[Koha] some thoughts about cataloguing and acquisition (important)

[Stephen Hedges]

I enjoyed reading Regula's message, and thought it made some very good points.  
I agree that the traditional separation between cataloging and acquisitions is 
not going to be very productive in the future, though I think it will be a long 
time before a significant number of libraries realize this and change their 
work habits.

So perhaps treating catalging and acquisitions as one (software) process is a 
good approach for programmers.  But I also think that presenting the two as 
separate interfaces to the librarian is important, since it will be years 
before most libraries can reorganize their staff to combine the (human) 
acquisitions process seamlessly with the (human) cataloging process.

Stephen Hedges
Nelsonville Public Library

> First of all: a short introduction of myself. I'm 
> a Swiss librarian,
> interested in different library systems, and am 
> presently co-writing part
> of the Koha documentation. I've been working with 
> different library
> systems in the past, both commercial and custom 
> made, but am not currently
> working in a library.
> 
> Following the discussion on the koha list on 
> acquisitions and cataloguing
> with a lot of interest some thoughts and 
> questions popped up for me.
> 
> Historically, in libraries, acquisitions and 
> cataloguing have been
> distinct processes, often employing personnel 
> with different
> qualtifications. This was the case mainly in the 
> paper age, but also in
> "early" automation, as often acquisitions was 
> added onto an ILS only
> later. But Koha offers up till now a different 
> approach.
> 
> Koha uses a somehow linear process for entering 
> the document data. First a
> document is ordered, and therefor linked to the 
> supplier data. At
> receiving, the bibliographic data can be 
> completed, and group and item
> information added. And the cataloguing is 
> complete. There is no
> distinction of acquisitions and cataloguing in 
> Koha, cataloguing is
> "modifying an acquisition's record".
> 
> So for me, there are a few questions, I'd like to 
> throw into the
> discussion:
> - what arguments are against keeping Koha 
> "different" and have a "document
> treatment unity" comprehending acquisitions and 
> cataloguing?
> - is it really necessary to separate cataloguing 
> from acquisitions -
> provided that acquisitions allows "complete 
> entering of the data =
> cataloguing" according to the format chosen (marc 
> or non-marc)?
> - does a marc-record necessarily need to be 
> complete? or is it possible to
> have something like a "temporary marc record" 
> which has only a few marc
> field used, and still have every record in the 
> same bibliotable?
> - if acquisitions and cataloguing are going to be 
> separated - is there
> really a need to have a second copy of the 
> database? As I fully agree that
> the user interrogating the catalogue should be 
> shown wheter a book is on
> order or bought and available in the library, 
> there should be done sth
> about it. But I think that this could be treated 
> in adding a "status" to
> the document like "on order", "in the library - 
> but in process", "on the
> shelf", "borrowed" etc.
> In other words: if separation is needed, 
> shouldn't there be just separate
> "interfaces" for acquisitions and cataloguing - 
> both using the one and
> only one database?
> - is it possible to differentiate by "record 
> status"only?
> 
> Personally, I'd rather have a ILS which unites 
> acquisitions and
> cataloguing, keeping the system as simple as 
> possible, for librarians and
> members, even if this needs some reorganisation 
> in a library, e.g.
> employing personnel in acquisitions who knows how 
> to catalogue.
> And concentrating all efforts in other parts of 
> the system.
> 
> 
> Regula Sebastiao
> 
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