This paper aims to inform noncataloguers about the current and historical significance of both machine readable cataloguing (MARC) records and traditional cataloguing as well as introduce them to current struggles to modernize.
The approach of this column is to break-down what may appear to be a crisis in the modernization of library cataloguing and metadata by placing the issues in their historical context and considering existing technologies in a user-friendly manner.
MARC-based cataloguing is well-established, robust and widely used in many library applications. It is not easily replaced and attempts to do so have had very slow progress. Although change is expected in the future, it may lay with solutions based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.
Although there are many papers discussing the merits of traditional cataloguing and the need for new methods and standards, few are written from a nontechnical point of view and for noncataloguers or those not working in systems departments. This column's intended audience is all library workers with an emphasis on those who are not familiar with MARC.
