The following papers about cataloging, which all came out just this year, have been causing librarians, especially catalogers, to ponder the future of our profession:
"Rethinking How We Provide Bibliographic Services for the University of California" (pdf)
If you don't have time to read the 80-page report, you may wish to look at the 5-page Executive Summary (pdf). Alternatively, you can read the reactions of Lorcan Dempsey, Karen Schneider and William Denton."A White Paper on the Future of Cataloging at Indiana University" (pdf)
According to Current Cites, the report is "an interesting read, and taken with the explosion of related reports, adds yet another perspective to the kinds of changes we must foster to create better library services in a vastly changed environment.""The Changing Nature of the Catalog and Its Integration with Other Discovery Tools" (pdf)
This 52-page report from the Library of Congress has caused enough controversy to merit a 24-page rebuttal from Thomas Mann (pdf).And then there's the Library of Congress's Decision to Cease Creating Series Authority Records, which has caused the issuance of a petition to "Prevent the Library of Congress From Abandoning the Creation of Series Authority Records." Click on the link if you'd like to sign the petition. Signatures will be collected only until Friday, 5 May 2006. The new policy, however, will be implemented on Monday, May 1.
Category: Technical Services
