0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Only because it is required reading..., 2008-06-16
This text is okay, as an MLS student I found it a bit frustrating that it seemed you needed to have a fair amount of knowledge about cataloging before you could understand this book. But, then again, I've never planned on cataloging -- so I got through it okay and can't wait to re-sell it! Otherwise, I have to say that I preferred this book to the other text (Organization of Information by Arlene Taylor) because this book is arranged in a more intuitive way.
Good luck, but do yourself a favor and only buy this if it is required.
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
Cataloging, 2001-05-19
If you find yourself needing to learn how to catalog, this is the book to teach you! Dr. Chan walks you step-by-step through the cataloging processes. This book explains the steps of AACR2R2, MARC, Dewey, and LC. Not everyone can take one of Dr. Chan's cataloging classes in person, this book is second only to that.
27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
Picture of what you 're doing really matters., 2000-10-11
I have been using this book for almost two semester because this is one of our primary reference in our cataloging subject. Our subject includes Descriptive Cataloging and Non-book materials cataloging. Everytime we are asked to do some cataloging, I always prefer to have read first this book before doing some cataloging exercises because this gives me clear picture of what really am I going to do. The examples are there, and the corresponding catalog entry are there sited clearly.
I can't forget when we were given a problem to catalog the compact disc that we brought in our class, I don't know what to do with that CD, and then I went to our library that time, and borrowed this book, and there I found clear explanation of what was to be done first in cataloging that type of non-book material. When I've seen the example, I just compared it with our compact disc(music CD), and I gathered every little bit of information that are needed in my catalog entry. And at last, I've done my work.
The book gives layman explanation, you can't find here straight rules, there's an explanation for every technical terms that the author used. The book covers not oonly descriptive cataloging, but also, non-book materials cataloging. The book is very down to earth, you will find yourself just as reading simple mathematics. When I read the book everytime we have an exerice I just always find myself looking for the significant information in the chief sources of information and just plugged it in my catalog entry and I'm finished as easy as that.
This book in short doesn't just set the rules in cataloging, it gives understanding how every rules in cataloging are being used. Now I'm on my third year of my Library and Information Science degree, and still I'm using this book as my primary reference because this book really gives me picture of what I am doing.