LibGuides: Cataloguing & Classification Standards (BIT): Resources

What is catalogue

The Purpose of the Catalogue is:

To enable a person to find a book of which either the author, title or subject is known
To show what the library has by a given author, on a given subject, or in a given kind of literature
To assist in the choice of a book as to its edition or to its character (Rules for a Dictionary Catalog” Charles Ammi Cutter (1874)

A catalogue has two main functions:

The finding function - To enable a user to find a book with a known author, title or subject
The gathering function - To show what the library has by an author, on a subject or in a given kind of literature

According to the Statement of International Cataloging Principles:

Controlled access points should be provided for the authorized and variant forms of names
Controlled access points provide the consistency needed for collocating the bibliographic records for sets of resources (“Statement of International Cataloging Principles”(IFLA, 2009)

Re-used from British Library presentation, under a Creative Commons CC-BY licence

Cataloguing Standards

About RDA RDA, Resource Description and Access, is the new cataloging standard that will replace AACR2. RDA offers libraries the potential to change significantly how bibliographic data is created and used. Published in July 2010, RDA is now available, and certain libraries have started using it for their current cataloging workflow. The Library of Congress has announced full implementation of RDA for 31 March 2013. To help you prepare for implementation of RDA at your library, we’ve compiled a list of some of the resources that are available. Items include work being done at OCLC to support implementation of RDA and resources available from ALA, LC, and other sources.
OCLC RDA Policy Statement
Library of Congress - RDA Training Materials
RDA Training Booklet -- Veve (Upd 03/2014) Abstract Practical booklet created to learn cataloging of print and e-books using RDA standards. Examples and guidelines are provided for each MARC field. In PdF format and contains a table of contents for easy navigation. *Big file may take a while to download. 200 pages.
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Veve, Marielle. RDA Workshop I: Cataloging Books (print & electronic), Booklet. Jacksonville, Florida : UNF Digital Commons, c2013. http://digitalcommons.unf.edu/library_facpub/13/
RDA in MARC
MARC Standards
MARC - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Find out:
What is MARC 21? What does the acronym “MARC” mean?
How does MARC 21 differ from the USMARC and CAN/MARC formats?
Who maintains the MARC 21 formats?
What are the Network Development and MARC Standards Office and the Standards Division?
Are there any discussion groups or forums for the MARC 21 formats?
About the ISBN Standard
About the ISSN Standard

Cataloguers Network

Founded in 1980, OLAC is an organization for catalogers concerned with all types of nonprint materials, including a wide range of digital resources as well as more “traditional” formats: video and sound recordings, websites, maps, multimedia, graphic materials, and realia. Through conferences, workshops, publications, and the electronic discussion list, catalogers exchange information and enjoy expert and practical advice on cataloging audiovisual resources. OLAC became an ALA affiliate in 2008.

Subject cataloging

Library of Congress Subject Headings PDF Files
About the Library of Congress Subject Headings PDF Files.
This page provides print-ready PDF files for the 40th Edition of the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). Data for the 40th edition was selected in January 2018. For users desiring enhanced functionality, LCSH will continue as part of the web-based subscription product, Classification Web.
Controlled Vocabularies (LoC))
Subject cataloging depends on lists of controlled subject access vocabulary and thesauri. Library of Congress catalog records generally feature subject access points from one or more of the following thesauri and headings lists.

LoC for Librarians and Archivists

Cataloging and Acquisitions - The Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access Directorate provides acquisitions and bibliographic access services to the Library of Congress and leadership in bibliographic access collaborations and standards for the library and information service communities, nationally and internationally, and training and instructional design for the Library Services service unit of the Library of Congress.

Bibliographic Access - Cataloging staff are responsible for the description, subject analysis, and classification of books, serials, and a wide variety of special format materials collected by the Library of Congress. Learn more about this.

The Dewey blog / RSS feed

025.431: The Dewey blog
Everything you always wanted to know about the Dewey Decimal Classification® system but were afraid to ask ...

More resources on Cataloging and Metadata

Cataloging and Metadata Commons™