EDITORIAL
By Ruth C. Carter and Roger BrissonReflections on Gutenberg, the Internet and the Need for a
(Paper!) Journal on Internet Organization and Access,By Roger Brisson and Ruth
C. Carter
[NOTE: As an inaugural essay, the full text of this article is available here.]
ABSTRACT. As is true with any journal, a good deal of thought and effort has gone into the
creation and development of the Journal of Internet Cataloging (JIC). A number of
aspects of this journal and its primary subject matter-the organization of materials on
the Internet-are distinctive enough, however, to warrant attention in a longer essay.
Parallels are drawn between the Age of Gutenberg and the current information revolution.
Historical juxtaposition highlights the nature and importance of effectively sharing
research and applications. We are quickly learning, as the World Wide Web proceeds in its
breathtaking pace of development, that one of the critical issues in its future success
will be that of providing efficient ways to organize materials. The editors are confident
that the interesting array of articles in this first issue of JIC bodes well for
the future success of both the Internet and the Journal of Internet Cataloging.
Cataloging Internet Resources: A Practitioner's Viewpoint, by Susan M. Neumeister, Head of the Bibliographic Control Section in the Acquisitions Department, Central Technical Services, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY.ABSTRACT. In 1995, the University at Buffalo libraries began to identify, select, and catalog non-serial Internet resources. Among the points covered in this article are the selection process for identifying information sources through the Internet; the policies and procedures for providing access to them; the bibliographic, holdings, and OPAC displays; and the problems encountered during the project.
Cataloging Internet Resources: An Administrator's View,By Cecily Johns
ABSTRACT. This paper is based on a presentation as part of "Cataloging Intemet
Resources: Two Viewpoints," given for the Heads of Cataloging Discussion Group at the
American Library Association Midwinter Conference in January 1996. The OCLC InterCat
Project was initiated to create bibliographic records for Intemet sources and over a
period of eighteen months more than 230 libraries signed on to participate. The
administrative perspective is presented in a series of questions that administrators would
typically ask before allocating the resources needed. The answers, which are provided in
the context of the UCSB experience, are meant to allay concerns and provide practical and
positive responses. The second half of the paper addresses the process of decision-making,
planning, and implementation of the InterCat Project from an administrator's perspective.
The New/Old World Wide Web Order: The Application of 'Neo-Conventional
Functionality' to Facilitate Access and Use of a WWW Database of Science and Technology
Internet Resources, by Gerry McKiernan, Coordinator, Science and Technology
Section, Reference and Instructional Services Department, Iowa State University.
ABSTRACT. While there are numerous information sources that are available on the World
Wide Web (WWW), the identification of significant Net resources is often not as efficient
nor as effective as many desire. In 1995, a demonstration prototype service -
CyberStacks(sm) (http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/ ),was formally established at
Iowa State University with the intent of enhancing access and use of selected Internet
resources in science, technology and related areas through the application of the Library
of Congress classification system as an organizational framework. As the prototype was
refined, other methods for identifying and selecting relevant resources were subsequently
incorporated within its scheme.
This paper reviews the creation of the CyberStacks(sm) prototype, describes the
development and potential usefulness of its matrix of access options, and discusses the
applicability of traditional and conventional library selection and organizational
philosophies, practices, methods and techniques for facilitating access to Web resources.
Yahoo! Cataloging the Web, By Anne Callery and Deb Tracy-Proulx, Yahoo! Inc,
Santa Clara, California
ABSTRACT. The Internet has the potential to be the ultimate information resource, but it
needs organization to reach this potential. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how
Yahoo! approaches the enormous task of cataloging the Internet, and how its approach
differs from traditional library methods of information organization, as well as how
Yahoo! is different from most web search engines. This discussion will demonstrate
Yahoo!'s entire cataloging process.
Issues in Cataloging Chinese Electronic Journals, by Dajin Sun, Head, East
Asian Technical Services, University Library System, University of Pittsburgh.
ABSTRACT. This article examines several crucial issues involved in the cataloging of
Chinese remote access electronic serials based on one such cataloging experiment at the
University of Pittsburgh Library. Since Chinese language materials consist of the
vernacular characters, the problems of reading Chinese text on the computer and dealing
with different Chinese character coding systems used by different electronic publishers
are fully elucidated. As one distinctive feature of Chinese electronic serial cataloging,
the dual effort for parallel access points in the MARC records are also exemplified..
Furthermore, much discussion is rendered to the emergent challenges toward performing name
authority work and providing the URL information for the electronic serial records. It is
hoped that the issues thrashed out herein would shed some light on future endeavor in
cataloging non-western languages electronic serials.
Cataloging World Wide Web Sites Consisting Mainly of LinksBy Jeffrey Beall,
Senior Cataloger, Widener Library, Harvard University.
ABSTRACT. World Wide Web sites consisting mainly of links to other Internet resources have
begun to proliferate. These sites are valuable to library users and researchers because
they bring together in a single Web site links to a comprehensive array of information
resources. Because libraries may elect to include bibliographic records for these sites in
their online catalogs, catalogers should be aware of some of the main aspects of
cataloging this new type of resource. Catalogers should be aware of the main types and
different characteristics of these sites, how to describe them in a bibliographic record,
and how to assign appropriate subject headings and subdivisions for them. (Keywords: World
Wide Web, Internet, Cataloging, Hypertext Links, Link Sites)