100 LRTS 57(2) Online, Practical, and Free Cataloging Resources An Annotated Webliography John Baga, Lona Hoover, and Robert E. Wolverton Jr. This comprehensive annotated webliography describes online cataloging resourc- es that are free to use, currently updated, and of high quality. The major aim of this webliography is to provide assistance for catalogers who are new to the profession, unfamiliar with cataloging specific formats, or unable to access costly print and subscription resources. The annotated resources include general web- sites and webpages, databases, workshop presentations, streaming media, and local documentation. The scope of the webliography is limited to resources reflect- ing traditional cataloging practices using the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition, RDA: Resource Description and Access, and MAchine Readable Cataloging (MARC) standards. Non-MARC metadata schemas like Dublin Core are not covered. Most components of cataloging are represented in this webliog- raphy, such as authority control, classification, subject headings, and genre terms. Guidance also is provided for cataloging miscellaneous formats including sound and videorecordings, streaming media, e-books, video games, graphic novels, kits, rare materials, maps, serials, realia, government documents, and music. atalogers today face numerous challenges in their work—ever-changing for- C mats of items to catalog; keeping up with new cataloging rules and standards; lack of additional catalogers to help with training and workflow; and minimal bud- gets to purchase cataloging-related resources. In addition, today’s librarians with a library and information science degree may not have taken cataloging courses as part of their curricula, leading to uncertainty concerning which resources to use John Baga ([email protected]) when facing cataloging issues. is Assistant Professor and Monograph- To assist new and veteran catalogers in identifying and evaluating a variety of ic Cataloger, Lona Hoover (lhoover@ cataloging resources available online, the authors have developed an annotated library.msstate.edu) is Associate Profes- sor and Monographic Cataloger, and webliography. The authors’ intent in creating this webliography is to help begin- Robert E. Wolverton Jr. (bwolverton@ ning catalogers in the field, save catalogers time with a selection of practical library.msstate.edu) is Associate Pro- one-stop resources, pinpoint free resources for libraries with limited budgets and fessor and Database Maintenance/ Authority Control Librarian, Mississippi staff, and update the literature of annotated bibliographies and webliographies State University Libraries, Mississippi State. for catalogers. Submitted August 7, 2012; tentatively The scope of the webliography is limited to resources used in traditional cata- accepted September 8, 2012, pend- loging based on the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules 2nd edition (AACR2), ing modest revisions; revision submitted September 25, 2012, and accepted for RDA: Resource Description and Access, and MAchine Readable Cataloging publication. (MARC) standards.1 Therefore, the webliography does not cover Dublin Core, LRTS 57(2) Online, Practical, and Free Cataloging Resources 101 Encoded Archival Description, and other non-MARC meta- formats and cataloging issues. data schemas. Another aim of this webliography is saving the cataloger time and energy. The web has thousands of cataloging-relat- ed resources; a Google search using the search phrase in Why a Webliography? quotes, “cataloging resources,” results in more than 11,000 hits. This webliography provides relevant, vetted, and cat- Numerous annotated bibliographies related to cataloging egorized online resources for most cataloging situations. have been written over the past several decades. Spe- According to the 2012 special issue of American Librar- cific topics covered in these annotated bibliographies have ies, the current economic recession has struck libraries hard included authority control; electronic serials and continuing and resulted in a widespread trend of “stagnating budgets” resources; maps; research in cataloging and classification; for all library types.11 Consequently, many libraries have and theses and dissertations. Wolverton, and Russell and experienced reductions in library staff or lack of funds to Spillane address authority control.2 Blosser, Hagan, and purchase print or subscription cataloging resources. Tak- Zhang speak to electronic serials and continuing resources.3 ing the current budget cuts into account, this webliography Resources for maps appear in bibliographies by Kandoian presents only freely available resources on the web. Online and Plummer.4 Conway’s annotated bibliography presents subscription-based resources like Cataloger’s Desktop and research in cataloging and classification.5 Wolverton and Classification Web, training courses, and commercial webi- Hoover cover theses and dissertations.6 In addition to anno- nars are not included.12 tated bibliographies on specific aspects of cataloging, others Some libraries, regardless of budget constraints, employ have provided a broader view of cataloging resources.7 a small cataloging staff or a single cataloger, especially in the While several annotated bibliographies in the past have case of school libraries and special libraries. These catalog- focused on cataloging resources in print format, advances ers, burdened with the responsibility of organizing a collec- in technology during the last two decades have helped shift tion by themselves, may have difficulty getting the training the accessibility of such resources from print to web-based. and help they need. The authors hope that this webliography This has resulted in the development and use of the term, can fill in the training gaps for solo catalogers who may not webliographies, to describe annotated resources available have the assistance of colleagues. via the web. This webliography is not the first of its kind to assess Webliographies of cataloging resources have a number resources for cataloging a broad range of formats.13 Howev- of advantages over bibliographies of print resources. They er, another webliography similar in scope has not appeared may be bookmarked so that catalogers can easily access in the literature for several years. El-Sherbini included them at point of need. They provide information that is categories such as cataloging tools by types and formats of more likely to be current and continuously updated than materials, authority and subject heading work, dictionaries print resources. Lastly, webliographies point the way to and encyclopedias, electronic discussion groups and work- information that may cost less to access than the print shops, vendors, professional organizations, and journals and equivalent.8 newsletters.14 Condron chose a sampling of online resourc- A key goal of this webliography is to help catalogers es of interest to catalogers with information on such topics new to the profession find reliable resources to aid their as departmental policies, vendor products, bibliographic work. Most library science graduates are not fully equipped standards, and training.15 Owing to the transient nature of with the knowledge and skills needed to step into a full-time the web, websites can disappear, URLs are prone to change, cataloging position.9 Much of their training must then be and new cataloging resources emerge every year to reflect acquired in the workplace.10 Therefore the authors designed shifts in current practice. As such, many of the previously the webliography to include vital resources that beginning published webliographies contain outdated websites or catalogers should know and use. As a corollary, the webli- broken links. The present webliography is intended to ography should help novice catalogers identify the major showcase current, well-established, and frequently updated authorities, organizations, and individual experts within the resources. cataloging community. In addition to helping new catalogers, the webliogra- phy is intended to benefit those seeking help with areas of What about RDA? cataloging in which they may not be experts, such as author- ity control, genre terms, and cataloging specific formats. The resources in this webliography focus largely on the cur- Catalogers must tackle a diversity of formats, keep up with rent standard practice, AACR2, with additional coverage of best practices, and apply a variety of rules and standards: the new cataloging standard, RDA: Resource Description this webliography outlines crucial resources to handle most and Access. By all indications RDA is a reality: it is being 102 Baga, Hoover, and Wolverton LRTS 57(2) implemented by LC and other national libraries in 2013.16 • Freely available on the web—Since the price of pro- However, since RDA is relatively new, and LC and Program fessional materials impedes access for many libraries for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) policies are still in flux, with budget constraints, the webliography focuses on the resources available are not as numerous or definitive as resources that were available at no cost. those based on AACR2. Therefore the authors have selected • Comprehensiveness—Cataloging aids were selected some key resources presently available, with the caveat that and examined for their completeness and breadth of once RDA is officially implemented, a surge of additional information. resources is likely to follow in the coming years. With the • Currency of information—Resources