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Cataloguing the Internet.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Cataloguing the Internet.
Language: English
Authors: O'Daniel, Heather B.
Source: Associates: the Electronic Library Support Journal. Mar 1999 5(3).
Availability: Web site: http://raven.cc.ukans.edu/~assoc/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 6
Publication Date: 1999
Document Type: Journal Articles
Descriptors: Authority Control (Information), Bibliographic Utilities, Cataloging, Change, Classification, Cooperative Programs, Indexing, Information Retrieval, Internet, Library Automation, Library Catalogs, Library History, Metadata, Problems, Quality Control, Subject Index Terms
Abstract: This paper discusses problems and opportunities, presented by the information explosion and the growth of the Internet, for libraries to apply and augment traditional methods of cataloging. The first section provides an overview of how the process of cataloging evolved, including the development of the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR), Library of Congress and Dewey Decimal classification systems, MARC format, OCLC, and Library of Congress Subject Headings. Issues or difficulties in applying classification systems to the information available on the Internet are explained in the second section, including lack of controlled vocabulary, lack of stability due to frequency of change to the data, and lack of quality standards. The third section shows the possibilities and plans for libraries to use cataloging for improving research on the Internet. Three current projects are described: (1) the Dublin Core, a set of metadata elements for cataloging electronic material; (2) the OCLC Cooperative Online Resource Cataloging Project, a research project exploring the cooperative creation and sharing of metadata in order to allow the integration of material available on the Internet with current library resources; and (3) the Coalition for Networked Information, a coalition of over 200 institutions and organizations that supports shared networked information resource and service development practices. (AEF)
Entry Date: 1999
Accession Number: ED428778
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This paper discusses problems and opportunities, presented by the information explosion and the growth of the Internet, for libraries to apply and augment traditional methods of cataloging. The first section provides an overview of how the process of cataloging evolved, including the development of the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR), Library of Congress and Dewey Decimal classification systems, MARC format, OCLC, and Library of Congress Subject Headings. Issues or difficulties in applying classification systems to the information available on the Internet are explained in the second section, including lack of controlled vocabulary, lack of stability due to frequency of change to the data, and lack of quality standards. The third section shows the possibilities and plans for libraries to use cataloging for improving research on the Internet. Three current projects are described: (1) the Dublin Core, a set of metadata elements for cataloging electronic material; (2) the OCLC Cooperative Online Resource Cataloging Project, a research project exploring the cooperative creation and sharing of metadata in order to allow the integration of material available on the Internet with current library resources; and (3) the Coalition for Networked Information, a coalition of over 200 institutions and organizations that supports shared networked information resource and service development practices. (AEF)