UNL libraries make catalogues more inclusive

The Library of Congress may step down from its role as the primary institution for classifying and cataloging library materials, according to a report it released last month.

"The Library of Congress does not necessarily want to have the same role in the future that it's had in the past - implementing cataloging standards," said Mary Bolin, chairwoman of technical services for University of Nebraska-Lincoln libraries. "They want to move further into a world where they aren't the only players, where everyone shares and collaborates."

In order to get away from the Library of Congress being the sole arbiter of cataloguing standards, the report urged libraries around the country to share more records with one another, to create more awareness of their special collections and to make greater use of online databases.

The majority of university libraries around the country, UNL included, have already taken steps toward creating a more cohesive network of information. Much of what the report suggests "is already being done in some way," Bolin said.

"The world of cataloging not what it was 30 years or 100 years ago," Bolin said. "When the Library of Congress was the best source of most catalogue data, it made sense for them to have the role that they have had."

But now, catalogue information is available from a variety of newer but equally credible sources. For example, publishers create cataloging data as do international libraries.

"We need to broaden our idea of what a usable record is," Bolin said. "The Library of Congress doesn't want to be the only agency that produces cataloging information."

All the books acquired by UNL libraries are compared with records in WorldCat, the largest Online Public Access Catalog in the world. An OPAC is computerized online catalog of the materials held in a library.

Each book is cataloged according to the corresponding record on WorldCat. If a record for a book doesn't exist one is created and added. It is then accessible to colleges and universities around the country.

"That's the heart of cataloguing. That's the heart of the community of practice that is bibliographic control," Bolin said.

UNL libraries are heeding another Library of Congress recommendation, an increased focus on special collections.

Joan Barnes, the development and outreach librarian for UNL libraries, said extra emphasis is being given to the Willa Cather online archive, an image and multimedia database open to the public.

"We've digitized images that come from our special collections, making our materials searchable," Barnes said. "We're doing our best to publicize what we have."

adamtempleton@dailynebraskan.com