Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS)

I've added a PICS tag to the head section of this site. Personally, I like the use of self-rating sites and leaving the decision on what to see in the hands of the user. In both IE and Netscape, there is a content advisor that can block sites which contain violence, sex, or other possible disturbing content from the user. It is up to the user to select what they will accept. Just the opposite if the approach taken by Congress. This ties into cataloging since it could be used to describe a site. It is certainly more descriptive than the MPAA ratings. This system has been in place for quite some time and never caught on. Maybe given the current debate over the CIPA it will be an option. Could a public library set the IE content advisor and call that their filtering device?

A nice article on PICS is PICS: Internet Access Controls Without Censorship by Paul Resnick and James Miller.

I have to give a plug to a very fine comic strip Overdue. I'm glad I subscribed to get mine sent to me every morning.

There will not be a posting Monday. I'm taking the day off. See you Tuesday.

Dublin Core

I've added Dublin Core metadata and AC metadata (Admin-Core) to the head section. To view it select View/Source in IE.

I think some of the Dublin Core folks are on the wrong track in thinking of metadata as cataloging. I think a better view would be as a title page, something from which to take cataloging information. When the book was invented, it took a while for standards in format to evolve. We take for granted a title page, table of contents in the front, index in the back each containing some particular information in a set way. That is not a given. It is a de facto standard in the English-speaking world. The Web will need some format standards and DC metadata can function as a title page.

Cataloging Career

An Interview With an Image Cataloger Jeannette Blohm has been working on a digital image archive project, Connecticut History Online, with the Connecticut Historical Society.

Thanks to Kristina at InfoMuse for this entry and a mention of Catalogablog. Also thanks to the folks at Library Stuff, Library weblogs, and Librarian.net for mentioning us.

Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records

The Network Development and MARC Standards Office has made available the study, "Displays for Multiple Versions from MARC 21 and FRBR."

It is based on an analysis prepared by Tom Delsey as part of the "Functional Analysis of the MARC 21 Bibliographic and Holdings Formats" study that he developed for the Network Development and MARC Standards Office. NDMSO has added display examples to accompany the study.

The FRBR is part of a movement to understand the structure of bibliographic information and then use that knowledge to develop a systematic description. We should see changes in ISBD, AACR and MARC based on this work.

Dublin Core

The Dublin Core metadata initiative is positioned to be one of the components in the semantic web. An easy tool for creating DC metadata is DC Dot Simply enter the URL of the page you desire data for and DC Dot sends back the metadata. It can output in HTML, XHTML and RDF formats. It allows editing of the output. The metadata then can be loaded in a database or pasted in the HEAD section of your document. A nice tool. Very nice to see what DC metadata looks like and how it is formed.

I've added the ability to have the daily posting e-mailed to subscribers. The software is Bloglet; please let me know if there is any problem with this.

Spanish Language Access

The Monolingual Cataloging Monolith: A Barrier to Access for Readers of Spanish by Bruce Jensen provides a nice introduction to the problem of access for the Spanish speaking population and some possible solutions. Has a nice bibliography for further reading.

I was at a workshop yesterday on cataloging videos given by Nancy Olson. It was good to meet and chat with other catalogers. I'm the only person here who speaks cataloging, so meeting with others is always a treat.

MARC Proposals and Discussion Papers

The cover sheets for proposals and discussion papers presented at the Midwinter meetings of the MARC Advisory Committee have been updated with results of discussions. They are available at:

Proposal No. 2002-01: Definition of Subfield $u (URI) in field 670 (Source Data Found) in the MARC 21 Authority Format

Proposal No. 2002-02: Definition of Subfields $u, $y and $3 in Fields 508 and 511 of the MARC 21 Bibliographic Format

Proposal No. 2002-03: Expanding Field 046 for Other Dates in the MARC 21 Bibliographic Format

Proposal No. 2002-04: Definition of Subfield $p (Number of pieces per issuance) in Fields 853-855 of the MARC 21 Holdings Format

Proposal No. 2002-05: Expansion of Regularity Pattern Coding in Fields 853-855 Subfield $y in the MARC 21 Holdings Format

Proposal No. 2002-06: Changes in Field 008 in the MARC 21 Holdings Format

Proposal No. 2002-07: Definition of Additional Second Indicator Values for Specific Subject Systems in Field 655 in the MARC 21 Bibliographic Format

Proposal No. 2002-08: Making the First Indicator Value 0 (U.S. Dept. of Defense Classification) Obsolete in Field 052 of the MARC 21 Bibliographic and Authority Formats

Proposal No. 2002-09: Encoding Variable Length Coordinate Formats in Field 034 (Coded Cartographic Mathematical Data) in the MARC 21 Bibliographic Format

Discussion Paper No. 2002-DP01: Coding Electronic Formats for Different Media in Field 007 of the MARC 21 Bibliographic and Holdings Formats

Discussion Paper No. 2002-DP02: Renaming the 008 Positions to Reflect their Content in the MARC 21 Bibliographic Format

Discussion Paper No. 2002-DP03: Changes for FAST Subject Headings

Discussion Paper No. 2002-DP04: Addition of Imprint and Physical Description Fields to the MARC 21 Holdings Format

Discussion Paper No. 2002-DP05: Guidelines for the Nonfiling Control Character Technique in the MARC 21 Formats

Discussion Paper No. 2002-DP06: Repertoire Expansion in the Universal Character Set for Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics

Discussion Paper No. 2002-DP07: Changes for UKMARC Format Alignment

Map Cataloging

Map Cataloging: Learning the Basics by Susan M. Moore and Lucinda M. Hall is a very nice introduction. Has a good list of resources, information about projection, scale, subject headings and differences from book cataloging. Anyone who only deals with maps on an occasional basis should print this out and keep it handy.

Typographical Errors in Library Databases

Typographical Errors in Library Databases Terry Ballard has collected the most common spelling and typographical errors in our catalogs. This is important work, since an error can scatter references defeating one of the prime reasons for cataloging, to bring together like works. I'm planning to check a few from his list every day. In a few weeks I should be through the most common errors. There is an e-mail list for the topic as well as the Web pages showing the most common errors found.

I began checking some of these in our catalog and have to admit I found some.

Tools for Cataloging Cartographic Materials

A while back I had the pleasure of doing a presentation on map cataloging to the advanced cataloging class at the University of Texas. Here is the bibliography I put together for that talk.

Andrew, Paige G. and Mary Lynette Larsgaard, editors. Maps and Related Cartographic Materials: Cataloging, Classification, and Bibliographic Control. New York: Haworth Information Press, 1999.
A good introduction for each specific cartographic type, maps, globes, cross-sections, etc.

Anglo-American Cataloguing Committee for Cartographic Materials. Cartographic Materials: a Manual of Interpretation for AACR2. Chicago, Ill.: American Library Association, 1982.
A new edition is due soon.

Banerjee, Kyle. The Cataloging Calculator
Search geographic cutters, area codes, country codes and other common abbreviations and codes in cataloging.

Library of Congress Subject Cataloging Division. Class G, Geography, Maps, Anthropology, Recreation. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, Cataloging Policy and Support Office, 2001.

Library of Congress, Network Development and MARC Standards Office. MARC Code List for Geographic Areas. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, Cataloging Distribution Service, 2000.

Library of Congress. Geography and Map Division. Map Cataloging Manual. Washington, D.C.: Cataloging Distribution Service, Library of Congress, 1991.

Map and Geography Round Table. MAGERT (ALA Map and Geography Round Table).
Newsletter, open-file reports, news and other information from the ALA group.

Reese, Terry. Map Cataloging: Cataloging Tools
Includes a searchable G schedule, subject cutters, scale calculator, and many links.

Western Association of Map Libraries.

Wood, Clifford H. Map Scale Indicator. St. John's, Newfoundland, Dept. of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Persistent Uniform Resource Locator (PURL)

I'm not sure why these never have taken off like wildfire. There is a need for a system to redirect users to the proper item on the Web. The co-operative upkeep of links saves time and ensures that the links are checked and corrected more often. The server software is free. In addition, OCLC provides a site for those who do not wish or need to install the resolver.

Beside OCLC, the GPO is using them. When I found a bad link I e-mailed them and it was fixed, not only for me but also for all who had that MARC record. CONSER is conducting a study of using them. Why are not these being used by Web rings, surely each site would share many of the same links. Municipalities and states could set one up covering sites in their geographic area.

MARC Organization Codes

Now it is possible to search these codes by either the code or name of an organization. This could also be useful in tracking down an address or a name for authority work. It is a good idea to check and make sure your name and address is current.

If your organization needs a code, you can apply for one on-line in English, in Spanish and in Portuguese. It takes about 2 weeks to process the request

Cataloging Theory and History

I've been reading a book which should be required reading in all cataloging classes and history of librarianship classes, Seymour Lubetzky: Writings on the Classical Art of Cataloging edited by Svenonius and McGarry. Most working catalogers would also benefit from reading at least some of these writings by a person who was involved in shaping cataloging rules for the latter half of the century. His thought is clear and his writing direct. Anyone interested in the reason for cataloging, main entry, form of entry for names and titles, and the ideological history of bibliographic control would benefit form this book. Highly recommended.

Authority Records

I was asked where to find training in authority records. I can't find any online. The best is that offered by the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) as NACO or SACO training. If you have the chance, take it. SACO training is offered each year at ALA. NACO is offered at the OLAC annual conference. Training is also offered at other times and places. There is also lots of documentation available at the Web site.

Another issue is how to encode the information in the MARC format. The official documentation is the MARC 21 Concise Authority. I sometimes like to read another description and see some more examples. The Tag of the Month covers some of the more important fields.

MARC21 Authority Records for GSAFD Genre Terms

Guidelines on Subject Access to Individual Works of Fiction, Drama, Etc., 2nd edition, was published in 2000 . The Guidelines constitute a recommendation for national standard practice in the provision of genre and subject access to individual works of fiction, drama, poetry, humor, and folklore in all formats.

In order to provide libraries with the ability to more fully implement the Guidelines and provide enhanced access to works of fiction in library catalogs, machine-readable authority records have been created for the form/genre headings in chapter 1 of GSAFD. A file of the records in the MARC 21 format is available for loading into library databases. The size of the file is 58 KB, and it contains 153 records. An ASCII version of the file (71 KB) is also available for viewing and printing with a text editor.

For further information, and to access the files, visit: http://www.ala.org/alcts/organization/ccs/sac/gsafdauthority.html Thanks to those making these freely available.

MARC Specialized Tools

LC has a collection tools for working with MARC records. Many are free. I often use the Cataloging Calculator, MarcEdit, and MARCXGen. If you know of any tools not listed, please let LC know. http://lcweb.loc.gov/marc/marctools.html

Cataloging Electronic Resources

Implementing the Revised AACR2 Chapter 9 for Cataloging Electronic Resources: An Online Training Presentation

The Cataloging Policy Committee of the Online Audiovisual Catalogers, Inc. (OLAC), is pleased to announce the availability of an online training presentation on the changes to the rules for cataloging electronic resources that were published in the Amendments 2001 to the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules.

The presentation is a PowerPoint slide show consisting of about 65 slides. The presentation is available on the OLAC Web site.

Taxonomy Information

The presentation by Jan Herd "Knowledge Orginization: Library Tools and Taxonomies for the Web" is available on-line at: http://www.loc.gov/flicc/mmpubs.html scroll down to the section on Educational Materials.

Also at LC is the streaming video Creating Web Based Finding Aids dealing with Web design, selection policies, and workflow issues. At: http://www.loc.gov/flicc/vidlib.html

Sandy Berman

It seems HCL is out to erase the work of Sandy Berman. The latest issue of Library Juice has quite a bit on the subject. http://www.libr.org/Juice/issues/vol5/LJ_5.9.html

Career

A very well written article on the career of a cataloger is The Whimsy of Cataloging by Richard A. Murray. Worth reading just for the writing, but as a bonus the content is also there.