Cataloguing Theory And Practice

Library Catalogue Is The Key To The Library Collection. It Functions As A Retrieval Tool. The Process Of Cataloguing Is Concerned With The Preparation And Orderly Arrangement Of Entries Describing Documents Arranged In A Library. As The Collections Grew In Libraries, The Librarians Started The Practice Of Constructing Catalogues. Based On The Practices, Theory Of Cataloguing Developed. To Regulate The Process Of Cataloguing, Catalogue Codes Have Been Evolved Based On The Best Practices. Theory And Practices Are Complementary To Each Other. This Book Deals With Both. The Exponential Growth In Collections, The Diversified Needs Of Users Coupled With Growing Interdisciplinary Nature Of Publications Necessitated Perfection In Preparation And Use Of Catalogues In Libraries.This Book Is Based On The Research Undertaken On The Catalogue Use Of A Large Indian University Library Having A Collection Of Around Four Lakh Documents. It Describes The Characteristics Of An Ideal Catalogue And Examines The Efficacy Of A University Library Catalogue Against Those Characteristics. The Book Contains Useful Information On The Theory Of Cataloguing, Evolution Of Catalogue Codes, Structure Of Library Catalogues, And The Possible Implementation Of Automation In The Maintenance Of The Library Catalogue. It Describes The Characteristics Of Users, Their Information Requirements, And Their Approaches To The Catalogues, The Percentage Of Successes And Failures In Seeking Information And The Need For User Education In Use Of Catalogues.The Book Will Be Useful To Professional Librarians Who Are Interested In Building Co-Operative Networks, Teachers Who Teach Library Cataloguing Theory And Practice, Students Of The Discipline And The General Users Of The Library.