Library systems: the trends, the developments, the future

This article introduces some of the latest developments and trends taking place with respect to library systems, and makes some informed judgements on what the future holds

Preparing Catalogers for RDA Training

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Cataloging and Classification Quarterly on 23/09/2009, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/” http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01639370903203234This article prepares catalogers for the new cataloging standard Resource Description and Access (RDA) by giving trainers and Library and Information Science (LIS) educators the information they need to plan training for themselves and their staff or students. The theoretical principles of RDA are introduced as well as the corresponding vocabulary that trainers will need to use. This is followed by an overview of the structure of RDA as compared to the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd ed. (AACR2). Examples of rule changes and options are highlighted for trainers along with a reminder to review existing cheat-sheets and manuals that are based on AACR2. Finally, types of training formats are suggested

Metadata quality : implications for library and information science professionals

Purpose - In contrast with recent studies noting the necessity of library and information science (LIS) skills in digital library and repository projects, this study aims to examine the impact of metadata quality requirements on how LIS professionals apply their skills outside a library setting. Design/methodology/approach - The paper reviews the concept of metadata quality and examines the implications of this for LIS professionals by reviewing the differences between the context of the library community and other relevant communities of practice. Findings - The paper argues that, although much needed, LIS skills require contextualisation before application outside library settings. Research limitations/implications - Many of the new opportunities for and settings of LIS skills are immature - consequently this analysis may date as the context of these settings mature. Current trends, however, suggest that it will not. Practical implications - Training in LIS skills should take account of how they might apply differently outside libraries. Librarians co-operating with colleagues outside the library should appreciate the potential metadata 'compromises' they might have to make and why they are necessary. Originality/value - The paper provides food for thought on the increasing number of LIS professionals working outside library settings

Linguistic Imperialism, Toponymy, Semiotics & Taxonomies: The Anglicisation of Irish place names in hegemonic library cataloguing systems

Background. Cataloguing systems are generally assumed to be logical, objective and non-political. In this sense they are often assumed to be rather like maps. However, assumptions around the neutrality of both are erroneous. Maps and cataloguing systems reflect and reproduce dominance and power. In Ireland the six inch to a mile mapping project in the early to mid-1800s is generally accepted as the point at which much of the Anglicisation of Irish place names was formalised. As such it is often assumed that this Anglicisation is a historic event and that similar practices do not continue into the present. Objective. This paper sought to examine how vernacular names for places are treated in a mainstream international library classification and cataloguing system. Methods. The treatment of vernacular place names vis-à-vis English was examined under the dominant Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, the Dewey Decimal Classification & Relative Index (DDC) and the Resource Description and Access (RDA) system. Results. This paper demonstrates how established international library classification and cataloguing systems continue to explicitly require English forms of names over the vernacular. Contributions. This paper reveals how library classification and cataloguing systems both reinforce the legacy of colonial oppression, and continue to assert the dominance of English. Cataloguing systems may therefore be viewed in terms of their power and purpose, and as such should not be seen as ideologically neutral