Search Strategies White Papers

AACR2 and Its Place in the Digital World: Near-Term Solutions and Long-Term Direction

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Overview The context in which cataloguing operates has changed significantly since AACR2 was first published. We have seen the emergence of new media and new modes of publication. Electronic documents are less stable and more difficult to define than their print counterparts. The ready availability of networked resources on the Internet has changed the way in which users obtain and use information. More stakeholders are involved in the provision of access to bibliographic resources. The ability of the current rules in AACR2 to adequately describe electronic resources has been called into question. The emphasis on the item in hand--the physical object--is considered inappropriate for cataloguing remote access electronic resources. The related class of materials concept has also been shown to be flawed. The proliferation of records for the same work is becoming confusing for users, particularly for serials published in different formats. The Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR (JSC) is acutely aware of the concerns expressed by the cataloguing community about the adequacy of the existing rules, and significant work has taken place in recent years to address these concerns. Work undertaken includes the organization in 1997 of the International Conference on Principles and Future Development of AACR. The relevancy of the rules in the online environment was a major focus. Principal outcomes included the commissioning of three reports: a logical analysis of the rules by Tom Delsey, using a data modeling technique; a report on seriality; and a proposal to revise Rule 0.24 to advance the primacy of intellectual content over physical format. Several initiatives are being pursued as a result, including a major revision of Chapter 12, a revision of Rule 0.24, an expanded introduction, and a new appendix defining major and minor changes. At the same time, a major revision of Chapter 9 has been in progress, to bring the rules into closer alignment with the International Standar

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