Cataloging Futures

An important opportunity

Last week on the cataloging lists, Barbara Tillett writes:

As Chair of the IFLA Meeting of Experts on an International Cataloguing Code (IME ICC) I am pleased to invite comments from the worldwide library community on the final draft of the Statement of International Cataloguing Principles and its accompanying Glossary.

In order to provide the appropriate review period and to schedule adequate time to cumulate, analyze, and incorporate comments before the General Meeting of IFLA in August, the Statement is being posted today on a public Wiki. The IFLA Headquarters Office is closed for holiday April 30-May 5th, but as soon as they return we will move the files there and redirect from the Wiki. In the meantime please link to: http://catprinciples.pbwiki.com/ and view and/or download the Statement for your review; and please use the accompanying voting document for your response. [emphasis mine]

UPDATE: The draft and voting form have been moved to the IFLA website.

You might want to take a look back to a post I wrote last year on the Statement of International Cataloguing Principles. I'm looking forward to reviewing and commenting on this important document before the June 30th deadline.

IFLA and the Future of Cataloging (Or Should I Say Cataloguing?)

In honor of the IFLA Conference that was held this week in Durban, South Africa, I wanted to highlight what is currently my favorite "future of cataloging" resource: The draft Statement of International Cataloguing Principles. It's being developed by the IME ICC as a replacement and expansion of the Paris Principles:

"A series of International Meetings of Experts for an International Cataloguing Code (IME-ICC), in charge of the definition of new International Cataloguing Principles to replace the 'Paris Principles'."

This new set of principles has already affected the way I think about cataloging and copy cataloging. What's essential in a bibliographic record and what's not. It's a succinct, well written statement providing principles that will direct the future of cataloging and be the basis of an international cataloging code to be developed by IFLA.