Future Libraries, Future Catalogues

The concept of the "electronic library" is causing concern to cataloguers, who are frequently told that the old approaches and theories are no longer valid. The traditional model of the library as the physical location of a collection of books is under debate, and with it the traditional model of the library catalogue. Based on the author's experience at the British Library over the last 20 years, this text looks at these developments, and considers how they are likely to affect our access to knowledge. Beginning with an analysis of the world in which libraries operate, it considers the way in which market-driven forces are impacting on the profession, and the resulting dislocation of professional value systems. The book contibutes to and informs the debate by analyzing what, why and how we catalogue. It considers how the skills of the cataloguer can be developed to meet the new requirements of the age, as part of a programme of renewal for the cataloguer's trade.