STRAIT to the future

8th Asia-Pacific Specials, Health and Law Librarians Conference

The catalogue, a discussion

Shanti Nadaraja, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists and
Joanna Boast, Latrobe Regional Hospital

Keywords: Cataloguing, One person library

Abstract/introduction

What do our library users want from their library?

They require up-to-date and relevant information in a variety of formats to answer a variety of information queries ranging from patient care through to services development and research.

How do our library users find their information?

Their sources range from the internet, "information at their finger-tips", to subject databases, the library catalogue and when all else fails, the librarian.

Our discussion will centre on the catalogue, what is its purpose, and whether it worth cataloguing in detail in this seamless age.

Section one: The argument for detailed cataloguing...

Catalogue
A catalogue is a list of items held in a particular collection. It may be arranged alphabetically or numerically and be in card or computer format that may be available in-house as well as online. A catalogue should be flexible and up-to-date; entries should be easily accessible and be economical to maintain.

AACR 2
Many will believe that following AACR 2 will not be an economical way of cataloguing for a small special library. However, following the guidelines will mean uniformity. It may not be necessary to add the height of the book or go into detail on pagination, however it is important to add the full title, name of the author/s, as many subject headings without restricting it to any particular number.

The catalogue of the ANZCA (College) library has all the content pages of the books as well as a list of illustrations for historical books.

One would point out that entering all this information is not economical. However, when retrieving information it assists where there are gaps in the collection and this can be rectified by those books with chapters on a particular issue. This will be possible if the content pages are added or by conducting a manual search, which is even more time consuming.

List of illustrations will depend on the type of library and the demand for the illustrations. The type of cataloguing will depend on the type of library. On the other hand it is important that we keep in mind the users of the library and what is most useful to them. Many library catalogues will be networked throughout the hospital/organisation or be accessible on the internet and one does not need to come into the library to see what is available in the library on a particular subject. If you provide 24 hour access to the catalogue then it is important that as much detail of what is available is also provided.

Any library whether it is a small specialist collection or a large university collection needs to be catalogued in detail for the benefit of your users as well as you the librarian. If we as solo librarians want our users to be self sufficient then it is important that we make things as easy as possible. The library cannot close if you are at lunch or if you on holidays or at a conference!!!

Section two: The argument against detailed cataloguing

Traditional catalogues are time consuming and expensive to produce. Libraries operated by Solo librarians are fighting for their survival and are having to prove their value to the parent organisation.

Do we need to catalogue according to AACR2? Why should we provide detailed cataloguing entries? Are all specialist libraries members of ABN/Kinetica, or are our entries dependent on professional pride and tradition?

Some form of minimal cataloguing is necessary so that materials can be located at a later date. But how detailed need it be?

The library user requires the ability to locate materials on the shelves from the catalogue, they are not interested in the intricacies which delight the librarian. The catalogue needs to provide access points to the materials listed: title, author/ corporate author, publication details, subject and keywords.

Who uses subject headings, and are they in fact useful? Broad subject headings are of far more value than complex Mesh or Library of Congress headings which have taken the librarian time to compile. Many library users prefer to browse along the shelves.

Shelf numbers are a necessary evil, but do they need to be so long?

How useful or in fact necessary are pagination details? The edition statement should be sufficient on its own.

Publication details are useful to help identify a particular item, but how often are they actually used. Not many library users request a book published by Mosby in 1994 without giving the author or title details.

Librarians love catalogues but does the end product justify the expense? Libraries have moved beyond the old traditional catalogue where logic arguments are based in the past with card systems. Library catalogues now exist in a seamless environment which is routinely searched in free text.

I believe that the time for detailed cataloguing is past.

Conclusion

In an ideal situation it will be good to have all the details to assist both the users as well as the librarian. However in a profession with ever-increasing demand from management to cut costs little cataloguing with an up-to-date catalogue will be the way to go, or is this second best?

We hope that we have stimulated your curiosity and invite you to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of detailed and minimal cataloguing.

Authors

Shanti Nadaraja, BB Information and Library Management
Name of Organisation: Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists
Work experience/professional qualifications
British Council Library in Sri Lanka - 5 years
Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind - 1988- 1994 (Staff Reference Librarian)
Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists - 1994 - (Librarian)

Joanna Boast, BA , Dip Lib.
Name of Organisation: Latrobe Regional Hospital
Work experience/ professional qualifications
I trained in the UK and on arrival in Australia worked as a cataloguer at Monash University Library. Over the last 15 years I have worked for Latrobe Regional Hospital as a Solo Librarian coping with hospital amalgamations, name changes and the privatization of Latrobe Regional Hospital.