MICROCAT—A Very Short Entry Catalogue

Southampton University Library has been collecting data from the automated circulation system since 1966. All early issue records, together with details from arrivals cards for all books bought since 1966, have been combined to produce a very minimal entry record for each of approximately 130 000 volumes, there being only a classmark, author, title, and book number lor each entry. This file has been used as a stopgap measure to produce temporary author, title, and class catalogues for the Wessex Medical Library since its removal to the Medical and Biological Sciences building. Selected lists of books held in certain class areas have been produced for other departments to supplement the complete card catalogue. The usefulness and short‐comings of these abbreviated records are described, together with the problems involved in updating the file.