To study the format, content, and rationale of public catalogs used at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) libraries, a questionnaire was sent to each of the campus libraries. The data collected included information on: 1) number of volumes in the library's collection; 2) number of drawers in its catalog; 3) physical arrangement of…

Analyzes a neural network for its ability to perform a task involving identification of the language entries in a 19th-century library catalog containing entries in 14 different languages. Compares the neural network's performance with that of trigrams and a suffix/morphology analysis; the trigrams prove to be superior. (AEF)

Examines the intrinsic value of browsing a library collection, either in the stacks or on an online catalog. The value and cost of classification and shelf-listing is discussed, based on data compiled during studies conducted at Cornell University that timed catalogers while they performed the shelf-listing component of cataloging. (Author/LRW)

Though recent technological developments have promised solutions to the costly problems of expanding card catalogs and changing cataloging practices, at the University of California libraries the problems have been compounded by a desire to stay compatible with the changing conventions of the Library of Congress and by an increasingly stringent…

Discusses results of a survey of music technical services librarians that investigated retrieval problems with the symbols for sharp and flat in music notation in online catalogs. Comparisons are made with an earlier study of online catalog vendors, and a list of institutions surveyed and the questionnaire used are appended. (LRW)

Because technology has made new applications possible and because library and vendor expertise has developed, some libraries today are working with a second or third system vendor. This paper reports on a survey of such libraries in the United States, and it identifies commonality and variation in factors associated with automation system change.…

Describes a survey of research libraries with online catalogs planned or in place that examined the status of card catalogs, shelf list files, and the capability of online systems to handle traditional shelf list functions. The functions examined include inventory control, collection assessment, holdings information, and call number assignment.…

Considering alternative physical formats for the public card catalogs currently used in the University of California at Los Angeles libraries, a study group at began by investigating six possibilities: 1) cards; 2) photographically-produced catalogs; 3) typeset-printed catalogs; 4) computer-produced catalogs; 5) microform or video catalogs; and 6)…

A practical system for producing a union catalog of titles in the collections of the Library of Congress Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (DBPH), its regional network, and related agencies from a machine-readable data base is presented. The DBPH organization and operations and the associated regional library network are analyzed.…

Describes the Network Library System, a collaborative development project undertaken by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Chicago libraries, which currently handles an online catalog and a circulation system. The conceptualization of the system, its development and performance, and subsequent changes due to available…

The result of a study which compared the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2d edition (AACR2), with current cataloging practices at the University of Cincinnati libraries, this report contains chapter-by-chapter commentary on the following areas: the cataloging philosophy of AACR2; general rules for description; books, pamphlets, and printed…

Six university libraries were visited and observations were made on their procedures for indicating locations of reference books in card catalogs. Comparisons were made between other libraries and Wayne State University Libraries in the following areas: (1) the decision to classify books as reference; (2) the labeling of reference books; (3) the…

Survey responses from 448 public libraries to questionnaire examining bibliographic access to media and adoption of revised Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR2) reveal that majority of respondents (57 percent) use AACR2 for original cataloging of printed materials, 46 percent use it for nonprint materials; 85 percent of public catalogs are in…

Findings of a longitudinal study indicate high success rates for OCLC as a source of cataloging copy. They further suggest that holding patterns for many types of materials may be unnecessary. (Author/RAA)

This survey examined whether recent changes in the accessibility of bibliographic records and electronic access has led to an emerging pattern in the way that documents are organized into four areas: (1) general questions; (2) technical services; (3) collections and public services; and (4) changes in the organization of documents service.…