Cataloging and Classification : An Introduction

This fifth edition of the late Lois Mai Chan's classic Cataloging and Classification covers the analysis and representation of methods used in describing, organizing, and providing access to resources made available in or through libraries.

This fifth edition of the late Lois Mai Chan''s classic Cataloging and Classification covers the analysis and representation of methods used in describing, organizing, and providing access to resources made available in or through libraries. Coauthor Athena Salaba, who coauthored the fourth edition also revised this new edition. The most notable changes since the last edition, published in 2016, include an introduction to the IFLA Library Reference Model (LRM), updated text and examples to reflect the new Resource Description and Access (RDA) guidelines, a discussion on BIBFRAME, cataloging ethics, and other processes within the broader context of cataloging.



Retaining the overall outline of the previous edition, this text presents the essence of library cataloging and classification in terms of three basic functions: descriptive cataloging, subject access, and classification. Within this framework, all chapters have been rewritten to incorporate the changes that have occurred during the interval between the third and fourth editions. In each part, the historical development and underlying principles of the retrieval mechanism at issue are treated first, because these are considered essential to an understanding of cataloging and classification. Discussion and examples of provisions in the standards and tools are then presented in order to illustrate the operations covered in each chapter.

Divided into six parts—a general overview; record production and structure, encoding formats, and metadata records; RDA; subject access and controlled vocabularies; the organization of library resources; and the broader context of cataloging and classification—each part of the book begins with a list of the standards and tools used in the preparation and processing of that part of the cataloging record covered, followed by suggested background readings selected to help the reader gain an overview of the subject to be presented.



This book is the standard text for the teaching and understanding of cataloging and classification. Its accompanying materials make it a true multimedia learning tool.