IMC 451:

ORGANIZATION OF INFORMATION

Topic 7:
Information Representation
Bibliographic/Surrogate/Metadata Record

• Bibliographic record is the name that has been applied

to the description of tangible information packages (eg:
books, sound recordings) for many years
• Even though it has been applied to records created for
motion pictures, sound recordings, computer files, etc.,
the word bibliographic has continued to have a stigma
arising from biblio-, meaning “book”
• At times the term “surrogate record” has been
used instead
• A surrogate stands in place of someone or
something else
• Term can be used for records representing any
kind of information package in any kind of
information retrieval system
• ‘Surrogate record’ is also used to mean the
description and access content of a metadata
record
• A surrogate record is a presentation of the
characteristics of an information package
• The characteristics include both descriptive
data and access points
• The record stands in place (i.e, is a surrogate
for) the information package in information
retrieval systems such as catalogs, indexes,
bibliographies, search engines, etc.
• Information package is an instance of recorded
information (e.g. book, article, videocassette, Internet
document or set of “pages”, sound recording,
electronic journal, etc.)

• Descriptive data is data derived from an information

package and used to describe it, such as its title, its
associated names, its edition, its date of publication,
its extent, and notes identifying pertinent features.
• An access point is any term (word, heading, etc.)
in a surrogate record that is used to retrieve that
record
• Access points are often singled out from the
descriptive data and are placed under access
control (also called authority control)
• A surrogate record serves as a filter to keep a
user from having to search through myriad
irrelevant full texts
• Title --- title
• Author – author
• ISBN ---- ISBN
• Call Num --- Call Num\
• Sub ---- subject
• Any (Keyword) ------- Title, Author, ISBN, Call
Num, Subject,
• Its most important function is to assist the
user in evaluating the possibility that the
information package that it represents will be
useful
• Surrogate record descriptions are most helpful
when they are predictable in both form and
content
Why using ONE standard?

• Prevent duplication of work

• Allow library to better share bibliographic resources
• Enables library to acquire cataloguing data that is
predictable and reliable
• Enables library to make use of commercially available
library automation system to manage library
operations
• Allows library to replace one system with another
Examples of standard used
Examples of standard used in recording and
description of information/documents

• ISBD
• MARC
• Z39.50
• Dublin Core
• TEI Header, etc.
International Standard Bibliographic Description
(ISBD)
• ISBD – developed by IFLA to provide a
standardized way of describing items being
catalogue

• A general framework for ISBDs – called ISBD

(G) – was agreed upon by IFLA in the early
1970s and published in 1977
• Specific types of materials are described using
ISBDs which are based on the ISBD (G). They
are:
1. ISBD (M) for monograph – 1978
2. ISBDS (S) for serials – 1977
3. ISBD (G) – 1978
4. ISBD (CM) for cartographic materials – 1977
5. ISBD (NBM) for non-book materials – 1977
6. ISBD (A) for antiquarian – 1980

7. ISBD (PM) for printed music – 1980

8. ISBD (ER) for electronic records – 1980

9. ISBD (CF) for computer files - 1989

 WHY ISBD?

1. Standardization
2. Identification of bibliographic data in any
language
3. Manipulation of bibliographic data in
computer application
The description is divided into the following 8 areas:
1. Title and statement of responsibility
- Title proper
- [gmd]
- = parallel
- : other title
- / statement of responsibility
2. Edition area
3. Material specific details
4. Publication, distribution area
5. Physical description
6. Series area
7. Notes area
8. Standard number and terms of availability
 ISBD Outline for a Monograph
Title proper=parallel title : other title information / first
statement of responsibility ; each subsequent
statement of responsibility.- Edition statement /
Statement of responsibility relating to the edition.-
Place of pub.: Publisher, Date of publication
Pagination : illustration ; dimensions +
accompanying material.- (Series ; series number)
Note
ISBN : price
 CATALOG RECORD:
Component of catalog record in ISBD format
(4) Call No. (1) Main Entry Heading

Call No.

Main Entry
Title proper = Parallel title : Other title / Statement of
Responsibility. - Edition statement / Statement of Responsibility
related to edition. - Place of Publication : Publisher, Yr. of
Publication. (2) Description
Physical descrip. : ill. ; Dimension. - (Series ; No.)

Notes.
ISBN.

1. Subject Heading. 2. Subject Heading. I. Name-

Added entry. II. Title-AE. III. Series-AE.
(3) Tracing
 MAIN ENTRY: PERSONAL NAME
RT
69
.H66 Ross, Janet S.
1979 Foundation of anatomy and physiology / Janet S. Ross and Kathleen J.W.
Wilson. – 4th ed. – Edinburgh : Pearson, 1979.
453 p. : ill. ; 22 cm. – (An English Language Book Society publication)

Bibliography : p. 445.
ISBN 0-85365-681-9

1. Anatomy, Human. 2. Human physiology. I. Wilson, Kathleen J.W.,

jt.author. II. Title. II. Series.

19
ANGLO-AMERICAN CATALOGUING RULES,SECOND
EDITION,1988 REVISION (AACR2r)

• The description part of Anglo-American

Cataloguing Rules, Second Edition,1988
revision (AACR2r) is based on ISBD.
• After a general descriptive chapter in AACR2r,
other descriptive chapters cover different
kinds of materials:
- books – chapter 2
- cartographic materials – chapter 3
- manuscripts – chapter 4
- music – chapter 5
- sound recordings – chapter 6
- motion pictures and video recordings –
chapter 7
- graphic materials – chapter 8
- computer files – chapter 9
- three-dimensional artifacts and realia-
chapter 10
• Rules are numbered so that the numbers of
the ISBD areas follow the chapter number.
Here is an example of ISBD areas as rules in
chapter 5 of AACR2r:
- rule 5.1 – Title and statement of
responsibility area
- rule 5.2 – Edition area
- rule 5.3 – Material specific details area
- rule 5.4 – Publication, distribution, etc. area,
etc.
• An example of the same rule in more than one
chapter is:
– Rule 1.1B – general title proper (Chap. 1)
– Rule 2.1B – book title proper (Chap. 2)
– Rule 3.1B – map title proper (Chap. 3)
– Rule 4.1B – manuscript title proper (Chap. 4)

 Each chapter prescribes a “chief source

of information” from which much of the
information is to be taken.
• For example the chief source of information
for a book is its title page.
• The chief source is preferred when the
elements vary on or in various parts of the
same information package (eg: if the title on
the sound recording label is preferred)
MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging Record)
MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging Record)

• MARC = communications format is used for transmitting

data from one system to another
• It was developed by the Library of Congress in the 1950s.
• 1966: Library of Congress MARC data was sent out to 16
libraries on tape.
• The 25 years later, over 50 different formats developed
across the world.
• Examples of MARC:
- UNIMARC
- USMARC
- UKMARC
MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging Record)

• It can be defined as a standard prescribing codes

that precede and identify specific elements of a
catalog record, allowing the records to be “read” by
machine and thus displayed in a fashion designed
to make the record intangible to users.
• Information from a catalog card cannot be typed
into a computer to produce automated catalog
• Computer needs a means of interpreting the
information found on a cataloguing record
• MARC contains a guide to its data.
MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging Record)

• The structure of a MARC record:

– Record leader:
• described as “data elements that primarily provide information
for the processing of the record, the data elements contain
number of coded values”
– Directory :
• The directory consists of a series of entries that contain the
tag, length, and starting location of each variable field within a
record.
– fields :
• Into which we enter our biblighraphic information – access
points and descriptive cataloging
• Each bibliographic data will be presented with a three digit tag
number (also known as a MARC field).
• Examples of a three digit tag:
– 100 main entry
– 245 title statement
– 260 Publication, distribution
• Benefits:
1. Furthering access to the world’s information
2. Reducing information costs
3. Helps libraries / information centre locate, acquire, access
information
 MARC Tagging Used in UiTM’S Library
Tag Description

100 Main Entry – Personal Name

110 Main Entry – Corporate Name
245 Title
250 Edition Area
269 Publication & Distribution Area
300 Physical Description Area
440 Series Statement (Traced)
490 Series Statement (Untraced)
500 Notes Area
504 Bibliography Note
505 Contents Notes
600 Personal Name as Subject
610 Corporate Name As Subject
650 Topical Heading
651 Geographic Name As Subject
700 Added Entry – Personal Name
710 Added Entry – Corporate Name
745 Added Entry - Title
 MARC

ISBD
                                                                                                                                                                                      

Figure 22. MARC Record Display

Z39.50
Z39.50

• ‘‘A national standard that provides for the exchange of

information, such as surrogate records or fulltext,
between otherwise non-compatible computer systems’’
or
• Network application standard – it is open standard that
enable communication between systems that run on
different hardware and use different software
• Developed during 1980s and early 1990s and part of a
project by LC, OCLC, RLIN & Western Library Network
• Overcome problem associated with:
- multiple database searching
- it simplifies search process by making it
possible for searcher to use familiar user
interface of the local system to search both:
1. Local library catalog
2. Any remote database systems that
support the standard
DUBLIN CORE (DUBLIN METADATA CORE
ELEMENT SET)
DUBLIN CORE (DUBLIN METADATA CORE
ELEMENT SET)
• Created in order to have an internationally agreed-
upon set of elements that could be filled in by the
creator of an electronic document
• Dublin Core is now being implemented through the
use of HTML
• The Dublin Core Set consists of 15 elements that can
be divided into 3 main groups – content of resource,
intellectual properties, resource as an instance
• Elements related to the content of the resource:
1. Title – the name of the resource
2. Subject & keywords – the topic(s) of the
resource; used controlled vocabularies and
formal classification schemes
3. Description – a textual description of the
content of the resource
4. Source
5. Language
6. Relation – relationship links
7. Coverage – special characteristic (physical
region) or temporal characteristic (date/time)
• Elements related to the resource when
viewed as intellectual property:
1. Author/Creator
2. Publisher
3. Other contributor
4. Right elements – a statement, link or
identifier that gives information about
rights management (e.g: whether use is
restricted until a certain time, time at
which the resource will be moved from
display, etc)
• Elements related mainly to the issue of
resource-as-an-instance
1. Date – the date of the creation; recommended
that ISO 8601 be used (YYYY-MM-DD)
2. Resource Type – a designation of the type
category of the resource (eg: homepage,
technical report, dictionary, etc.)
3. Format – a designation of software or hardware
required to use the resources
4. Resource identifier – a string or number that
uniquely identifies the resource (e.g: URL, ISBN)
• Subject/Keywords/Author/Creator and other
contributor are access points elements
• Principles for the Dublin Core:
1. The core set can be extended with further
elements needed by a particular community
2. All elements are optional
3. All elements are repeatable
4. Any element may be modified by qualifier or
qualifiers
TEI HEADER (Text Encoding Initiative)

• TEI = SGML DTD (Standard Generalized Markup

Language Document Type Definition) – created
in order to provide a way of encoding old,
literary and/or scholarly texts so that encoded
version could be exchange easily
• Creation of a standard for a TEI Header was to
provide a source of information for cataloguing
• TEI Header has 4 sections:
- File description
- Encoding description
- Profile description
- Revision description
• File description is required and contains a
bibliographic description of the text – it includes the
title, author(s); publication information and the
source of description which is the description of the
original source from which the electronic text was
derived

• The encoding description explain what rules or

editorial decisions were used in transcribing the text
(eg: How spelling variations were treated)
• The profile description contains what AACR2r
calls added access points. It also contains
language information, subject access points
and classification notation

• The revision description contains a record of

every charge that has been made to the,
including when each change was made and by
whom
RESOURCE DESCRIPTION AND
ACCESS (RDA)
RDA Background and Overview

• What is RDA?
• Why RDA?
• Practical basics, organization, and terminology.
What is RDA?

• Resource Description and Access

• Successor to AACR2
• Based on FRBR: Functional Requirements for
Bibliographic Records and FRAD : Functional
Requirements for Authority Data
RDA Timeline

• 1977: International Conference of the Principles

and Future Development of AACR in Toronto,
Canada.
• 1998: FRBR published by IFLA in 1998.
• 2002: Work began on “AACR3”.
• 2005: Name changed to RDA
• 2008: full draft of RDA made available
• June, 2010: RDA released
RDA Timeline
• RDA testing by U.S national libraries and partners:
– Through Sept. 30, 2010 : training and creation of
practice records.
– Oct. 1 – Dec. 30, 2010 : creation of test records
– Jan. 1 – Mac. 31, 2011: evaluation
– June 2011: decision announced
• Do not implement
• Postpone implementation until certain changes are made
implement
• Implement with specific recommended changes/ policy
decisions for US libraries.
Why RDA?

• Better suited to the digital environment

• More accepting of data from other sources –
efficiencies by accepting machine-captured data
• Data recorded in a way machines can use more
easily
Practical Info about RDA

• RDA Toolkit – online tool

• By subscription
• Print version available
• Also includes AACR2
• www.rdatoolkit.org
RDA Organization
• AACR2:
– Part 1: Description, Chapters for format (books, sound
recording, maps)
– Part 2: Headings, Uniform title, and References
• RDA:
– Organizing according to user tasks – find, identity,
select, obtain.
– No chapters for formats
– Section 1-4: Recording attributes
– Section 5-10 : Recording relationship
RDA and the library catalog

• RDA will help modernize the library catalog

• New features of library catalogs include:
– Facets to narrow searching
– Ranking of results
– More visual results – book covers, table of contents,
reviews
• One goal of RDA is to make these tasks easier.
Thank You…