ERIC Number: ED242328
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1984-Feb
Pages: 44
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The User Friendliness of the Library Catalog. Occasional Papers Number 163.
Wallace, Danny P.
This paper reviews 19th and 20th century English-language literature dealing with the user friendliness of library catalogs and cataloging. Sections cover literature on: (1) the need for catalogs and the possibility of substituting subject bibliographies for the subject catalog; (2) user needs and the dichotomy between designing catalogs based on individual needs and the standardization of cataloging; (3) the basic purposes of catalogs and cataloging; (4) the advantages and disadvantages of various physical catalog forms, including card, book, and microform catalogs; (5) methods of arranging catalogs in dictionary or divided format and the comparative advantages of alphabetical and classified catalogs; (6) the content of catalog records, especially the amount and type of information included; (7) the nature of catalog entries, specifically the number and type of entry points for each item in the collection; and (8) the arrangement of alphabetical entries, i.e., in true alphabetical or alphabetico-classed format. It is concluded that the literature of the library catalog shows a concern for the catalog user but that the concern has been unsystematic and based on untested assumptions regarding user needs and wants. A review of 12 objectives of a user-oriented system, as enumerated by Dehning, Essig, and Maass, and the author's vita conclude the publication. (ESR)
Descriptors: Cataloging, Classification, Design Requirements, Filing, Indexing, Information Needs, Information Storage, Library Catalogs, Literature Reviews, Objectives
University of Illinois, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Publications Office, 249 Armory Building, 505 E. Armory Street, Champaign, IL 61820 ($3.00 per copy).
Publication Type: Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Researchers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Illinois Univ., Urbana. Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A