Papers and Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Library Association: Held at Ottawa, Canada, June 26-July 2, 1912
Science
Papers and Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Library Association: Held at Ottawa, Canada, June 26-July 2, 1912
American Library Association; Library science -- Congresses
17. Complex books may be analyzed for the subject catalog. This is
the distinctive advantage of the subject catalog over the shelf list
that it can put different articles in the same volume or various
subjects involved in one title under all their effective headings. It
is obvious, however, that this principle must be limited--to apply in
a wooden way would involve all periodicals and essays, a rock on which
more than one attempt at subject cataloging has been wrecked.
18. The subject catalog should not be overloaded with references. The
principle of economy of attention requires this. Few things are more
aggravating in working under subjects than to have to finger over a
large number of irrelevant cards. Some of the remedies for this are
subdivision, the arrangement in chronological order of publication as
above suggested, limiting analysis by excluding all works analyzed in
accessible indexes and, where there is more than one edition of the
same work, indicating one only and referring to the author catalog for
the others.
19. The card should not be overloaded with details. The principle
of economy of attention involves reducing the amount of material
in a title to its lowest terms (whether on card or printed book) a
matter greatly helped by typographical distinctions or corresponding
distinction in the breaking of written lines, the location of certain
details on certain lines or certain fixed places on the card, the use
of red ink, underscoring, and similar details enabling the user to get
the essential facts as to the identity of the work and its location in
the building in the shortest possible time.
20. The indications on the cards of either catalog should be as brief
as may consist with clearness and so displayed on the card as to catch
the eye quickly.
21. Subject cataloging is a practical art, not a science. Names will be
changed from time to time and a part of the art is therefore to develop
a method of record on cards which shall cost the least possible effort
for making changes.
Dr. G. E. Wire, of Worcester, continued the discussion of subject
headings, with special reference to medical headings in the third
edition of the A. L. A. List of subject headings.
Dr. Wire said a lack of knowledge of medical and surgical terms had led
the compilers of nearly all the library catalogs into using erroneous
headings, "Sees" and "See alsos" and that these errors had been
continued in the third edition of A. L. A. subject headings.
A cataloger of good preliminary education, with experience gained in
a large library, and with the opportunities to be found in a large
library, college, reference or circulating, of consulting books, or
people or both, can in time produce a fairly logical system of "Sees
alsos" and "Sees," and subject headings in almost any subject except
medicine.
Among the changes suggested by Dr. Wire are the following:
=Abdomen.= The rational references and cross references are:
See also, Intestines, Viscera.
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