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I read Mr. Stauffer's question more as one of standards than of how we usually think of ethics. My only comment would be that I have cataloged my share of Festshriften and the 505 is as good as you're going to get (and if it can be "dumped" from elsewhere, all the better). If we're thinking of ethics in terms of access to information, it's far better to give a description that will enable most people to find information most of the time than to insist on a level of detail that would slow things down to the point of paralysis, giving no access to much of anything. (Also, I know little about citation analysis, but I should hope those folks have moved beyond dependance on 700 name/title fields.) As I recall from library school, we focused a lot on standards (or ethics, whichever), which was great, but not much on fiscal realities. That's unfair to students going out into the real world who will have to make cataloging policy and collection management decisions based on limited resources and personnel. Thanks, Jim Alberts Asst. Music Librarian/Head, Music Cataloging Unit Cornell University Libraries At 07:06 AM 3/12/2008, Suzanne Stauffer wrote: >It depends on how you are defining "ethics." I would only see what >you describe as unethical if it were being done deliberately in >order to prevent a specific group of people from finding the >information or to prevent access to a specific class of information. > >Suzanne M. Stauffer, Ph.D. >Assistant Professor >School of Library and Information Science >Louisiana State University >275 Coates Hall >Baton Rouge, LA 70803 >(225)578-1461 >Fax: (225)578-4581 >[log in to unmask] > >________________________________ > >From: Discussion List for issues related to cataloging & metadata >education & training on behalf of Bryan Campbell >Sent: Tue 3/11/2008 9:34 AM >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: [eduCAT] Ethics in Cataloging > > > >I'll soon post a list of readings that I have found in Library Literature >on this topic. You might also be interested in reading the discussions on >AUTOCAT. I searched the web archive using the search string (ethics AND >(cataloging or cataloguing)). > >This is a question that I sent to someone I have corresponded with off- >list, but I address it also to you: > >The few articles or postings on AUTOCAT that I have read mention the >ethical dilemmas that arise from outsourcing, cultural bias, bias in >subject headings, the perils of having inexperienced staff (professional or >non-professional), record nabbing, and UBC. In your experience, are there >other perhaps newer ethical problems in cataloging that have not been >addressed at all? > >Moving on, is there anything potentially unethical about relying so heavily >on the practice of dumping table of contents information for proceedings or >seminars into just a 505? So much of that information still ends up there, >especially if its coming in through the ECIP program. Rarely are there >corresponding access points elsewhere in the record. I know there are >obvious benefits, but it also thwarts collocation. Do you perceive any >other unintended consequences? For example, do you think that this practice >could have an effect on those who do citation analyses to measure the >expansion or contraction of a field or discipline? Might there be a problem >with locking up what are essentially citations, absent corresponding access >points, in a TOC? > >Thanks for considering these questions. > >Bryan Campbell >Library Assistant >VDOT Research Library >530 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 >Ph: (434) 293-1903 FAX: (434) 293-4196 >Email: [log in to unmask] >Email: [log in to unmask] > > > > >On Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:02:57 -0500, Shawne Miksa <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > >SM>Would you considering posting your list of articles? That would be >SM>helpful. > > > >thanks, > > > > > > > > > > > >*********************************************** > >Shawne D. Miksa, Ph.D. > >Assistant Professor > >School of Library and Information Sciences > >University of North Texas > >email: [log in to unmask] > >http://courses.unt.edu/smiksa/index.htm > >office 940-565-3560 fax 940-565-3101 > >*********************************************** > > > > > >>>> Bryan Campbell <[log in to unmask]> 3/10/2008 1:52 PM >>> > >I am curious to know if any of you teach on Ethics in Cataloging in > >a direct way. That is, do you aside time in class to talk specifically > >about ethical matters, perhaps in your advanced courses? Aside from the > >occasional discussion on AUTOCAT and the few articles that I have found > >in Library Literature, there does not seem to be much on the Ethics in > >Cataloging. I just wonder how up-and-coming catalogers learn about it. > >Thanks for considering my questions. > > > >Bryan Campbell > >VDOT Research Library > >Charlottesville, VA > >[log in to unmask]