Is Cataloging Dead? Advocacy for Bibliographic Control

Randy Roeder and Rebecca Routh of the University of Iowa Libraries surveyed a wide range of developments that call into question many of the foundational assumptions of current cataloging practice. R & R examined a few of the stereotypes associated with catalogers and their work but then challenged participants to consider if the disconnect between the perceptions and realities of bibliographic control is an understandable reaction to a group that has been reluctant to embrace change.

Routh described the redundant work that takes place in library cataloging departments and the amount of that activity that is not shared at the network level. She went on to point out that the cataloging community has also been slow to integrate metadata from other sources into its workflows. While catalogers have lagged in these areas, e-businesses have moved aggressively to include data from non-library sources into a variety of bibliographic records easily viewed by researchers on the Web. While initiatives such as the WorldCat Identities Project demonstrate the ways in which existing library data can be repurposed to meet new demands, catalogers still tend to view their work as a local effort.

After a quick survey of "next generation" catalogs, Roeder pointed out that some catalogers question the value of the ILS as a discovery tool. While it may be too early to predict the demise of the local catalog, there are two divergent trends that bear watching; one is that of the highly sophisticated local catalog with integrated instructional content; the other is that of a more generic, web-based catalog such as WorldCat Local.

After a reviewing the new functional requirements for bibliographic records (FRBR) and looking at the new content standard-RDA-participants were again challenged to think about the relevance of MARC data and the traditional techniques of bibliographic control in this new environment. The movement of library customers towards web-based discovery calls into question much that goes on in local cataloging units and makes it apparent that catalogers will need to acquire new skills and a more network-centric mindset if this part of the profession is to survive.

Powerpoint available

Submitted by Randy Roeder