katalogisch

Katalogisch is an adjective in German that describes something related to a catalogue or arranged in the form of a catalog. It denotes lists, entries, or classifications that are enumerated in a catalog and often organized according to a predefined order or set of metadata fields. The term stems from katalog, catalogue, which itself comes from the French catalogue and ultimately from Latin.

In practice, katalogisch is used in fields where objects, records, or items are systematically described and stored in a catalog. The most common context is library and information science, where a katalogische Erfassung or katalogische Beschreibung refers to the bibliographic description and cataloging of materials, including metadata, subject headings, and classification numbers. It can also describe data or collections that are organized in a catalog-like structure, such as a product catalog or a museum collection inventory.

The term emphasizes the form and method of organization rather than the content, contrasting with narrative or discursive descriptions. Phrases such as katalogisch geordnet (catalogue-ordered), katalogische Strukturierung (cataloging structure), or katalogische Schlagwörter (subject headings) illustrate typical usages. In historical or archival contexts, katalogische Beschreibungen document items with standardized fields to facilitate search and retrieval.

Katalogisch is a specialized, context-dependent term. Outside library, archival, or information-management settings, it may appear in discussions of catalog-based data organization or in describing systems that mimic catalog structures. See also katalog, katalogisierung, and bibliothekskatalog.