Reading About Cataloging

This week we started learning about cataloging, mostly through a book, Catalog It! A Guide to Cataloging School Library Materials by Allison Kaplan and Ann Riedling. I knew very little about cataloging; okay, I'll be honest, I barely knew what it was. Library books have some extra information if you look at their records. That was about all I knew!

In the first chapter of the book, I learned about the history of cataloging. I liked Kaplan and Riedling's definition of cataloging: "the organization of information so that it is easily accessible for anyone who needs it" (1). I also enjoyed hearing about different ways different cultures organized their materials; my favorite was how the ancient Chinese put the materials with the highest literary merit on red glazed rods, and the lesser material on lacquer rods (2). The late 19th into 20th centuries led to logical changes in cataloging, making materials easier to find. I got lost in all the acronyms--AACR, ISBD, IFLA, FRBR, OPAC, MARC, CIP, etc. Once I started reading about the card catalog and the electronic catalog, it got easier to understand. Although I would never want a paper card catalog now, I do have fond memories of using one (probably every library enthusiast does!). Cataloging equals access, in whatever form it may be. Isn't that our whole purpose?