Six tools to simplify cataloging

Over the past year, I’ve discovered a number of handy, free tools for cataloging those materials we receive that do not come pre-cataloged. Here are a handful of tools that could save you lots of time.

1. Classify offers automated advice for assigning classification numbers and subject headings. Searchable by standard numbers, author, title, and subject heading, the database covers books, magazines, journals, and music and video recordings.  It does DDC and LCC and presents lovely orange pie charts displaying frequencies of numbers and headings.

2. Amazon to MARC converter and IMDb to MARC Converter by Libcat.org allows users the ability to create and export MARC records for books and movies from available Web data.

These converters transform XML product descriptions into bibliographic records which are readable and loadable by most Integrated Library Systems. These free records are very useful for small institutions with a small budget or the purposes of ordering new titles, especially if these titles cannot be obtained from more traditional sources.

3. Want to add Web resources to your catalog? Simply enter a URL and Web2Marc will generate a downloadable MARC record compatible with Alexandria, Destiny, and other catalog software.

4. Library of Congress Authorities allows users to search and browse:

265,000 subject authority records

5.3 million name authority records (ca. 3.8 million personal, 900,000 corporate, 120,000 meeting, and 90,000 geographic names)

350,000 series and uniform title authority records

340,000 name/title authority records
Associated references and scope notes are also provided.

Searching the related (and huge) Library of Congress Online Catalog provides access to brief records, full records, subject headings, and MARC tags.

5. OCLC Dewey Services shares the following handy summaries—Ten Main Classes] [Second Summary – The Hundreds Divisions] [Third Summary – The Thousands Sections]
[100] [200] [300] [400] [500] [600] [700] [800] [900]

6. Finally, both the Cataloguer’s Toolbox (Bibliographic Control Services , Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada) and the Internet Library for Librarians are portals linking to a huge variety of cataloging resources.

(See this LibGuide for other handy library links.)

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