Amber Boyd-Miller LSIS 5425, Group 1 November 2, 2010

For this project, I interviewed Janice Pepper, a cataloger for the Library of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia with 35 years of experience. When asked to describe the challenges in her role, she listed a few, one of which is, “being consistent, I look at work I did five years ago and realize that I can improve it.” For an experienced cataloging professional to make this statement, I thought it was a topic that deserved a closer look. LSIS 5425 Course Project, A. Boyd-Miller

Charles Cutter ( ), is the author of Rules for a Printed Dictionary Catalogue (Cutter, 1875), a text which has served as the basis for development of two major American subject thesauri-the Library of Congress Subject Headings and the Sear's List of Subject Headings. The principles he established are still relevant today. LSIS 5425 Course Project, A. Boyd-Miller

In this presentation, we’ll examine the challenges and realities of using consistent terminology when selecting subject headings for bibliographic records. LSIS 5425 Course Project, A. Boyd-Miller

Just as every action has an equal and opposite reaction, Consistency is one of the special aspects of Subject Cataloging that faces pressure from different directions to preserve and dilute its effectiveness. LSIS 5425 Course Project, A. Boyd-Miller

First, let’s look at some of the forces that work FOR consistency….. Controlled Vocabulary If you are careful to call the same thing, or the same concept, by the same name everywhere on your site, you are using a very simple controlled vocabulary. (Fast, K., Liese, F., & Steckel, M., 2002) LSIS 5425 Course Project, A. Boyd-Miller

Uniformity Using protocols for syntax and application of subject headings increases consistency. Ex: The heading “effect of poison on plants” is more effective than “plants AND poison” (Chan, 2007).

LSIS 5425 Course Project, A. Boyd-Miller Subject Authority Can be central (LC) or local. A Subject Authority record contains established heading,; scope notes, if any; cross-references made from synonyms and those made to and from other headings; and the sources of the authority on which the decision on the heading form was based. (Chan) p 207

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are forces that work against consistency… Human error Decreased funding leads to higher workloads which may reduce consistency. Increased reliance on paraprofessionals, who may not have the appropriate experience. Also, the human mind is dynamic, and absorbing new information that may conflict with prior cataloging decisions. LSIS 5425 Course Project, A. Boyd-Miller

Working in isolation Cataloging decisions are often made by professionals who work alone. Cataloging decisions are individual choices, which can challenge consistency when other professionals are not able to review or collaborate on the work.

LSIS 5425 Course Project, A. Boyd-Miller Change Society and culture are constantly changing, causing subject headings to change, too. (There is now a subject heading for Iraq War, 2003-, that did not exist a few years ago) Language is changing, affecting subject headings (ex: creation of term “ethnic cleansing”).

LSIS 5425 Course Project, A. Boyd-Miller Unit Record Review Examines comparable fields in a set of records for errors and inconsistencies. Time & labor intensive Disagreement about what constitutes “acceptable” “Dirty Database Test” cite Searches for typographical errors in the catalog Libraries that include Tables of Contents in data field will display these results -(Hearn, 2009) Search Data Sample

Thomas Mann (1997) reviewed data presented in the 1991 study "Cataloguing Must Change!" by Dorothy Gregor and Carol Mande, and refutes their claim that only percent of subject catalogers agree on consistent heading. He argues that their data relies on choices made without a controlled vocabulary. A study by Bhagirathi Subrahmanyam of Kent State University found that a title is likely to have the same class number is more that 85 percent of library systems holding it.. *All* of the class numbers for a title had to match in order to qualify. Also, a fair number of tittles were correctly assigned alternate class numbers, facilitating retrieval. LSIS 5425 Course Project, A. Boyd-Miller

In addition to these contemporary challenges that catalogers face to remain consistent, the future brings additional issues that will need to be addressed: What are the future roles of MARC and cataloging content rules? What are the challenges to the economic sustainability of the current model of the catalog? What do 21st century information seekers need from catalogs? In what ways might libraries leverage catalog data for new uses? What is the future of cataloging, and will interdependency affect consistency? LSIS 5425 Course Project, A. Boyd-Miller

Buttlar, L. & Garcha, R. (1998). Catalogers in Academic Libraries: Their Evolving and Expanding Roles. College & Research Libraries, 59 (4) Chan, L. M., (2007). Cataloging and Classification, an Introduction. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow. Cox, E., & Myers, A. (2010). What is a Professional Cataloger? Perception Differences between Professionals and Paraprofessionals. Library Resources & Technical Services, 54(4), Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database. Cutter, C. A. (1875). Rules for a Printed Dictionary Catalogue. Washington: Government Printing Office. Fast, K., Liese, F., & Steckel, M. (2002). What is a controlled vocabulary? _ _ Hearn, S. (2009). Comparing Catalogs: Currency and Consistency of Controlled Headings. Library Resources & Technical Services. 53 (1) Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database. Mann, T. (1997). ”Cataloguing Must Change!" and Indexer Consistency Studies: Misreading the Evidence at Our Peril. Cataloging and Classification Quarterly, 23 ( ¾): Subrahmanyam, B. (2006). Library of Congress Classification Numbers: Issues of Consistency and Their Implications for Union Catalogs. Library Resources & Technical Services, 50(2), Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database. LSIS 5425 Course Project, A. Boyd-Miller