Report by Shelby E. Harken 
	MPLA Technical Services Round Table and Government Documents Round Table
	Mountain Plains Library Association Conference
	May 2, 1997

I became involved with cataloging electronic resources initially from my membership on the ALA MARBI
Committee.  Varying aspects of certain fields were discussed early on, as the Library of Congress 
began to experiment with archiving digital data. 

The OCLC Internet Cataloging Project was a project funded by the U.S. Dept. of Education to create 
a database of bibliographic records that could be searched with a web browser and follow hot links.

	None of us can ignore the explosion of electronic resources. The key is that we become 
involved in its creation and management. At the 1996 FLICC Symposium on the Information Profession 
several librarians discussed the role of librarians in partnering to create digital information 
services. Jose-Marie Griffiths said: "Librarians are the people who manage, understand, collect, 
and disseminate information. We have true user focus [and therefore should] mediate the interface 
between people and resources." Such mediation involves using tools to create, capture, organize, 
present, store, retrieve, analyze, deliver, and preserve information. Librarians must also be 
prepared to design, build, and structures systems and interfaces for electronic publishing and 
information delivery.  She predicted that intellectual organization, analysis, packaging, user 
education, end-user searching, and the creation of user-friendly interfaces will take on more 
importance for librarians in the digital age. Gerri Michael-Dyer said "Somebody has to manage, 
navigate and distill information. For this, librarians are uniquely qualified." She suggested 
librarians should be involved in the planning process of projects and be proactive to "investigate,
incubate, insulate, infiltrate, and integrate" projects. Howard Harris discussed the paradigm 
shift influencing library services and projects. He explained libraries will have to shift their 
focus from library automation to information strategy. Libraries need to plan acquisitions and
services in connection with the information needs of their core users, creating information 
products which are "just in time" and "just for me". They need to create budgets and schedules 
which allow ongoing purchases to facilitate technological improvement and electronic acquisition.  
They need to work on integrating services (i.e. use products that adhere to standards). Information
strategies should include: 
* integrated library system including OPAC,
* abstract and index subscriptions, 
* local full-text/image multi-media (or remote access with links to local holdings), 
* electronic reserve system, 
* subscription and pay-per-view databases, 
* network information serving, 
* union catalog services, 
* an Internet resources indexing mechanism, 
* interactive video and conference capability, 
* agency-wide information services (1) 

OCLC INTERCAT PROJECT
How did I get involved?
	I had seen a few postings on a listserv and began to keep copies of some of the more
interesting discussions and electronic sites mentioned. Frank D'Andraia had invited Liz Bischoff
of OCLC to come to speak at the library and she asked if anyone from North Dakota had volunteered
for the project. Just that morning I had decided I would volunteer, after checking with Frank first,
but had not yet done so. No one raised their hand. I raised my hand, Frank seemed pleased (relief!),
I responded to the email message asking for volunteers, and I was in. I subscribed to the listserv
InterCat and set up my PC at home. I loaded Passport software and figured out how to catalog from
home. I installed an internal modem. I loaded SLIP software to access Netscape and was all set.
It took a while to get my feet wet. I continued to seek information, look for examples, look at
sites mentioned as good resources. In the end I gathered cataloging instructions and guidelines,
information about specific tags, how to assign subject headings, and subscribed to several services
listing new sites - e.g. Newjour.


The Project.
	"This project initiates a nationwide, coordinated effort among libraries and institutions 
of higher education to create, implement, test, and evaluate a searchable database of USMARC format
bibliographic records, complete with electronic location and access information (USMARC field 856), 
for Internet-accessible materials. Project participants will identify, select, and catalog 
Internet-accessible resources and contribute those machine-readable records to OCLC." (2)

	"The Internet Cataloging project enrolled volunteer participants to identify, select, and
catalog Internet resources, and to contribute those records to OCLC. To date, all  records in the 
InterCat Catalog are derived from the OCLC Online Union Catalog, but we do plan to add some records 
contributed by non-OCLC member project participants.  By asking the participating libraries to 
identify, select, and catalog Internet resources, we are also providing an opportunity for 
libraries to discover what impact this practice may have on local operations. Project teams 
typically include representatives from collection development, cataloging, reference/public 
services, and systems because all aspects of library functions are affected by electronic 
resources. Records created in association with the project comply with USMARC format standards 
and AACR2 cataloguing rules, and they all contain an 856 field, ‘Electronic Location and Access.'  
We wanted the project participants to catalog at this level so as to rigorously test the 
suitability and applicability of both MARC and AACR2. This will help us determine the strengths 
and weaknesses of these standards when applied to remotely accessible electronic resources." (3)  

	Requirements for participation did not seem unreasonable. I had to be the coordinating
person between my library and OCLC. I or a team at my library were to identify resources to be
cataloged, follow AACR2 cataloging, include the 856 field, submit records to OCLC in 
machine-readable form, disseminate information about the project, and participate in the colloquium 
and concluding survey. (4)  

	I needed some specialized cataloging tools in addition to chpt. 9 of AACR2. I FTP'd Nancy 
B. Olson's ‘Cataloging Internet Resources: A Manual and Practical Guide' (5)    I also pulled off 
a document from the USMARC archive, file 856guide.txt entitled Guidelines for the Use of Field 856 
issued by the Library of Congress which I subsequently replaced with a revised version from 
Feb. 1996. It very specifically describes how to create the 856 field as approved by MARBI and the 
Library of Congress. (6)   This was not really new to me because I was a MARBI member for five 
years where this was discussed several years ago when LC began to grapple with identifying 
electronic resources they were beginning to archive for projects like the American Memory Project. 
Trying to explain a file or and electronic address or how to identify FTP and telnet were very 
difficult concepts at the beginning and the web had not been developed. I created a file of 
examples of records created by other libraries and began to save email responses to questions 
that seemed reasonable.  

	On July 21, 1995, Erik Jul, Project Manager announced the InterCat catalog comprised nearly 
1,000 bibliographic records. "Using a Web browser, users can search the database, view retrieval 
lists, display records, and follow ‘hot links' to the described resources. The database was 
implemented by the OCLC office of research using OCLC SiteSearch and WebZ software." ...  "The 
Internet Cataloging project is one of several OCLC initiatives to provide access to the resources 
on the Internet. NetFirst, a database that will soon be available on FirstSearch and EPIC, will 
provide thorough indexing of automated and human editorial processes that include creation of an 
abstract and the assignment of subject headings and classification numbers." (7) 
By Oct. there were 2,000 bibliographic records in InterCat and nearly 200 participants. (8)   
I had cataloged a few titles. I expressed concern about the need to address electronic resources in
collection development and in the OPAC to several staff members, but I think the idea was either too
mind-boggling or they were just not ready to deal with it. I decided not to catalog too much -- 
catalogers aren't supposed to make collection development decisions. At ALA in San Antonio on 
Jan. 19, 1996, a colloquium was held by OCLC that I had intended to attend but the blizzard refused 
to let me go in time. I will discuss some of the topics covered at the colloquium a little later.

	Availability of NetFirst was announced in OCLC Technical bulletin no. 214, March 1996. 
"NetFirst explores issues related to the development and implementation of automated and 
human-editorial methods for the rapid creation of an A&I-type reference service. NetFirst intends 
to be an ongoing reference service that distinguishes itself by providing easy search access to 
brief records that contain an abstract, subject headings, and access information." (9)

	The project closed in March 1996. Work on the project continued and in July it was 
announced that 5,000 records were in the InterCat database.  Erik Jul said in his update: 
" ... I feel that the InterCat Catalog reflects another significant characteristic of the library 
community, one that often does not get proper credit, and that is the willingness of the 
contributors to experiment with new extensions to the library catalog model. Without such 
experimentation, reasonably undertaken, we would be hampered in our practically knowledge; 
with it, we are able both to imagine and to implement a library environment that meets the multiple 
requirements of myriad users, effectiveness and efficiency, and long-term access. In the process we 
are free both to confirm standards, practices, and procedures whose value transcends the format of 
information and its manner of access as well as to define more clearly those areas where innovation 
is most needed and promises to deliver the greatest benefit. ... OCLC encourages all libraries to 
consider, to plan for, or to continue identifying, selecting, and cataloging Internet resources 
according to your institutional missions and the needs of your respective service communities. (10)   

	By this time I had decided I would catalog resources that represented different areas of 
interest to UND's curriculum and that were free so that some records would be in the OPAC for 
reference and collection development librarians to see. I had attended the PALS Technical Conference 
in April where the discussion of WebPALS and other types of interfaces to PALS might be developed. 
Demonstrations were given of Galileo, a telnet access mode, and the WebPALS MnSCuPALS was working 
on. Two things were becoming very obvious to me: 1) Web resources and interfaces were taking over 
things such as telnet and FTP, and 2) as a depository library, I was aware of the fact that GPO 
intended to switch to (or begin switching to) electronic dissemination of public documents and the 
elimination of print while still requiring depository libraries to provide access. A hot linked web 
interface for PALS would be crucial and I spoke out on that several times. A number of other online 
systems have already adopted the web interface for their OPAC. Until staff can see how an OPAC in 
this environment would really work for our patrons, I don't think we will be ready to develop 
selection, subscription, and cataloging policies along with the procedures for maintenance of 
active links.

	The conclusion of my role as a project participant came with responding to a survey in Aug. 
1996. It was apparent from the questions that the real impact is on the whole library, not just 
cataloging. In all reality, the cataloging is not much different than cataloging anything else - 
maps can be much more difficult. 

	A year later, Erik Jul posted an update on the InterCat Project. The most records added in 
a single month was Aug. 1996. Thus far in 1997, March has a high of 972 records. Although the 
numbers are impressive, one wonders why there are not more.  He asks what issues are impacting 
cataloging decisions: Training? Coordination of activities within libraries? Overcoming workflow 
obstacles? More selection/collection development involvement? Administrative support? 
Implementation of a Web-accessible OPAC? (11)

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