This issue of Journal of Internet Cataloging continues two fine columns, “42” and “News From the Field.” A new column, “Metaviews: Research & Education” is introduced. In addition to the columns, one article presents the findings of a case study that examines cataloging challenges found in an area studies virtual library catalog. Another article, based on a presentation at the Midwinter meeting of the American Library Association reviews the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, Second Edition (AACR2) for adaptability to Internet resources. A second paper from the same ALA session will be presented in an expanded form in a subsequent JIC issue.
There is considerable interest in cataloging and organizing materials on the Internet. The sheer volume of discreet entities involved means that the challenge is awesome. Practitioners of formerly disparate disciplines are collaborating closely in developing new approaches to “taming the tiger” as no one set of skills or perspectives is sufficient. Educators are scrambling to keep up with new developments and practitioners are looking for guidance and some sense of what is practical now.
In these complex, early days of organizing the Internet and describing the works available through it, we need to share our experiences and our viewpoints. The Journal of Internet Cataloging is intended to cover a wide spectrum of aspects of cataloging, organization and access in the digital world. To do that the journal has an editorial board composed of individuals who one way or another are in the middle of developments related to the provision of access to Internet resources. But the editorial board members are only one component of creating a useful journal. The readers of the journal play an essential role too. We need you to tell us how we can make the journal most helpful to you. Further, by being willing to share your experiences, you can help all of us learn what works and doesn't work. Although it takes time to write, and all of us are already busy, I have always looked on publishing as a professional obligation. I like benefiting from the published experiences of others, and, in turn, if I have something that I have tried or otherwise think would be a contribution to the literature, I think writing about it for others is something I should do. I can also say that the University with which I was associated for twenty-seven years does not have tenure or a “publish or perish” philosophy for its faculty librarians. Consequently, my involvement with publishing has never been due to necessity.
Sharing experiences today is not publication’s only value. Documenting what we do today for the future is important also. While “we may strut and fret our hour upon the stage” we are part of the continuum of civilization. Leaving a record of our time is perhaps a by-product of reaching others in the present, but those who come after us undoubtedly will find our history of the what, why, and how of our actions useful also.
I hope you will join me in appreciating the value of publication. If you have ideas for an article or an ongoing column I would love to hear from you. You can reach me at: rccarter@nauticom.net or by fax at: (724) 940-4193 or telephone at: (724) 940-4192. My snail mail address is: 121 Pikemont Dr., Wexford, PA 15090-8447.
-- Ruth C. Carter