Some rules have to be followed while cataloging to solve problems like book number, book types, different types of book publication, personal name problems, pseudonyms, books without authors or edited books, institution name problems, library definition, increasing number of joint authors etc.
According to Harrods’s Librarians Glossary, the catalog code is a set of rules for the guidance of catalogues in preparing entries for catalogs to ensure uniformity in treatment. Such codes may include rules for subject cataloging and for filing and arranging entries.
The matter can be stated as follows – the catalog code is the set of rules by which catalogers ensure easy use of the texts of libraries and information centers by formulating the overall main text, supporting text, reference text, and analytical text, thereby ensuring easy use by users.
Need for Cataloging Code:
Catalog codes are used in libraries mainly for two purposes:
First: To determine the nature and characteristics of a library’s catalog and to maintain the consistency of a catalog style;
Second: If different libraries use the same catalog code, the same reader will see the same catalog layout in different libraries, as a result of which the catalog usage method will be easy for him and it will be possible to bring uniformity in the preparation and use of catalogs.
In addition, the need for a cataloging code is felt strongly to solve the following problems.
1. How will the title of the ‘Name Catalog’ entry of the library be written? How will the form and font of this name be used? If the form of the name of multiple books and libraries is different, which name title will be used? Which name form will be used as the title of the main entry?
2. Which name should be used as the head of the main entry in the fields of original author and editor, original author and translator, etc.?
3. How will the title of the additional entry be determined, and how will the title phrase be used?
4. In what cases will the book name be used as a title?
5. What information will be stated as a description of the book in the catalog entry, and how will that information be arranged and how will the information format of the book be determined?
6. How will the format, punctuation, abbreviation, etc. of the book’s information be determined?
7. How will the topic entry be prepared?
8. How will the catalog entries be arranged?
9. How will the information base of the catalog entries be determined?
A cataloging code is definitely necessary to properly solve the above problems.
History of the Origin of Cataloging Code
The first and foremost requirement as the main driving force of a modern and progressive library is a well-organized, well-controlled cataloging code and its proper use. Before the introduction of cataloging codes, there were no rules for cataloging in libraries. Anyone could prepare a list as they wished. As a result, it was not possible for the reader to quickly find any library material without the help of library staff, and even if it was possible, it was time-consuming. Therefore, to make the catalog suitable for the reader, any approved cataloging code is very important. Otherwise, it is not possible to maintain the consistency and clarity of the catalog.
A review of the history of cataloging codes shows that modern cataloging began in the mid-nineteenth century. Several cataloging codes emerged during this period. Below are ten important cataloging codes discussed.
1. Bodleian Code:
Although the cataloging code was discovered in the early 1500s, its history was known much later. In 1674, a gentleman named Sir Thomas Bodley founded a library and named the library after him, the Bodley Library. The Bodley Library is one of the three libraries that now make up the Oxford University Library. After it was attached to this library, its richness increased manifold. The code that Bodley devised to catalog the books in this library later became known as the Bodleian Code.
2. France Code:
After the French Revolution in France in 1779, when the country stabilized in 1791, a national library code was hastily created by government initiative. It is known as the France Code. According to the rules of this code, the Chief Source of Information is the title page where all the information of the book is available.
All the information available in the Chief Source of Information will be included in the catalog. In addition, the surname of the author should be included in the main entry. The volume, figure, picture, how it is bound, and the type of paper should be mentioned. How much is given should also be mentioned.
3. B .M . Code
Sir Anthony Panizzi was a librarian at the British Museum. The code he introduced in 1841 is named after the British Museum, which is named after him. This code of S. A. Panizzi had 91 sections. Its main feature is that the author should be catalogued. One of the features of subject headings. A separate index should be made for subject headings. The fact that cross references are part of the catalogue is first known from the B.M. code. The origin of the modern catalogue code starts from here.
4. Charles C. Jewett’s Code:
A gentleman named Charles C. Jewett was the librarian of the Smith Sonyen Institute Library. He adopted this plan in 1850 and published this code in 1852, which had 39 sections. In 1853, the second edition of this code was published with some changes and additions. It included corporate authors and a cross-reference system.
5. C. A. Cutter Code:
In 1876, Charles Amy Cutter published a code called “Rules for a Dictionary Catalogue” and had 205 entries. He published another book in the same year called Condensed Rules for a Card Catalogue. Cutter’s book was first published in 1889. The third edition was published in 1891, increasing the number of entries from 205 to 369. It discussed manuscripts, music, maps, etc.
6. ALA Code:
In 1883, a code was published in America called the Condensed Rules for Author and Title Catalog. By 1930, many editions of it were published. Several editions were published in succession until 1885, 1921, 1923, and 1930.
7. AACR 1&2:
The AACR 1 code was published in 1967. Later, in the beginning of 1970, the need for its comprehensive revision was felt, and in that year, the 39th session of the IFLA conference initiated the revision of the principles adopted by the Universal Bibliographic Convention, which was the auspicious journey of AACR 2. Then, after four years of work under the supervision of JSCR, the draft AACR 2 was published in 1977 and the final AACR 2 was published in 1978. AACR 2 was published in 2 parts. 1. Description; 2. Headings. The first part of Uniform Title and Reference was prepared on a special general basis. The second part became the light of some specific principles.
8. Resource Description and Access (RDA):
RDA is a cataloging standard introduced in 2010 to replace the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second Edition (AACR2). It provides a flexible and comprehensive framework for describing resources in various formats and aligns with the principles of the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) and the semantic web. RDA emphasizes user-focused descriptions that are compatible with linked data, making it suitable for both digital and traditional library collections.
9. The Bibliographic Framework Initiative
BIBFRAME is a modern bibliographic data model developed by the Library of Congress to replace the MARC (Machine-Readable Cataloging) standard. Introduced in 2011, BIBFRAME utilizes linked data principles to allow bibliographic records to integrate smoothly with the semantic web. This enhances resource discovery and interoperability. By representing bibliographic information as web-friendly entities, BIBFRAME supports more dynamic and interconnected catalogs, improving user access to library collections in the digital age.
10. Functional Requirements Family of Models
The Functional Requirements Family of Models consists of frameworks such as FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records), FRAD (Functional Requirements for Authority Data), and FRSAD (Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Data). These models were developed to provide a conceptual foundation for cataloging practices. They focus on the relationships between users, bibliographic entities, and metadata, aiming to enhance resource discovery and organization. In 2017, these frameworks were consolidated into the IFLA Library Reference Model (LRM), which unifies their principles to simplify and modernize cataloging standards.
Cataloging codes are crucial for standardizing the description and organization of resources, facilitating efficient discovery, sharing, and access across libraries and information systems.
