Cataloging and Classification for Library Personnel

The revised edition of the book is very impressive. An additional chapter, ‘Cataloging on computers’, has been added and the explanation of the MARC format is quite good. Students and practicing LTAs will understand the various tags and indicators associated with a MARC record. The chapter contains good examples of books, video recordings, serials, and computer disks cataloged in MARC format. Kao also gives the reader a guide to the commonly used MARC tags, fields, and indicators. There is also information on how to search OCLC, which was not included in the previous edition. The chapter concerning issues and trends has also been expanded to include outsourcing, cooperation among libraries, and the Dublin Core, which provides a core set of metadata elements that can be used to catalog internet resources. Dr. Kao has expanded the trends to include the following: online cataloging will be performed by the smallest libraries, LTAs will be hired to replace librarians to do cataloging, and cataloging departments will be merged into automation departments because of the changing nature of the profession. This may allow LTAs to be cross-trained to perform other tasks in the technical services area.