Cataloging Internet Resources: A Manual and Practical Guide was originally developed to aid those participating in the OCLC/U.S. Department of Education-funded project, "Building a Catalog of Internet Resources." It was designed for OCLC users and other project participants but it enjoys general usefulness. Examples and guidelines are coded and tagged as needed for OCLC input. The codes and tags follow OCLC MARC rather than USMARC in the few instances where there is some difference in content or appearance.
Because some users of this manual may not be experienced catalogers, or may be approaching the description of electronic resources for the first time, this manual includes more detail about preparation of a bibliographic description than would be usual in cataloging guidelines.
While the manual includes guidelines based on the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2d ed., 1988 revision (AACR2), it does not include the text of the rules involved and must be used together with AACR2, its amendments, and the Library of Congress Rule Interpretations (LCRIs). In no instances do these guidelines contradict the rules; some instructions have been expanded to include CONSER and ISBD(ER) modifications to practice.
Many OCLC MARC codes and tags are integrated with the AACR2 rules throughout the manual. Because catalogers must think of codes and tags as they are preparing bibliographic descriptions using AACR2, it seemed logical to integrate both aspects into one document, especially one designed to be used in conjunction with the OCLC Internet Cataloging project. It does not include all possible MARC codes, indicators, or subfields, nor does it address fixed-field coding or any of the 0xx fields. The OCLC document, Bibliographic Formats and Standards, 2d. ed., must be used together with this manual.
During revision of this document, more than 150 E-Mail comments were examined along with a number of articles and other sources. These comments were most helpful during this revision process. Some readers of these guidelines may recognize suggestions they submitted or examples they prepared; we are grateful for their help.
Efforts to catalog Internet resources were questioned by some of the library community during the ALA ALCTS Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access discussion of the task force report. This manual and its guidelines are prepared with the knowledge that there is a demand at some institutions for bibliographic records for Internet resources to be prepared and made available through online catalogs.
The basic premises of the OCLC projects concerning access to Internet resources are:
Some people have suggested cataloging useful home pages or Web pages (sometimes referred to as higher-level or upper-level resources) as a first step in providing access to this kind of material. Others have encouraged each participating institution to catalog electronic resources originating at their institution. Both suggestions have merit and should be considered when an institution is deciding what should be cataloged.
Internet resources to be cataloged should be selected as carefully as any other material that is added to a collection. Collection developers or managers, faculty selectors, and other library staff may be involved. A systems person might be included in the process for technical advice. An institution needs to develop a collection development policy for electronic resources, just as for any other type of material.
One problem with cataloging computer files is that the medium changes/develops so rapidly. By the time one figures out terminology and characteristics of available technology, new developments have made that technology obsolete. As an example, interactive multimedia are now available through the Internet and may be cataloged using these guidelines together with the Guidelines for Bibliographic Description of Interactive Multimedia (ALA, 1994).
Those cataloging this material for input into national databases must remember to catalog according to all national/international standards. If certain terminology, description, notes, etc. are needed for local reasons, the record may then be edited to reflect local practice. Cataloging rules developed in AACR2, Chapter 1, give general guidance on cataloging. Those rules can be applied to any type of material. It is always useful to review the general rules when faced with some new type of material to be cataloged.
The second edition of the International Standard Bibliographic Description for Computer Files (ISBD(CF)), now named International Standard Bibliographic Description for Electronic Resources (ISBD(ER)), has been undergoing worldwide review beginning late in 1994, with final publication scheduled for late 1997. It seemed appropriate to bring these guidelines into conformance with the ISBD(ER) at this time.
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