Languages of the World

This practical guide helps library catalogers deal with specific problems in cataloging materials in languages from all parts of the world. Even the most experienced catalogers frequently have to handle materials in languages with which they are not familiar. Cataloging such materials can be bewildering when the cataloger must face the challenges of identifying the language, creating bilingual catalog systems, or cataloging by names in languages with entirely different naming systems. Languages of the World is invaluable as a resource of practical solutions for cataloging specific languages or groups of languages, and it has much advice for helping patrons locate materials in languages other than their own. Catalogers will find specific and practical advice for dealing with field recordings in Native American languages, Chinese legal materials, materials in Icelandic languages, African languages, Middle Eastern Languages, Central Asian languages, and languages of India and the Pacific. Some of the cataloging methods covered in Languages of the World include using archives and manuscript control formats to provide access to a large collection of Spanish materials, using the PA schedule for cataloging the literature of classical antiquity, the advantages and disadvantages of vernacular versus transliterated Hebrew, and cooperative cataloging from the point of view of a Southeast Asian bibliographer.This informative guide analyzes such topics as cooperative cataloging and the role of national libraries, such as the a National Library of Canada and the Bibliotheque Nationale in France, in cataloging a variety of languages. Catalogers at all levels of expertise will learn much from chapters that discuss:

how to identify unfamiliar languages
descriptive cataloging when materials lack sources of information such as title pages, do not have uniform titles, or feature non-Western calendars and dating
subject cataloging under inadequate and confusing LC subject headings for specialized collections
cooperative and shared cataloging
collection-level cataloging
minimal level cataloging
bilingual cataloging
the role of subject headings in access to information for non-native speakersExperienced catalogers searching for new and better ways to catalog materials in many languages as well as beginning catalogers confused by unfamiliar languages will find this to be an essential book. Languages of the World combines practical cataloging strategies with specific language examples to create a complete guide to successful cataloging in a wide variety of languages.