Katalogointimerkintöjä

Katalogointimerkintöjä, often translated as cataloging records or entries, are the fundamental components of library and archival catalogs. These records describe individual items within a collection, providing essential information for users to locate and identify them. The primary purpose of a cataloging record is to facilitate access to resources.

Each record typically contains a standardized set of data fields, such as title, author, publisher, publication date, subject headings, and a unique identifier like a call number or accession number. The specific fields and their format are usually governed by cataloging rules, with the most widely used being the Resource Description and Access (RDA) standard, which replaced the older Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR2). These rules ensure consistency and interoperability across different catalogs.

Subject headings are crucial for information retrieval, allowing users to search for items based on their content. These are often drawn from controlled vocabularies or thesauri like the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) or national subject heading systems. Descriptors and keywords are also employed to enhance discoverability.

Beyond basic identification, cataloging records can include summaries or abstracts, physical descriptions of the item (e.g., number of pages, dimensions), and information about its provenance or history. In digital environments, cataloging records can link to full-text resources or provide access points to digital objects. The creation and maintenance of these entries are performed by trained catalogers who apply standardized practices to ensure accuracy and completeness.