Page 243 - DLIS003_LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

Library Administration and Management

Notes bibliographic data have an independent existence and need separate consideration. Cataloguing,
in fact, is one of the many applications of bibliographic data management. Haggler and Simmons
define bibliographic data as “elements of information, which help to identify a piece of recorded
communication as a physical object”. They identified three types of functional data groups:

Data that uniquely identify a particular document and distinguish it from others;
Data, which reveal an association of two or more documents (e.g., common authorship,
continuation or reprint); and

Data, which describe some characteristics of the intellectual content of a document (e.g.,
statement of subject).
Organisation of bibliographic data elements leads to the creation of bibliographic records.
Bibliographic record has been defined as the sum of all the areas and elements, which may be
used to describe, identify or retrieve any physical item of information content. Bibliographic
description is the assemblage of data elements sufficient to identify a bibliographic item and to
distinguish it from others. In manual systems (e.g., card catalogue), a collection of bibliographic
data elements are grouped under the main access points or headings as per the cataloguing code
in use. Such record of an item in a catalogue is called an ‘Entry’. Entries are usually identified by
the kind of access they provide e.g., ‘author entry’ or ‘subject entry’. The distinction between
bibliographic record and entry is most visible in computerised environment where the master
bibliographic record is stored in the machine and computer programmes generate entries
from it.
Dempsey identified three groups of bibliographic dataset – bibliographic description and control
data (data describing, identifying and providing controlled access to items), subject data and
content description. The first two groups of data generally appear in library catalogues and
bibliographic databases. They include:
Data naming an item (e.g., title, alternative title);

Data naming persons or bodies connected with the creation of an item (e.g., author, artist,
cartographic agency);
Data describing hierarchical, lateral or lineal relationships between items (e.g., component
part, host item, numbering in series, companion item, name of earlier edition or version);
Data indicating intellectual content (e.g., subject heading, abstract);
Data naming persons or bodies connected with the production of an item as a physical
object (e.g., publisher, designer);
Data indicating form or nature of item (e.g., bibliography, documentary, novel);
Data indicating mode of expression or communication (e.g., verbal, pictorial);

Data describing the physical appearance, characteristics and constituents of an item (e.g.,
map, film, dimensions, number of volumes or parts, technical information needed for
use); and

Data assigned by a bibliographic or other agency for purpose of identification and control
(e.g., ISBN).
The above list shows that bibliographic description deals with two categories of data – data
providing access and data describing items. The level and extent of bibliographic description
depends on the application and purpose of bibliographic records. The major application domains
are the production or creation of:
Authoritative national records and national bibliography;

238 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY