The cataloger’s workstation in the electronic library environment

The cataloger’s job and work environment have changed considerably during the last three decades. One of the major factors contributing to these changes is the transformation of the cataloger’s workstation from dumb terminals (OCLC M100) to multipurpose workstations (new generation of PCs). The evolving technologies of microcomputers, CD‐ROMs, networks (LAN, Intranet, and Internet) are the major attributes of today’s cataloging workstation. Intel chips, Pentium processors, and Microsoft Windows have provided a higher level of computing platform to the cataloger’s workstation enabling catalogers to perform multiple tasks on their desktops, such as accessing the local system, bibliographic utilities, online cataloging documentation and publications, authority work, and OPACs of other libraries, and communicating with colleagues, etc. This article discusses the general principle of the cataloger’s workstation, its configuration, the electronic versions of cataloging tools, the workstation’s impact on productivity, and the difficulties in implementing or maximizing the use of the workstation technology in the Arabian Gulf libraries.