Frances C. Wilkinson, Linda K. Lewis, ,The complete guide to acquisitions management Library and information science text series (2003) Libraries Unlimited,Westport, CT 1563088924.
✍ Scribed by G.E. Gorman
- Book ID
- 104039578
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 2004
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 43 KB
- Volume
- 28
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1464-9055
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Read, has worked for 14 years in academic libraries, most recently as a rare books cataloger. She makes some assumptions: the reader is creating records for an online public access catalog or database, and works in a library or information center. However, she does not assume that the reader is using AACR2 or MARC. This leads her to write with as little jargon as possible, and to treat the subject of cataloging in general terms. Although not explicitly stated, the book appears to be intended for those librarians who are working in one-person libraries or cataloging units, and who do not have any other resources to help them get started with the job of cataloging.
The book is arranged in two sections. The first section addresses dthe big pictureT and covers topics such as: why catalog, what information to include in a catalog record, staffing issues, choosing a records management system, international cataloging standards, authority control, and subject cataloging. The second section is titled The Nitty-Gritty and addresses the differences between monographs and serials, subject analysis, cataloging of foreign language materials and non-book formats. An appendix provides a list of resources for further study. Adrian Czajkowski provides humorous cartoons throughout the book.
This book does not address the topic of classification. It was published in Britain and contains quite a few instances of British slang, the meaning of which may not be clear to the reader. Read treats cataloging in such a general manner that, although she does give the reader a general understanding of what cataloging entails, the book may not be helpful in getting the reader to the point of actually being able to catalog. It might be useful to new librarians who are working in one-person libraries, such as in a corporate setting, but would need to be followed with further reading of more substance. Overall, this book is a weak introduction to the basic concepts of cataloging and is a marginal contribution to the literature on cataloging.