This is one in a series of messages emanating from a discussion at the
University of California San Diego Cataloging Committee about Proposals and DPs
on the agenda for MARBI.
The observation by OCLC that 008/26 (Type of Computer file) is frequently coded
as "other" or "unknown" brought to mind a posting on AUTOCAT about the
lack of clear guidance on how to code this byte. We find the distinctions,
particularly between text and systems to be particularly problematic. Not only
does this lack of clarity hamper the implementation of 97-3R, it indicates a
potential for confusion on how Leader/06 should be coded if/when 97-3R is
implemented. I take the liberty of quoting the message from Michael Moore of
University of Illinois at Springfield (from AUAATOCAT 9/18).
Michael Moore writes:
My questions conern the definition for the "type of computer file" to be
entered in the fixed field position: File. The few records I've seen for
Internet resources have used "d" for bibliographic data. Would this be
appropriate for a title such as: Britannica online? Does this then imply rhat
the file accessed remotely over the Internet consists of text and images
formatted like print material and does not support user interaction?
When would the definition of "online system or serivice" coded as "j" be used?
Would this be appropriate for something like CCH online which describes itself
as a service and is available by subscription only? Actually the Britannica
online is also available by subscription only and could be considered an online
service. What about CollegeSource online which consists of college catalogs as
well as a progrom that allows the user to choose a college based on criteria
determined by the user? Would code "m" for combination take precedence over
"d" or "j" in this case?
Should Internet sites be lumped under one of these definitions, or will several
of them -- such as game, sound, document, bibliographic data, online system --
be used as each case demands?
END OF QUOTE
The notion that the presence of database management software disqualifies a
resource from treatment as text would have a profound effect on the
implementation of 97-3R, which was intended to give primacy of content over
carrier and afford like coding for paper and online versions of the same text.
The "Issues in Seriality" paper that Jean Hirons and I presented at the
International Conference on Principles and Future Development of AACR in
Toronto proposed a redefinition of serial that is intended to include
databases. At the same time, I did not think of Britannica Online as an online
equivalent of the paper version when cataloging it for UCSD. On the other
hand, many government serials now appear as databases and GPO is cataloging
them with a "single-record" approach, equating online and paper versions.
Can NARBI/LC provide some guidelines for catalogers so that we know where to
draw the line between services and other types of computer files?
Crystal Graham
University of California, San Diego
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