Cataloging Staff and Policies

                                             Division of Cataloging Responsibilities               Top of page

Cataloging Support Services (CatSS)                     Top of page

Cataloging standards
Descriptive cataloging is performed according to the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd ed., 2002
            revision, and Library of Congress Rule Interpretations.
Subject headings are assigned according to Library of Congress Subject Headings.
Serials are cataloged to CONSER standards
Main and special collections print titles are classified by Library of Congress Classification; non print
            titles and archival materials are generally assigned accession-style call numbers; GovDocs
            Collection uses SuDocs call numbers and a local classification for UN publications.

For specialized cataloging issues, we follow guidance in current editions of the documents contained in Cataloger’s Desktop, and encode machine readable records according to MARC21 Formats for Bibliographic Data, Holdings Data and Authority Data. A variety of cataloging reference aids are maintained as links from the Cataloging Department homepage.

For local descriptive and subject cataloging practice, processing and handling procedures, specialized handling or cataloging policies for particular types of materials, administrative routines, etc., staff can consult departmental manual and other reports available on tech services LAN, and processing instructions and procedures maintained on Treepad, linked from this home page.

Sources of MARC records
Catalog records received with shelf-ready titles from vendor Blackwell; catalog records imported from OCLC or RLIN or other sources; original input preliminary records created by CatSS, Serials Dept. staff; preliminary records for audiovisual materials created by Wong Audiovisual Center staff; original input records created by catalogers.

Copy and adaptive cataloging
Library of Congress records and full-level member-library MARC records derived from OCLC or RLIN are generally accepted as found. Copy catalogers check questionable or suspect headings against the local authority records and/or live database, or LCNA, and revise headings in copy cataloging records if the preferred form can be established.   They perform general proofreading and correct typos, mis-tagging or other obvious errors. They may revise, correct or delete obsolete or inaccurate subject headings or subject subdivisions. Unresolved questions are forwarded by copy catalogers to CatSS Section Head or to catalogers. Less-than-full records require adaptive cataloging to add or complete subject cataloging elements or upgrade descriptive elements.

Original cataloging
Catalogers generally create full level records, but may choose to create core-level records. Catalogers complete and upgrade preliminary records to full level. When creating or revising records, catalogers normally verify authority-controlled headings in the catalog, LCNA or LCSH. Original catalogers contribute new name and series authority records, and their accompanying cross-reference structure, to the national database through NACO, and propose new LC subject headings through SACO, especially those derived from Hawaiian, Asian CJK and Pacific works cataloged.

UHM exceptions from standard or LC practice:
UHM may vary from LC series treatment decisions to analyze or cat.sep. based on established practice or
            local collection preference.
In adaptive and original cataloging, for single-number countries and regions in Oceania (call number range DU490-DU950) which do not already have subarrangement instructions in the             LCC schedule, UHM Cataloging Dept. subarranges the country or region number by Table DS-DX1 for UHM's own local shelving. The 050 of the bibliographic record that UHM             contributes to OCLC follows the LCC schedule without local modification. For further details, see UHM Cat. Dept. [Memo #07-01].

For serials, UHM followed latest-entry cataloging for some years (1988 to ca. 2001); older records are
            revised to standard successive entry cataloging if shared by UH System libraries
Subject bibliography is classed with the topic (not in class Z).
Beginning with the adoption of Voyager and creation of a UH Systemwide union catalog, UHM follows
            cataloging decisions and policies adopted by SCCC (Systemwide Cataloging Coordination Committee)

Pending (Cataloging’s long-term “to do” list)

Bib record clean-up projects:
            move 598 UHM series treatment notes to series authority record
            upgrade incomplete CJK and Russian old retrocon records
            check authority cleanup sheets and do any remaining after LTI cleanup
            ASIA Microfiche S33300 cleanup:  hundreds of fiche titles to be assigned distinct call nos.
            recatalog and assign call numbers to old unnumbered microforms


Recataloging:
            upgrade rapid cat titles
            de-dup duplicate bibs in shared database
            recatalog latest entry serial records to standard cataloging when bibs are shared in UH System

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Comments to the Pagemaster, CatSS, University of Hawai`i at Manoa Library. Last updated on 06/18/07