This manual, the first of a series to be devoted to the automation of library operations, is an introduction to the planning and production of computer-produced book catalogs. The major part of the text covers the whole range of questions involved in planning a book catalog: choice of input device, development of programs designed to meet the…

The question of whether a library's catalog should consist of cards arranged in a single alphabetical order (the "dictionary catalog) or be segregated as a separate file is discussed. Development is extended to encompass related problems involved in the creation of a book catalog. A model to study the effects of congestion at the catalog is…

A duplication of the book card catalog on microfilm has been successfully utilized at Hughes Aircraft Company by a number of its libraries. (Author)

This paper discusses the first major implementation of two significant new cataloging models: IFLA's FRBR (International Federation of Library Associations' Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) and event modeling (INDECS and Harmony). The paper refers briefly to the decision making processes leading to the adoption of these models,…

Experiments were designed and carried out in an attempt to identify some parameters relating to ease of manual searching in library catalogs. A comparison of the difficulty of searching the same file in card form and book form indicated that searching the book catalog generally requires more time. (4 references) (Author/NH)

A semi-humorous article suggesting that libraries should have both a dictionary catalog and a divided catalog. The author also suggests additional card catalogs, such as a people catalog and a place catalog. (Author)

This paper attempts to analyze the problem of congestion, using a mathematical model shown to be of value in other similar applications. Three criteria of congestion are considered, and it is found that the conclusion one can draw is sensitive to which of these criteria is paramount. (8 references) (Author/NH)

A truly global supply of bibliographic records and the emergence of online publishing put new challenges on the organization of bibliographic control. Three important cataloging codes are presently under revision, the AACR, the Italian RICA and the German RAK. The basis for a record, the carrier=content dichotomy, is one fundamental issue which…

Research library catalogs serve as authoritative sources of access. The increasing practice of including Web sites in the catalog, resources not under the library's control, raises new issues of the catalog's accuracy and reliability. An analysis of ARL libraries' catalogs examined the persistence of cataloged URLs. Error rates ranged from a low…

The results of a study carried out under the auspices of the Council on Library Resources are described. (Author)

THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE IF DIVIDING A TRADITIONAL DICTIONARY CATALOG TO CREATE A SEPARATE FILE FOR SUBJECT ENTRIES WOULD RESULT IN MORE EFFECTIVE USE OF LIBRARY CATALOGS. A SET OF SEARCH QUESTIONS WAS DEVELOPED AS THE DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT. TWO CATALOGS--THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS' DICTIONARY CATALOG AND THE UNIVERSITY OF…

The general conclusion of this study indicates a wide, if uneven, use of college catalogs in academic libraries. (Author)

This paper reports a study of computer filing which utilizes the arranging possibilities of the computer and of careful format design to considerable advantage. (Author/NH)

This article describes the card-sorting techniques used by several academic libraries, reports and discusses the results of card-sorting usability tests of the Western Michigan University Libraries' Web site, and reveals how the WMU libraries incorporated the findings into a new Web site redesign, setting the design direction early on. The article…

Many libraries use RSS to syndicate information about their collections to users. A survey of 65 academic libraries revealed their most common use for RSS is to disseminate information about library holdings, such as lists of new acquisitions. Even though typical RSS feeds are ill suited to the task of carrying rich bibliographic metadata, great…