanded view beyond traditional cataloging
courses. The recommendation is for a curricular syndetic structure that identifies
relationships among courses and links courses with the concepts and competencies necessary
for organizing information.
Nice Work If You Can Get It? A Study of Patterns and Trends in Cataloguing
Employment in the USA and the UK in the mid-1990s. By Michael Towsey
ABSTRACT. Findings of an investigation into cataloguing vacancies advertised over a
twelve month period (March1995 to February 1996) in the US and the UK are presented and
discussed. The study was undertaken to investigate current trends in cataloguing
employment, providing empirical input to the debate over the present status and the future
of cataloguing in both countries. Supplementary data was derived from questionnaires
circulated during the same period to UK employment agencies and practicing UK cataloguers.
Wider inferences and conclusions are drawn in a final discussion, suggesting that there is
no evidence to indicate a collapse of demand for cataloguing skills by libraries and
related organizations.However, there is evidence of a decline in demand in the US since
the late 1980s, and a significant shift towards temporary work in the UK.
THE FUTURE OF CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS
Classification Schemes: Consultation with Users and Cooperation between Editors By I. C.McIlwaine ABSTRACT. Recent developments in the improvement of communication between those responsible for editing the general schemes of classification and their users are outlined. Increased participation in conferences, the publication of guides and manuals for aiding the implementation of general classifications, and the use of the Internet as a means of communicating are all ways in which users hear more about these schemes and can make their views known to those responsible for maintaining them. Increased communication at editorial level, including coordination of current developments and future revisions, is discussed. The Dewey Decimal Classification, the Library of Congress Classification, the Universal Decimal Classification, and the Bliss Bibliographic Classification (BC2) are reviewed and the ways in which each communicates with its users and participates in joint enterprises are noted.
Classification and Subject Analysis: Looking to the Future at a Distance By
C. D. Hurt
ABSTRACT. Classic classification schemes are uni-dimensional, with few exceptions.
One of the challenges of distance education and new learning strategies is that the
proliferation of course work defies the traditional categorization. The rigidity of most
present classification schemes does not mesh well with the burgeoning fluidity of the
academic environment. One solution is a return to a largely forgotten area of study -
classification theory. Some suggestions for exploration are nonmonotonic logic systems,
neural network models, and non-library models.
NEW TECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS
Knowledge, Technology, and Research in Cataloging. By Ling Hwey Jeng
ABSTRACT. Uncertainty over the future of cataloging and the gap between cataloging
research and practice exist partially because of the rapid change in technology over this
century. The role of technology is explored in its relation to cataloging knowledge and
research. The history of technology in cataloging is examined: a conventional view of
cataloging practice is followed by a critical review of impacts of technology on
cataloging theories. Recommendations are made on some issues of cataloging research and
the directions cataloging researchers and practitioners should take.
Webolution: Rethinking the Technical Services Knowledge Base and Culture in a Web-Based
Information Environment. By Gillian M. McCombs.
ABSTRACT. An action agenda is developed for technical services in the digital age.
Various cultural changes that must take place in order for the library community to
realize the potential of information technology are described. The agenda for change
focuses on three areas: educational requirements for new information professionals, the
redesign of organizations, and the retooling or re-education of current library
professionals.
A Personal Portable Information Interface: A Model for Meeting User Needs in the
Networked Information Environment. By Genevieve Engel.
ABSTRACT.A personal portable information interface is described. The framework of
the personal portable information interface encompasses the attributes of: Access,
Accuracy, Attractiveness,Assistance, Appropriateness, and Adaptability. This model can be
used as a standard with which to compare available networked services and resources, and
the delivery of those resources to
The Evolving OPAC. By Jamshid Beheshti
ABSTRACT.Advances in computer and communication technology have had an important
impact on online public access catalogues (OPACs). The client/server model, the Internet,
protocols, and standards such as Z39.50 have resulted in newly designed interfaces which
reduce syntactic and semantic knowledge required to conduct effective online searches.
Experimental OPACs have been developed in an attempt to assist users in conceptual
transformation of their information needs into searchable queries. These experiments are
based primarily on determining users' behavior at the OPAC terminal, which needs much
further study. Meanwhile, other non-traditional models for storing and retrieving
information should be considered to create an intuitive OPAC.
The Internet as a Tool for Descriptive Cataloguing. By Alan Poulter.
ABSTRACT. The effects of the Internet on the work of the descriptive cataloguer
are examined. Most of the effects stem from services available via the World Wide Web.
These services either put the descriptive cataloguer in closer contact with suppliers,
publishers, or vendors, or offer access to a vast range of reference or cataloguing
information. It is argued that such services provided by the World Wide Web will have a
profound influence on the practice of descriptive cataloguing.
A DIRECTOR 'S PERSPECTIVE
The Cataloger's Future: A Director's View. By Richard W. Meyer.
ABSTRACT. Cataloging has always depended on choices made by non-catalogers and
it has been driven by technology. Technological innovations expand the range of materials
requiring bibliographic control and also improve the quality of that control. In the near
future, economic factors will constrain opportunities to continue improving quality.
Technological factors will continue to broaden demands on catalogers. Inability to
continue expanding the revenue streams of supporting institutions will limit catalogers'
efforts while rapid growth of information bearing technology, particularly on networks,
will inflate demands for cataloging. Librarians must develop expanded skills with
automation networks and modern software systems if they are to maintain control.
