Fotis Lazarinis

AACR2 access points and headings

The selection of access points and the form of headings are examined in the second part of AACR2. Uniform titles and references from one heading to the other are also covered in this part of the standard. The chapter looks into these topics and presents the main rules employed for selecting and forming the main and added entry headings. The text presents in brief the main techniques used in AACR2 to relate works by the same author writing under different names and to distinguish different works, authors, places and corporate bodies having similar titles and names. Authority control is also discussed briefly at the end of the chapter.

Descriptive cataloguing codes and the anatomy of AACR2

The essential code for descriptive cataloguing is the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR), first developed in 1967 and updated regularly until 2005. The revisions and updates of the standard are referred to as AACR2. RDA is a new standard for descriptive cataloguing aimed to be a replacement for AACR2. This chapter first presents the evolution of codes from Panizzi’s Rules to RDA and then focuses on the structure of AACR2. The main aim of the text is to provide an overview of the structural parts of AACR2 and the process of describing resources with the standard.

AACR2 general rules and rules for books

The chief aim of the chapter is to provide a thorough review of the instructions for cataloguing books. Cataloguing of books is mainly governed by the general rules of chapter 1 of AACR2. Instructions from chapter 2 of AACR2 are needed for the transcription of data about the physical area as the general rules do not cover all the instances. The text presents the commonest general rules of chapter 1 and selected rules of chapter 2 of AACR2. At the end of each section and at the end of the chapter, several step-by-step examples are provide of developing bibliographic records for books.

RDA: the new standard for descriptive cataloguing

The chapter reviews the organization of RDA and the steps of cataloguing with it. The structure of the standard is presented first and then the process of recording the core attributes of manifestations, items, works and expressions is considered. Selected attributes of persons, families, corporate bodies and places are then reviewed. Recording of primary relationships between the entities is introduced and a complete example of cataloguing a single-volume book with RDA is given. Finally, the features of the RDA Toolkit are presented and the benefits of using this Web tool to switch to the new cataloguing standard are commented on.

Subject access: LCSH, Children’s Subject Headings and Sears List of Subject Headings

Subject headings are controlled lists of terms or phrases used for describing the subjects of items. This facilitates the retrieval of items by subject. In this chapter we describe the Library of Congress Subject Headings, which is the most widely applied subject heading list. The Children’s Subject Headings and the Sears List of Subject Headings are also introduced.

MARC 21: digital formats for cataloguing and classification data

MARC 21 is a set of formats for structuring records containing cataloguing and classification data. Information is structured in fields marked with specific tags. The MARC 21 format for bibliographic data is introduced in this chapter. Specific examples of encoding AACR2, RDA, LCC, DDC and LCSH data in MARC 21 are also presented.

Library of Congress Classification

Library of Congress Classification is an enumerative classification system consisting of 21 main classes. The notation of the scheme is alphanumeric and is completed by adding a Cutter number and the date of publication. The current version of the scheme is published in 41 schedules and online at Classification Web. The structure of the schedules and the building of complete call numbers are presented.

Introduction to cataloguing classification

Libraries have to organize their items and the information about them in a systematic approach so as to facilitate the retrieval of the needed resources. The chapter focuses on the organization of information. First, bibliographic control is defined and the information in a bibliographic record is specified. Then the role of catalogues in information organization, the principles they rely on and how these evolved from the Cutter rules to the Paris Principles and to the latest IFLA statement are discussed. Card catalogues and OPACs are examined and the concepts of cataloguing and classification are described. Finally, some cataloguing services and the main cataloguing and classification codes are introduced.

FRBR and FRAD: the conceptual models underlying RDA

Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) is a conceptual model underlying the new cataloguing standard RDA. It models the bibliographic universe independently of any cataloguing code or implementation. Bibliographic data are described based on a set of interconnected entities concerning the intellectual content, the physical production and dissemination, and the subjects of bibliographic records. This chapter presents the entities, the user tasks, the direct and indirect relationships defined in FRBR and explains them through examples. An overview of the Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD) is also given.

Dewey Decimal Classification

Dewey Decimal Classification is a hierarchical and enumerative classification scheme using Arabic numerals as notation. The standard is published in four volumes enumerating the classes, their decimal divisions, the relative index and the notation from six auxiliary tables which can be appended to the numbers to develop more specific classmarks. This chapter explains the structure of the scheme, its number building capabilities and presents the available electronic services.