The role of catalogue record in information searching in library

Catalogue record is an organized, detailed, descriptive list of librarys items arranged

systematically. A library catalogue consists of a set of records that provide data about the
items in the collection or collections the catalogue represents. It provide a bibliographic
description that giving the identification, publication, and physical characteristics of the
resource. For a physical item, catalogue record include a call number that indicates the
physical location of the item in the librarys collection.
The main role that play by catalogue record is to enable a library customer to find a
book, cartographic materials, sound recordings, electronic resources and others information
materials. Professional cataloguer, very concern about which way their client can achieve
the information that they are seeking for.
Any description need heading and uniform titles added to them before they are
usable as catalogue entries for used by a user. The author, the title or the subject has use as
a standard of catalogue entries. Usually, user search a information material, example a book
base on the authors name that well known as an expertise in one particular subject.
So, in this case, the author as a subject heading are very helpful to a user to find out
the related work that done by his selected author. The user can still achieve the work by a
specific author although the author are not be a main author. It is because, in cataloguer
practise, they will include the additional author under title as a authors name too.
User also can using the data in order to acquire or obtain access to the entity
described. For an example, using the data to submit a request for the loan of a copy in a
librarys collection.
Secondly, by doing well for catalogue record, it can represent and show what
information material that the library have to the library audiences. Once again, it can be
happen properly when, the catalogue provide the user information by a given author, subject
and also given kind of literature.
Catalogue card by an example, not only useful for user to search information that
they targeted to, but indirectly will bring them to explore other related item that maybe they
found in their searching process (by looking card by card).
In other word, catalogue record can be one of the other good library services
marketing tool. The best part is, librarian can entrust the good catalogue record to deputize
them in basic level of communication with user who want to know about the material
provided for them by the library.
The third function of the catalogue record in information searching in library is being a
part of verification elements for the all material provided. Today, we live in world that
surrounding by a lot of information that can be access by many sources and variety of
formats. It is good environment for the hunger information seeker in any place in the world to
achieve the global information easily.
It sound good, but it is also causing other problems that can not be taken lightly. The
information explode can create a situation that one where falsehoods and the truth co-exist,
with few clear signposts to tell them apart. It can be happen when the user may not be
trained to evaluate the information or even bother to seek alternative sources of information.
The third behaviour of a general information literacy state that the information seeker
should has a skill to evaluate information. That mean, an ability to evaluate the information in
term of reliability, accuracy, authority, up to datedness by comparing with several sources,
checking the date of publication and so on.
No doubt that catalogue record can be one complete package in provide authority
collection of information directly to the user hand. Library of Connecticut University for
example, design one module that focuses on recognize the authority information sources to
their freshman undergraduate. One of the modules elements, the freshman will introduced
on how to use the catalogues information, in searching reliability sources.
Forth, catalogue record is using by librarian in term of well manage the library items.
It is important to produce a standard and systematic record for the all collection that the
library have. It is unacceptable if the librarian as a library manager dont have a enough
information about their repository. So, once again, bibliographic system become the answer
for this problem.
The catalogue record can guide the librarian on what, which and how many items
that should the library purchase. It can avoid waste in library sources in order to deliver a
high quality information items in appropriate quantity (base on requirement of users). So
that, catalogue records are effectively able to produce a better information result.
Besides, nowadays the librarian can transfers the traditional type of catalogue record
to a digital or an electronic form. For an example, online public access catalogues (OPACs),
that use a Machine-Readable Cataloguing format (MARC), as its backbone, are increasingly
sophisticated access provisions and search options, replaced card and book catalogues in
almost all libraries. Using all kinds of the technology and implement it wisely in catalogue
record, the process of searching information in the library has upgrade to the next level.
As a conclusion, a good catalogue record can bring a lot of benefit to the user in
searching and seeking information process in library. Library customer can using the data
provided to find, identify, select and obtain access to the entity described. Also it give the
librarian a peace of mind in manage the librarys collections that contains a variety of
material and important specification with it. It is because, the librarian or cataloguer has a
same standard pattern to follow in term of producing the catalogue record.


References
Chan, Lois Mai, and Theodora Hodges. Cataloging and classification: An Introduction. 3
rd

ed.Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, 2007.