Chronicle Careers
The Editors:
It was heart warming to read Susan Ashton's paean to the joys of inter
library loan ("What Goes Around" March 14th).
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/archives//jobs/news/2007/03/2007031401c/careers
I wonder if those who enjoy this feature of North American libraries
are aware that much of its success depends on the ability of libraries
to search each others' catalogues on line, due to the international
standardization of cataloguing based on the ISBD (International
Standard Book Description), which in turn is based on over a century
of experience in describing bibliographic resources. It also depends
on libraries having the resources to acquire and catalogue needed
materials.
Currently some in the library profession are engaged in drafting a new
set of practices called RDA (Resource Description and Access), which
departs drastically from the international standard of the ISBD, and
long tradition. It is felt that new technological advances make
unnecessary the transcription of much information from the item. One
would not know, for example, whether the title page said James Morris
or Jan Morris, Rhodesia or Zimbabwe, or even where the item was
published. Transcription of these elements would be optional.
Those who value integrated catalogues giving full descriptions of
resources from centuries past, along with the latest resources
available, should make their wants and needs known to the library
associations in their respective countries, whether the United States,
Great Britain, Australia or Canada. They should demand that the ISBD
be retained, along with full transcription of titles and statements of
responsibility, and publisher along with place of publication.
Contrary to the opinion of many, the ISBD is not a set of punctuation
marks for bibliographic descriptions. It is a selection of needed
elements, transcribed and displayed in a prescribed order, to
adequately identify a library resource.
__ __ J. McRee (Mac) Elrod ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
{__ | / Special Libraries Cataloguing HTTP://www.slc.bc.ca/
___} |__ \__________________________________________________________
