Managing E-Books Cataloguing: Lessons so far at Unisa Library

Abstract

This paper will explore the management of the description and the identification of e–books in a large distance learning library, namely Unisa Library. It will explore why and what Unisa Library have decided to catalogue. The paper will provide an overview of the policy underlying and guiding the description of this particular collection, and the continued tension between the priorities of access and quality. It will describe the process and workflow of cataloguing large e-book collections in a particular system at a micro-level, and briefly look at standards and industry obstacles encountered at macro-level. The paper will share the lessons learnt in overcoming obstacles from, amongst other, vendor supplied MARC records, and batch processing of large numbers of records, the ongoing maintenance of records and record sets. This will include suggestions from investigations into workable solutions. Finally the paper will identify possible future solutions and make recommendations for further development. The paper will conclude with what the implications of these are for the future of cataloguing generally, and the skills required of a modern day cataloguer and resource describer.