A book may be found within the proper subject section yet remain hard to locate should it fall several steps back in the call number sequence. One decimal place, letter, or author mark can separate the object from the position listed in the catalog. Call numbers avoid this difficulty by supplying each item an addressed position on a shelf. In so doing, they bind decisions…
Let’s say you take a book, close the cover, and jot down what you think you can learn about it from the cover. You might see a title, an author name, maybe a phrase under the title, and possibly a publisher name. Now, open the book and check your notes against the title page and the copyright page. You’ll notice the differences are subtle. Yet,…
What is each part of cataloging and classification? In the library, two books on the same topic have two distinct catalog records. And, two entirely different books may be shelved nearby if their call number indicates the books are on the same subject. Cataloging and classification are separate but interrelated processes. Cataloging tells us what the item is; classification tells us where it belongs in…
The book cover is designed to grab attention, but a catalog record requires a more authoritative source. Promotional taglines, abbreviated names, abbreviated subtitles, and series information may all be present on the cover yet still lack the specifics necessary to uniquely identify one edition among many. Thus, you should always open your book and go to the title page. It is often the best place…