Comments on: Cataloging for the Users

By: Chris Schwartz

Chris Schwartz — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 18:24:17 +0000

If catalogers want to start adding tags now, there is a MARC field, the 653 field, that would work well. The 653 field is for uncontrolled index terms and is already used by LC for subject concepts that don’t have an authorized LC subject heading yet.

I’m a big advocate for using both LCSH and tags. I think there’s a place for both.

By: Tim Spalding

Tim Spalding — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 01:05:17 +0000

There’s no question catalogers work for users. But, as Niole said, nobody goes back to add the subjects. The great flowering of chick lit in the late 90s will never get the tag; it was a commonly-used term for at least seven years before the LC added it. The same pattern can be seen in subjets like Sociobiology, Memetics and many others.

As for Cyberpunk, the only subject is Cyberpunk Culture, applied to exactly one work in the history of the LC. I’m not sure whether that’s better or worse than never using it at all.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:09:41 +0000

Ah - but are you going back and editing every book with crazy subject headings? No! Because that would be insanely time consuming. Which means those titles are still un-searchable with those terms.

That said - I’m a cataloger - I’m not against catalogers and I do catalog for the user - but I’m so limited that sometimes I get very very frustrated!!

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:52:55 +0000

Subjects get added every day.
Chick lit (2006) and Cyberpunk culture (2001) are valid Library of Congress subjects.
Because catalogers are working for the users.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 11:26:00 +0000

I do know that there are differences - but even AACR2 is bloated with rules that do nothing to help the user find information.

My point above was whether we were cataloging for the users or not - like I said I haven’t read the article or the RDA draft - so my rant was totally about cataloging for our users - meaning all aspects of cataloging - rules and subject analysis.

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 06:19:37 +0000

Be careful you don’t conflate RDA (which will essentially be an updating of AACR2–descriptive bibliography with authorized name/title construction thrown into the mix) with subject analysis (LCSH, etc.)