An experiment in enhancing catalog records at Carnegie Mellon University
| Date | 01 March 1990 |
| Published date | 01 March 1990 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb047796 |
| Pages | 33-41 |
| Author | Thomas J. Michalak |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
AN EXPERIMENT IN ENHANCING CATALOG RECORDS
AT CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY1
Thomas J. Michalak
Historically, libraries have always included
special features in their catalogs to meet local
needs.
This trend has changed over the years as
cataloging standards have been developed and
accepted. The sheer volume of materials and the
rising costs of operations have also curtailed
the customizing of local records. However, the
desirability of enhancing local records has been
readdressed at Carnegie Mellon University. It
has undertaken an experimental project to
enhance catalog records for new books that meet
defined criteria: for example, the books
contain "citable" references in the table
of contents; chapter titles, while not
separately citable, do contain additional
useful information; and exhibition catalogs
cover 25 or fewer artists. The criteria for and
process of enhancing records are discussed,
and sample screen displays are illustrated.
Background
Now that online public access catalogs are widely
accepted, librarians can begin to think about how
catalogs can be improved to provide greater depth of
access to local collections. Historically, libraries have
always included special features in their catalogs to
meet local
needs.
This
trend has changed over
the
years
as cataloging standards have been developed and
accepted. The sheer volume of materials and
the
rising
costs of operations
have
also curtailed the customizing
of local records. The purpose of this article is to
describe an experimental project in progress at Carnegie
Mellon
University.
The objective
is to
enhance catalog
records for new books as a means of improving the
quality of the online catalog and improving access to
resources at Carnegie Mellon University Libraries.2
The Carnegie Mellon collections contain 750,000
volumes with 350,000 separate book titles, and is
growing at the rate of 20,000 new titles each year. By
providing content-enriched records, users will have
deeper access to the collection. This could make a
significant improvement in the user's ability to find
needed information, particularly since the collection
is of modest size.
Feedback at Carnegie Mellon University Libraries
suggests that users want more information on library
resources, including the contents information of
journals, and additional detail for other databases.
Providing more information about the contents of books
Michalak is director, University Libraries, Carnegie
Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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AN EXPERIMENT IN ENHANCING CATALOG RECORDS
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ISSUE 31
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(1990, NO.3) 33
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