Cataloging is always fun. And truthfully it is the part that makes Library Science a lie. I would define cataloging as an art, not a science. If it was a science every library would have their books cataloged exactly the same, and that isn't true.
Actually nowandays, quite a lot of the stuff I see come into a library also comes with its own barcode and catalog card, right from the publisher. They do the MARC carding for you a lot of times. If not, the bibliographic stuff is listed, exactly how it most likely would be cataloged, on the copyright page, with DDC and LoC call numbers, in case you have trouble deciding what category things go in.
And yet, the LoC has over 1,000 catalogers.
And I still have to know how to do it and read it. So there you go. I can see how some might catalog the same things different ways, but there is some kind of basis to it.
Comments 4
Reply
Reply
And truthfully it is the part that makes Library Science a lie. I would define cataloging as an art, not a science. If it was a science every library would have their books cataloged exactly the same, and that isn't true.
Reply
And yet, the LoC has over 1,000 catalogers.
And I still have to know how to do it and read it. So there you go. I can see how some might catalog the same things different ways, but there is some kind of basis to it.
Reply
Leave a comment