Catalogs and Cataloging: History [ELIS Classic]

The catalog is the enduring means of access to information about the collection of a library. Without such information, use of a library would be limited to browsing the shelves in hopes of finding materials of interest. Hanson and Daily trace the development of catalogs from ancient times to the middle of the twentieth century. In parallel they also trace the history of cataloging rules and principles through the many codes of practice that have been developed over the years. The authors’ speculation on what computerized catalogs might be like in the future, once developed, provides an interesting sidelight on the thinking of the era preceding the automation of catalogs.

—ELIS Classic, from 1970