AN ARCHETYPE FOR INFORMATION ORGANIZATION AND CLASSIFICATION OCLC WorldCat

Information Organization & Classification Allows resources to be found in libraries The practice is generally know as cataloging Standards  Description  Subject Technology has presented particular problems  New materials  New ways to catalog Locally, nationally and internationally

OPAC Online public access catalog (OPAC) Electronic version of a library’s catalog Changed the cataloging environment  Sharing bibliographic records  Holdings information  Global scale

OCLC Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Organization that offers a membership to libraries by subscription for services 72,000 libraries 170 countries and territories Locate, acquire, catalog, lend an preserve library materials Largest and most popular bibliographic utility in the world

WorldCat At the center of OCLC bibliographic database Busiest OPAC in the world Has been continuously contributed to by members since languages 55 million records Materials from 2150 B.C. to present Each resource listed must having holdings at one member library

WorldCat’s formats & services Eight formats  Books  Serials  Sound recordings  Music scores  Maps  Visual materials  Mixed materials  Computer files Services in three main areas  Cataloging/ metadata  Reference  Resource sharing

Why WorldCat? Unique position of influence  Scale  Reach Reflection on the nature of information organization and classification  Shows current trends  Changes in practices  Patterns over time

Purpose of Literature Review Examine the impacts and challenges of cataloging and records sharing using OCLC World Cat as a lens Technological implications and trends in cataloging will be looked at as determined by WorldCat Ways in which it has revolutionized cataloging and the implications of those changes on the past and present cataloging environment and future challenges

Cooperative Cataloging High standard of cataloging record  Library of Congress (LC) With the idea of cataloging “once and for all” Changed the “us” versus “them” distinction WorldCat could become a global catalog making local catalogs obsolete “next generation” catalog with the types of interface patrons are not use to

Cooperative Cataloging continued Updating of WorldCat records  Distributed, on going process  Begins at different levels More flexible standards  LC record foundation  De-emphasis on descriptive detail  Focus on access points  Not designed for large scale Cooperation in Authority Control  Consistency in controlled headings  Maintenance of controlled headings

Bibliographic Record Contribution WorldCat is a global collection development tool Problem with timeliness of bibliographic records for current publication There is a decline in records creation between 1992 and 2000 Acquisitions and cataloging lag Titles from mainstream vendors are most likely to be contributed in a timely manner

Before Database Interlibrary loan was detective work Verify the existence of a book before trying to acquire Tools were printed catalogs and bibliographies  By country  By library Easier to confirm existence of a title than to obtain Not all had library location symbols Only research libraries owned full collections of catalogs and bibliographies

After Database Contained current and retroactive publications As long as there is a bibliographic record in WorldCat at least one library holds it If a bibliographic record cannot be found in WorldCat…it does not exist This shift creates problems of dependency on record contribution

Suggested Solutions Cooperative Collection Development  Responsibility of timely cataloging, classifying and acquisitions Incentives  Free to upload holdings information or even profitable Listings without holdings  After a designated amount of time after publication it would be listed in the database to inform member libraries it requires acquisitions

Digital Landscape Digital materials are changing the standards and practices of cataloging Not only new forms of materials but also content obtained through license or subscription Advances in computer abilities have made large scale data mining and possible for libraries Looking at WorldCat:  MARC21 criteria  Quality, types, characteristics and holdings patterns  Cataloging activities over time  Cataloging practice

MARC21 Criteria Reliable indicators  Type of record  Form of Item  General Material Designation (GMD) Less reliable indicators  Additional materials/ form of material  Physical description  Electronic location and access  Reproduction note

Digital Trends By 2005 approximately 1 million digital material in WorldCat 2% of the total records 35% increase from 2004 Growth has been faster in digital materials than print