Page 178 - DLIS002_KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION CLASSIFICATION AND CATALOGUING THEORY

Unit 9: Physical Forms and Types of Library Catalogues

9.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of Physical Forms of Library Notes
Catalogue

The types of physical form of a library catalogue are: book catalogues, card catalogues, microform
catalogue and online catalogue. Any kind of these types has advantages and disadvantages.
Thus, in deciding whether a library uses any type of a catalogue, certain considerations should
be made. The library catalogue should, for example, be flexible and up-to-date to the changing
of library collection; easy to use; and easy to produce in multiple copies. Since the catalogue is
a record of what is available in the library, entries should be added or removed as a certain
material is added, removed or discarded from the library.
The printed book or book catalogue is the oldest type of catalogue which was commonly used
in American libraries. The characteristic of this type was expensive to produce and quickly
became out of date or inflexible in changing of the collection. The libraries using this type
should provide more copies; this is due to provide access for more users. Thus this type was
gradually replaced by card catalogues.
However, with the more modern, cheaper methods of printing and with the advent of automation
for quicker cumulation that the book catalogue again became popular in certain type of libraries.
It is produced in more modern production techniques, such as by National Library of Medicine,
the Library of Congress, and the New York Public Library. This catalogue is easy to be sent to
other libraries or information agencies.
The card catalogue is the library most often found in the worldwide. Each entry is prepared on
a standard 7.5 × 12.5 cm. card. These cards are then filed in alphabetically order by author,
subject, title, or call number in the drawers to provide access to the collection. The card catalogue
is very flexible; it can be easily added or removed whenever necessary. Changing can be made
on cards and they can be refilled. It can be provided by references. In large library, however,
filing a large of new entries takes a long time and, of course, it needs more spaces. Other
disadvantages are any changing is made manually and the users tend to manipulate the trays or
drawers, so that other users may have to wait them.
Microform catalogues have become much more popular with the development of Computer-
Output Microform (COM). COM catalogues are produced in microfilm or microfiche. It provides
a complete data of library holding which is periodically updated. Both book and COM are
inflexible in changing; they cannot be added or deleted until the new editions are produced. But,
by which they are computer-produced, they are flexible in making changes of entries. With a
certain command can be made to change many entries.

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Caution To meet the users demand, COM should be made in many copies. They are also
easy to be sent to other libraries or information agencies.
The online catalogue is the newest. The bibliographic records stored in the computer memory
are printed on the video screen in response to a request from a user. Entries may comprise the
full bibliographic record, or medium, or only a brief, it is depending on the system and/or the
desires of the users.
Online catalogue is the most flexible and current. Additions, deletions, and changes of entries
can be made at any time, and the results are immediately available to the users. However, it is
quite expensive to build up compared with other three types.

The primary advantage of the online catalogue is that database can be searched in almost any
item of information of interest to the users or the users can retrieve information in a variety of

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