Cataloguing in WORLD 1
Introduction
In preparing to speak to you today about Cataloguing in WORLD 1, I have been very conscious that I shall be drawing on the contributions of many other people. First of all, Judith Pearce, who enjoys the title of NDIS Business Architect, and who co-ordinated the writing of the Request for Tender in which the National Libraries of Australia and New Zealand expressed their requirements. This paper is largely a description of how these requirements will be implemented in WORLD 1. Secondly, the ABN Standards Committee, which has acted as a voice for all those Australian cataloguers who have endured the current ABN cataloguing system, and expressed ideas for better ways of doing things. And thirdly my colleagues in the two National Libraries, whose ideas and suggestions along the way have all contributed, and will continue to contribute, to the design of Cataloguing in WORLD 1.
What is WORLD 1?
WORLD 1 is the 'brand name' or 'marketing name' of the new service being developed to replace the existing ABN and Ozline services. WORLD 1 will extend these services to provide access to world-wide networked information and documents of all kinds. The name NDIS, or National Document and Information Service, is the generic name or project name. This generic name is used by the NDIS Project Team which is a joint undertaking of the National Library of Australia and the National Library of New Zealand. The National Library of New Zealand has not yet announced a name for its new service. So you will still hear the name NDIS when we speak about the project or the system, but we will use the name WORLD 1 when we talk about the new service for Australia.
Features of WORLD 1
The National Library's vision for WORLD 1 is to provide all Australians with enhanced access to world-wide networked information from a computer in the home, office or library. WORLD 1 will assist libraries and individuals to obtain documents of all kinds, including print, multimedia and electronic documents. It will support the whole document supply cycle from the creation of the indexing and cataloguing data to the delivery of information in the document itself.
It is worth mentioning some of the general features of WORLD 1 because they will have an impact on cataloguing. WORLD 1 will offer integrated access to documents, so it will break down the traditional boundaries between the ways that libraries treat cataloguing data, indexing data and the documents they describe. WORLD 1 will fully exploit the linking data created by cataloguers, which will assist users to navigate across the information resource. For example a user may navigate from an APAIS citation to the scanned document image, or to linked holdings to generate a document supply request, or to an electronic address for the document itself held on another system. WORLD 1 will act as a Z39.50 client to support searching of other Australian and overseas databases. WORLD 1 will use client server architecture, and cataloguers will use the WORLD 1 client software which will be supplied as part of the registration package. This paper will describe these and other features in more detail.
Searching for Records in WORLD 1
WORLD 1 will recognise that cataloguers are searchers too, and that cataloguers need a powerful and friendly search interface.
One interface for all
WORLD 1 will provide the same search interface for all users, whether individuals searching from home or full time cataloguers in university libraries. There will be no assumption that all end users are novice searchers, and all cataloguers are expert searchers. This will overcome the limitations of the current system for cataloguers. ABN Supersearch, which is actually immensely powerful, is not practical for routine use by cataloguers, because the search results cannot be imported to the cataloguing work screens without rekeying. Cataloguers will also be able to make use of online training, consistent screen layout, explanatory prompts and context sensitive help messages.
Choice of search methods
Acknowledging that there are various levels of skill and expertise in information retrieval, WORLD 1 will offer different approaches to searching. Novices and infrequent users can use simple, user friendly searching techniques, including friendly system prompts and simple search statements. Expert searchers can find friendliness a little wearing and less efficient, and may prefer to perform functions quickly and precisely. WORLD 1 will support these users too, allowing them to key searches which target specific parts of the data structure and incorporate the complex boolean operators as part of the search statement. With easier and more powerful searching, cataloguers will be more successful in finding cataloguing copy.
Copy Cataloguing in WORLD 1
Most cataloguing managers devote much energy to the avoidance of cataloguing, by using other people's cataloguing rather than create their own. This is the noble art of copy cataloguing. WORLD 1 will support the current services which most cataloguers expect for copy cataloguing: downloading records on request, downloading records as a by-product of adding holdings to WORLD 1, and close copying cataloguing. The big enhancement to copy cataloguing on WORLD 1 will be the ease of obtaining MARC records from overseas databases.
Obtaining Records from Overseas
WORLD 1 will enable you to easily obtain records from Australian and overseas databases. It will be a 'one stop shop' for copy cataloguing. If you do not find the record you need on the WORLD 1 database, you may use the WORLD 1 gateway services to obtain records from other sources in Australia, New Zealand or elsewhere. WORLD 1 will simplify issues such as registration with overseas services, invoicing in foreign currencies, and reformatting of foreign records.
The WORLD 1 database will not need to store large numbers of MARC records just in case they are required by Australian libraries. The more heavily used records may continue to be purchased by subscription, but WORLD 1 will support the streamlined purchase of MARC records as they are required by cataloguers.
Z39.50 access
Cataloguers who have used OCLC's Prism, or Classic RLIN, and found them just as unfriendly as ABN, will be pleased to know that the WORLD 1 service will offer a Z39.50 compliant client so that cataloguers can have transparent access to other systems. Provided that these other systems have Z39.50 servers, the cataloguer's search statement can be framed in the user friendly WORLD 1 format, and then searched against other databases without rekeying and without knowing their command structure. Increasing numbers of attractive databases, both in Australia and overseas, are implementing Z39.50 server capability. Examples are OCLC, RLIN and the British Library.
Gateways to other databases
For strategically important databases which are not yet capable of acting as Z39.50 servers, WORLD 1 will offer gateway facilities so that cataloguers may interrogate those databases during the cataloguing session. You will need to use the native search language for databases which do not have Z39.50 server capability.
Improved hit rates & work flows
WORLD 1 will support copy cataloguing in real time, whether the data is found on WORLD 1 itself or on an overseas database. The cataloguer will be able to download the record into a WORLD 1 work form if required, add holdings and complete the end processing of the item without the double handling which is characteristic of a batch system.
In summary, the vision of ABN as a 'One Stop Shop' for cataloguing copy, first articulated by Enid Roberts in the early 1990s when she was a member of the Network Committee, will be realised in WORLD 1.
Editing Records in WORLD 1
Better quality records
The cataloguing records available on WORLD 1 will benefit from continuous improvement in quality. WORLD 1 will take records from various sources and merge them to achieve more complete records. Records will be evaluated not only by their source, but also by their completeness as indicated by their encoding level. When two records match, the incoming records will not necessarily replace the database record. WORLD 1 may merge the incoming record with the existing record to create a more complete and higher quality record. For example, WORLD 1 will retain subject headings and classification numbers from different sources in the one record. ABN regularly loses subject access when one record is replaced by another. Medical subject headings are regularly lost when National Library of Medicine records are replaced by LC records which do not use MeSH. In WORLD 1, LC and NLM records will be merged, retaining all the subject headings from both records, so the database grows steadily in value. Do not be alarmed by this. WORLD 1 will offer the capability to merge records. How this is implemented will be a matter of policy, to be developed by the Standards Committee.
Easier editing of copy cataloguing
Having found a good record on WORLD 1, or having imported a good record from an overseas database into WORLD 1, the copy cataloguer may need to edit the record. The WORLD 1 screen editor will offer similar ease of use and text processing power as found in word processing applications.
Cut & paste between concurrent sessions
WORLD 1 will support concurrent sessions for cataloguing and searching, so that the cataloguer can build up the quality of the record progressively. For example the cataloguer might search for other records to get ideas for classification numbers, or search authority files to find additional subject headings. The cataloguer might scan the table of contents from the book into a word processing file. To transfer data such as classification numbers, subject headings or table of contents into the MARC record, there will be no need to rekey. WORLD 1 will allow the cataloguer to cut and paste from other applications and other sessions into the cataloguing record.
Resolution of authority conflicts
When we purchase MARC records from a variety of sources, we also purchase a variety of authorities for name and subject headings. WORLD 1 will support the resolution of these conflicting authorities by flipping non-preferred headings to their preferred form, and alert the copy cataloguer to conflicts and doubtful cases for resolution. Records which contain Library of Congress subject headings can be 'Australianised' to contain Australian terminology, which is a boon to Australian catalogue users.
Original Cataloguing on WORLD 1
For original cataloguing, WORLD 1 will offer two practical choices: either catalogue on the WORLD 1 client, or catalogue on the local system and upline load your records to WORLD 1.
Upline loading records to WORLD 1
For libraries which want to catalogue locally and report to the national union catalogue in a prompt fashion, upline loading will be available. WORLD 1 will achieve the re-integration of original cataloguing and reporting to the union catalogue (an integration which became somewhat tenuous after the demise of card catalogues).
WORLD 1 will receive both cataloguing records and holdings data by upline loading. Libraries may also upline load holdings changes and deletions, for example to report the cancellation of a serial subscription, or the removal of an item from the collection. WORLD 1 will support the intake of upline loaded cataloguing throughout the day, without significantly affecting online response times.
MARC records upline loaded to WORLD 1 will need to be in the USMARC format. In line with the current policy, contribution of records in AUSMARC format will not be supported for upline loading. Libraries which want to contribute AUSMARC records will need to contribute batch files which will be converted to the USMARC format before loading to WORLD 1.
And speaking of batch files, in particular retrospective files, WORLD 1 will provide database managers with a facility to edit or convert records before loading, in order to meet network standards. A typical example of such a conversion would be the need to transfer call numbers which had erroneously been entered in the classification number field. Another example would be the need to transfer a library's serial holdings dates from the serial life dates field, into the holdings statement where they belong.
In spite of the upline loading facility, we expect that many libraries will prefer to catalogue on the WORLD 1 client, because it will promote efficient creation of quality data. Here are some of the features of original cataloguing in WORLD 1.
Integration of cataloguing & indexing
WORLD 1 will support the integration of cataloguing and indexing. The 'look and feel' of WORLD 1 will be identical whether you are a cataloguer creating records for the National Bibliographic Database, or an indexer creating a citation record for a hosted database such as APAIS or IREL. WORLD 1 will break down the traditional, but unnecessary, barriers between cataloguing and indexing, and the ramifications of this on our respective data standards will be interesting to discover.
Work forms
WORLD 1 will provide work forms for data creation, with effective support for both the expert cataloguer who has fast keyboard skills, and the novice cataloguer who prefers more prompting. WORLD 1 will allow you to have more than one work form open at a time. For example, you could be doing your cataloguing and authority control simultaneously by switching from one work form to the other.
Work forms will fully support the USMARC integrated format, but the cataloguer will be able to set default work form values for the data entry session, according to the material being catalogued, for example printed books, serial maps, computer files, music or authority records. The work forms will provide user friendly explanations of each data element or group of data elements. WORLD 1 will allow data elements which are likely to occur infrequently to be suppressed from the work form, but the cataloguer will be able to call up the desired fields and insert them in the work form.
Cataloguers in WORLD 1 will enjoy the features of the Windows environment, and here are some examples:
Menus and drop-down lists
The cataloguer will be able to scroll down lists of codes, MARC tags etc, with online help in selecting the right one. Of course, if you are an expert, you will be able to type your preferred codes and tags directly into the work form.
Drop-down lists will assist the cataloguer to provide coded data easily and accurately. For example, the cataloguer could click on the language code field, and WORLD 1 will supply the cataloguer with a window in which to find the appropriate language. By clicking on the desired language, the cataloguer will cause the code to be copied into the record without re-keying. This will be particularly useful for those codes which are difficult to remember, such as the codes for numbers of instruments or voices in musical works. Drop-down lists will make it easier to create more complete and accurate cataloguing records in WORLD 1.
Cut & paste data
As well as enabling the cataloguer to select data elements from menus and drop-down lists, WORLD 1 will allow concurrent sessions for searching, cataloguing and authority control, with ability to cut & paste from one window to the other. For example, in WORLD 1 the cataloguer will be able to take data created on another application on the same work station, such as a word processor (including data created by Optical Character Recognition) and then cut and paste this data into the work form. This technique would enable the efficient incorporation of Table of Contents data into cataloguing records.
Context sensitive help and documentation
WORLD 1 will have the capacity to incorporate in its help screens much of the technical standards data used by cataloguers. Examples are cataloguing rules, rule interpretations, MARC coding manuals, MARC code lists, subject headings, name authorities, classification schedules and indexes. The cataloguer could click on the name of a data element, such as illustrative matter, and WORLD 1 will have the capacity to show you the cataloguing rule, the rule interpretation, and the MARC coding to use. Of course, the addition of such data would be subject to copyright considerations and the ability to negotiate commercially attractive agreements with copyright owners. Negotiating permission to use copyright works in an electronic environment, when the works already enjoy large sales direct to customers, will certainly be very challenging, but the WORLD 1 system will not be a barrier.
Support for effective linking data
WORLD 1 will exploit linking data more fully. The linking of data can be achieved in two ways, either by the cataloguer indexing two items in the same way, in which case the searcher will retrieve them both, or by the cataloguer creating a conscious and considered link between items. Examples of the latter include links between an original work and its translation, links between different editions of a work using different titles, and links between the earlier and later titles of serials. WORLD 1 will also support links between versions of works, and between the whole document and its parts - on any database and across databases - and links by means of embedded references to external objects, whether stored as files on WORLD 1 or accessible using World Wide Web, Gopher or FTP protocols.
Cataloguers as content creators will find themselves encouraged to create linking data because they will see a direct benefit in the way WORLD 1 will exercise those links for the searcher. The creation of links between works is one of the most value added aspects of cataloguing, and will stretch the cataloguer's skills in anticipating the needs of users, and in exploring the information resource for relevant related works.
While speaking of linking in WORLD 1, I must acknowledge the contribution of Barbara Tillett, now Chief of the Cataloging Support and Policy Office at the Library of Congress, who is our keynote speaker at this conference. At an early stage in the definition of our requirements, the National Libraries of Australia and New Zealand drew heavily on the work of Barbara Tillett, and we made a conscious effort to ensure her ideas on data modelling would be implemented in WORLD 1.
Authority Control in WORLD 1
WORLD 1 will improve online access to information by fully exploiting the enormous effort which goes into compiling thesauri and authority files. Furthermore, it will be easier to develop and maintain thesauri and authorities.
Scan & select authorised forms
WORLD 1 will assist the user, including the cataloguer, to browse subject heading lists to maximise search efficiency. There will be integrated access to books and serials - there will no longer be an artificial division between accessing books and periodical articles. For example, Medical Subject Headings may be linked to articles in periodicals or records for whole works.
More thesauri available to cataloguers
WORLD 1 will make more thesauri available to cataloguers and indexers. The USMARC format supports the exchange of terms from an almost unlimited range of thesauri. About 60 are already defined, including Art & Architecture, Hennepin County Library thesaurus, ERIC, Sears and NASA. New thesauri can readily be defined for exchange in USMARC format, for example the Aboriginal thesaurus or the Technilib translated subject headings.
When WORLD 1 is implemented in 1997, the following thesauri will be supported: LCSH, LCNA, MeSH and APAIS. However, service managers will be able to create and maintain data defining new thesauri in WORLD 1, or indeed import the whole thesaurus file. For example, the National Library has expressed a willingness to host the Aboriginal thesaurus on WORLD 1, so this may be the first thesaurus to be defined after implementation.
LCSH & LCNA as resource files
LC name authorities and LC subject headings will be available as closed thesauri or 'resource files'. The WORLD 1 authority files will comprise all headings used in NBD records. Cataloguers will be able to select records from LCNA and LCSH for incorporation into the authority file. In practice, this will be achieved by means of flags and links, but it means that 'copy' authority control will not require the re-keying of headings, references and scope notes.
Australian subject access an option
WORLD 1 will support the output of Library of Congress subject headings in their authentic form, or in their 'Australianised' form, provided that the links between equivalent headings are in place. Database managers will continue to link Australianised LC subject headings to their corresponding authentic forms.
WORLD 1 will enable Australians to access online information using their own language, namely Australian English. It will support this by globally mapping Library of Congress subject headings to Australian terminology, both for incoming records and retrospectively. Records downloaded from OCLC and RLIN will be provided with Australian equivalents to the Library of Congress subject headings. For example, WORLD 1 will convert 'traffic circles' to 'roundabouts' and 'domestic relations' to 'family law'. The Subject Headings Review Panel will be freed from their current restraint, not only because WORLD 1 will be able to implement and maintain their decisions, but because they will no longer need to submit their headings to the rigours of the editorial process for Library of Congress subject headings.
However, for libraries which insist that their users prefer American English, pure LC subject headings will be available as an output option from WORLD 1. This will support our MARC exchange agreements, for while North American libraries tolerate some Australian subject headings in our exchange records, but they might not appreciate a deluge.
Easy authority file maintenance
Thesaurus development and authority control are among the most costly aspects of cataloguing and indexing, but they play a vital role in the subject approach to information. WORLD 1 will support the maintenance of authorities by powerful global change. For example, some Australian libraries have previously input specialist thesaurus headings as institution specific or 'participant' subject headings on ABN. These headings cannot be shared with other libraries on ABN. However, WORLD 1 will support the conversion of institution specific headings to shareable subject headings - all with the owner's permission of course. This will be achieved by the global change facility.
Improving Cataloguing Quality in WORLD 1
I have described how WORLD 1 will help the cataloguer to produce quality records through a user friendly and supportive interface, but I would like to focus particularly on these four contributions of WORLD 1 to improving the quality of cataloguing: record weighting & incremental crediting, validation, review of cataloguing, and global change.
Record Weighting & Incremental Crediting
WORLD 1 will enable the development of a practical system of incentives to encourage the contribution of cataloguing records which are complete and of high quality. Incoming records will be assigned a weighting reflecting their completeness and accuracy. Completeness will be assessed by the presence of specified data elements, while accuracy will be based on the number of validation failures and adherence to standards. For example, records whose access points are linked to verified authority file headings, will attract a higher weighting for quality than records containing headings which require correction or review. From a policy point of view, record weighting will be quite difficult to develop. The Standards Committee will be making a start at its next meeting in March 1996, by identifying the value of the various elements of a cataloguing record, and assigning a weighting to the importance of each field. Obviously the record weighting policy will require continuous fine tuning in the light of experience.
WORLD 1 will provide statistical reports monitoring the quality of data input by a user or group of users. This may be used to identify data sources which should be sampled for human review, if only to monitor the effectiveness of the weighting algorithm.
Graduated system of credits
WORLD 1 will be able to use financial incentives as the basis for ensuring the contribution of original cataloguing records which are as complete and accurate as possible. The same principles may be applied to the issuing of financial credits for changes made to cataloguing records which are already on the database. WORLD 1 will overcome two shortcomings of the present system in encouraging the contribution of quality records.
Firstly, the present system places most of the onus for quality assurance on the central review function. Most records are never reviewed, due to the cost of employing people purely to check the work of other people.
Secondly, the present system uses a rather inflexible system of financial credits to encourage cataloguing contributions. A financial credit of $A7.00 is issued for any original cataloguing record, regardless of quality or completeness. A brief cataloguing record with no subject headings, no classification number, no notes, and no checking of authority files will attract a financial credit of $7.00. On the other hand, the cataloguer who contributes a full record with subject headings, classification number, full authority control, contents notes, abstract and superb links to related records, will also receive a credit of $A7.00.
Financial credits have proved a highly effective method of encouraging the online contribution of cataloguing records, and a graduated system of credits will enable the network to direct the credits more precisely to attracting data with the desired characteristics. These financial credits come from system users, and WORLD 1 will ensure that users get the best and fairest value for money from financial credits.
Evaluate the record, not the cataloguer
The beauty of the WORLD 1 approach to quality monitoring is that it will evaluate the record and not the cataloguer. The current ABN system requires the NBD management staff to rank institutions according to the quality of their cataloguing, with each institution receiving an individual ranking for book cataloguing, serial cataloguing, non-book cataloguing and authority control. As a result of these assessments, the cataloguing contributed by each institution may be subjected to full review, or may be sampled at the rate of 50%, or may not be reviewed at all before loading to the database. This does not take account of the fact that the quality of contributions of individual cataloguers can vary considerably, that the cataloguing staff of small libraries can change dramatically overnight, and that individual cataloguers will produce records of varying completeness and quality depending on institutional policy and how they feel on the day.
It also takes account of the fact that cataloguers may adopt different practices for cataloguing different materials. For example, a library may take national responsibility for cataloguing the publications of its host institution early and to a high standard, thereby attracting good credits for completeness and accuracy. However, the same institution may decide to create brief records for other materials, preferring to rely on the arrival of national agency cataloguing or hoping that another institution will give this item more priority. Both approaches are legitimate, and the point is that contributions will be rewarded on a fair and practical basis.
Validation on WORLD 1
WORLD 1 will support the online and offline validation of records, and will identify, reject / correct and report on invalid data conditions. Online cataloguers will receive instant feedback at point of entry, in messages which they will understand. Contributors of upline loaded cataloguing records will receive diagnostic reports in batch mode.
The WORLD 1 office staff will be able to create and maintain data defining validation rules for each data element, so change and improvement will be more straightforward in response to advice from cataloguers. WORLD 1 will allow weighting of validation rules to indicate their severity, so that severe failures will be rejected and less severe errors will receive a warning.
Validation will take into account whether data is allowable, optional, mandatory, repeatable, or conditional. Default values will be supplied where appropriate, and the validation system will also check for types of data such as alphabetic, numeric, date, time, case, punctuation, etc. And of course, validation will check that controlled terms such as subject headings and coded data are valid for the list from which they come, and for the type of record to which they have been applied. WORLD 1 will validate controlled terms using a matching algorithm specific to the type of controlled term, to recognise synonyms, aliases and non-preferred forms and to identify close matches through fuzzy matching techniques. WORLD 1 will provide automatic mapping of non-preferred forms to preferred forms. If the result is that a non-preferred term maps to more than one preferred form, WORLD 1 will seek instructions from the cataloguer or tag it for review and provide a report.
Review of Cataloguing on WORLD 1
WORLD 1 will enable the cataloguer to save cataloguing records for local review before adding them to the national database. Alternatively, the cataloguer may tag a completed record for central review once it has been added to the system, and attach comments to the record. As well as enabling cataloguers to refer their work to their local supervisor or to the central reviewer for checking, WORLD 1 will allow the database manager to select records for review by sampling, as a quality control measure.
Specialisation of reviewing
WORLD 1 will enable the reviewers to see all the work of a user or group of users, or to work only with specific types of data. This will allow specialisation for reasons of efficiency, or to provide more personal support for contributing cataloguers. It can be bewildering for novices to receive help and advice from different people, particularly if the advice is not always the same. Certainly WORLD 1 will give novice cataloguers the reassurance and encouragement of personal attention and continuity in advice and tutoring.
Reviewing will not be a bottleneck
In WORLD 1 the review of cataloguing will not be a mechanical bottleneck as it is now. Records will enter the national database in real time. Some records will be flagged for review because contributors still require assistance. Other records will be flagged for review on a sampling basis, in order to monitor the performance of the weighting algorithms. Generally it will not be necessary for reviewing to be completed before records are available for searching on the database. However, the work of novice cataloguers, who may not feel ready for their efforts to be exposed to the public gaze without review, may be flagged for review before becoming generally available.
Global Change
As I have already mentioned, WORLD 1 will support global change of bibliographic, authority and holdings data. The scope for systematic retrospective spring cleaning is obvious, as is the scope for quick and effortless retrospective fixes 'on the fly'. Database managers will be able to apply global change across the entire authority file with a few key strokes, for example to remove the obsolete subdivision '--Addresses, essay, lectures' from LC subject headings, or change phrase headings like '... in literature' to the subdivided form '... -- Literature'. However, these powerful commands may not be available to everyone in the network.
When is it coming?
The NDIS Development Project is developing the WORLD 1 service over two years, for implementation by the end of 1997. However, the project team is adopting a phased approach to the implementation of the various services, so that users can enjoy earlier access to WORLD 1 services.
Searching by mid 1996
The first phase to be implemented will be the WORLD 1 Search service, which will replace the current ABN Supersearch and Ozline services. The WORLD 1 Search Service is on schedule for implementation in August 1996. A prototype of the Search & Browse interface will be launched at the VALA conference in Melbourne in late January. After the launch, it will be demonstrated in a road show which will tour to all capital cities and Townsville during February.
Cataloguing and document supply in 1997
After the implementation of the Search Service there will be two more releases, both in 1997. Cataloguing will be available in the first half of 1997, and the whole project, including full support for document delivery, will be implemented by the end of 1997.
When WORLD 1 is fully implemented, that will not be the end of the story. One of the features of WORLD 1 is that it will be easier and less costly to maintain than the current ABN and Ozline systems, and so we will expect our WORLD 1 system to grow and evolve with our changes in services.
How Can Cataloguers Get Involved?
ABN Standards Committee
Much policy work remains to be done. The ABN Standards Committee's forward work plan is becoming dominated by WORLD 1 policy issues, such as the requirements for matching and merging records, the specifications for incremental crediting, the introduction of new minimum standards for holdings data, and the simplification of the minimum standard for cataloguing records. Cataloguers can write papers on these and other issues, recommend system enhancements or policy changes, and contribute to the discussion through their local ABN users groups. The Standards Committee is a member of the Expert Advisory Group on NBD and Authority File standards.
NDIS-L discussion list
The National Library maintains an Internet discussion list for the NDIS project. The Internet provides a useful forum for discussing issues quickly and interactively, and cataloguers with Internet access should subscribe to this list. There has already been an online discussion of what ABN searching features cataloguers particularly want to take across to WORLD 1, and what new features they would like to have.
Getting ready to catalogue on WORLD 1
Cataloguers can start preparing for the change to WORLD 1 by attending the demonstrations of the Search and Browse prototype in January and February 1996. This will give cataloguers an opportunity to become familiar with the 'look and feel' of WORLD 1, just as the WORLD 1 cataloguing development gets underway. Cataloguers should plan to acquire a PC, and gain some familiarity with Windows, perhaps by using a Windows application for word processing. By using the World 1 search service after mid 1996, cataloguers will exercise their Windows and World 1 searching skills. Using the WORLD 1 search service will stimulate cataloguers to consider how to fully exploit the Windows features of the cataloguing service, and how to create data which fully exploits the searching and database power of WORLD 1. By getting involved now, cataloguers will certainly be able to make their mark on the future of cataloguing in Australia.
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