Date: Wed, 31 May 2006 11:54:15 -0400 (EDT) The "real" bottom line is whether we will switch to a system in which "cataloging" involves no authorities (not the late series authorities (Z"L), nor name or subject authorities, and not classification). The title page and other primary sources of information (e.g. table of contents) get scanned by technicians (not librarians), and the user is left to his/her own devices.
If a series, title, person or corporate body changes name - or uses different names in different contexts, the user will be the one who has to make the connection. Anyone interested in finding a work by subject will need to rely on bibliographies, references, or trying to guess which keywords appear on the title page. Users will need to understand that, for example, Orthodox Jews and secular Jews use different terminology when discussing the same subject, or that Jewish names have a different history than western European names. Librarians will no longer be tasked with facilitating scholarship, but merely with keep the dust off the increasing inaccessible books. Skilled users will be annoyed but will get used to it. Unskilled users will be unable to find what they are looking for, but probably are skilled enough to realize it. Library managers will be happy not to have to bother with cataloging. Given the cultural diversity that exists within the Jewish community (authors who romanize their names inconsistently, different subject terminology used between different movements with Judaism, etc.), the "new world" will not benefit users of Judaica collections, and may be so bad the Judaica libraries might want to develop their own standards independent from the Anglo-American library community. Aaron Aaron Wolfe Kuperman (LC, Social Sciences Cataloging Division) This note is NOT an official communication from the Library of Congress. Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the AJL =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
