Introduction 

The field of information is boundless, its endless repositories, and countless sources makes for an infinite universe filled with useful content, but if that content cannot be retrieved when we need it, if we cannot find it for future use, then it is lost forever and might as well cease to exist. Cataloging and classification systems are our way of tracking down the information we need among the unfathomable endless universe of information. Like those that write our history, those that catalog hold great power of preservation. Catalogers select what voices will last and be used and what will be lost in time to the sea of too many unknown -uncataloged- ensembles. In many ways the foundational principles of ethics and intellectual freedom in the information field are maintained and manifested most strongly within the world of cataloging and classification systems. Therefore, the goal must be an unbiased approach to organizational systems that make the information accessible, usable, and preservable for future users. Each voice must be given specific tracking information so it can be found, and continually used. Without these classification organizational systems digital reality would be very grim, a jarring dissonance of content that is available, but not accessible, and potentially the eradication of certain histories. 

Statement of Competency 

Regardless of my participation in the systematic creation, all information professionals, myself included, rely heavily on these structures of cataloging and classification in daily practice. In INFO 248 Cataloging and Classification I created two complete MARC records using OCLC. In INFO 202 we had multiple assignments on designing controlled vocabulary for a target user group, and designing data structures and attribute lists. For my Golden Gate National Parks Internship we did multiple cataloging and metadata projects to preserve historic documents for future display. These three experiences showed me how important it is to understand current classification and cataloging systems, how to create controlled vocabulary and metadata and why it is important with the goal of future accessibility and preservation. Regardless of where I go in my library journey, these systems are the backbone of all information professions, as without them the content would be lost as if it did not even exist. 

Theory

Cataloging & Classification Systems

If information is irretrievable, it might as well not exist, if information is not properly cataloged or put in the correct classification system it is as good as erasing it forever. Bolin (2018) describes three key principles of standards for this work: Location (ability to find a record) & colocation (grouping by author/subject), Interoperability (different systems using same standard to share records) and Metadata (descriptors with set attributes). Libraries and information organizations around the world rely on these key principles to identify, retrieve, retain and make the information available for future use.   

Cataloging as defined by Bolin “is the acquisition or creation of bibliographic records for a library catalog or other discovery tool (2018, p 142).” This is the primary method used by all information processions around the world to manage their materials that are stored in databases and shared across the world. Cataloging (subject and descriptive) involves adding agreed upon attributes that identify the item to the bibliographic record that others can use to find it at a later date. Assigning descriptors such as author, publication and physical description are part of descriptive cataloging and use RDA guidelines as content standards. The most widely used format and system for automation cataloging is the Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC) format and the database Ohio College Library Center (OCLC) which serves the WorldCat database along with the Library of Congress Classification (LCC). MARC led the way for future online publication access catalogs (OPACs). The point of these systems along with others such as the Dublin Core (DC) and Metadata Objective Description Schema (MODS) is to fully embrace digital records with shared standards, reduce work, promote consistency and improve interoperability and UX (Bolin, 2018 p142-154; ALA, 2022b).

Classification systems are the categories records or data are put into to improve searching and user design so the information can be accessed and utilized accordingly (Bolin, 2018). The two most widely used schemas in the United States are the Library of Congress Classification and the Dewey Decimal Classification still used by most public libraries (ALA, 2022a). These schemas put the resource in one physical place to be found and retrieved. Worldwide the “most widely used classification schemes for all fields of knowledge in over 130 countries in over 40 languages” is the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) Consortium (2023).

Controlled vocabulary systems & Metadata schemas

Searching for information can be a confusing and difficult process as every human thinks differently and approaches a research question from their own unique perspective. Misperceptions can lead to frustrations, but by using controlled vocabulary and metadata we can create a more coherent cohesive system upon which to search and find resources. Using uniform terminology is the first step to making the search process more accessible and equitable for the end user. Bolin states that metadata “(i.e., “data about data”) is the structured data that enables people to find and access information (2018, p 143).” The ultimate goal of metadata is to make information findable, retrievable and available in a cohesive coherent system. Part of this system is controlled vocabulary in order to make indexers more efficient and minimize inconsistencies and homonyms in terms. For example words like “bark” can be part of a tree, or something a dog does, and “rock” is a genre of music and also a stone. Then there are multiple words for the same item, “dog” could be called a mutt, canine, puppy, or wolfhound, likewise a “boat” could go by vessel, yacht, canoe, watercraft, schooner, barge or many others and each indexer could have a different default. Controlled vocabularies create standardized terms to create a consistent search experience, the most popular of which is the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).

Conclusion

The ultimate goal is always to make information accessible, usable, and preserved for future use for all users. If the information is not properly cataloged and in the right system, then it will be lost forever among a dissonant sea of unorganized voices. Therefore there is a moral ethical element of every aspect of cataloging, as there is an essential intellectual right to information. To carry that out, it must have these standards and systems applied to it so that it can stay in this digital reality. To catalog something poorly is almost as bad as destroying it, for it might as well be lost forever if it is not findable. Like putting a small ship or single voiced story out into the universe without any tracking devices, and sending it out into an endless void, it’s there, but it will never be found again. The record just floats in a vast sea of emptiness with all the other poorly logged voices. Cataloging acts as a tracking device so even while it floats out into an infinite sea of information, we can bring it back when someone needs it and preserve all voices for all time. 

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