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Evaluating Bibliographic Resources

Evaluating Bibliographic Resources . National Union Catalog. NUC’s Beginning. In 1901, the Library of Congress attempted to put together a catalog of all the important books in American libraries Over 11 million catalog cards were copied & distributed to libraries across the country

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Evaluating Bibliographic Resources

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  1. Evaluating Bibliographic Resources National Union Catalog

  2. NUC’s Beginning • In 1901, the Library of Congress attempted to put together a catalog of all the important books in American libraries • Over 11 million catalog cards were copied & distributed to libraries across the country • Eventually, these cards were reproduced and issued serially in printed volumes with the name “National Union Catalog”

  3. NUC’s Evolution • To simplify this huge task and massive bibliography, all pre-1956 American & Canadian imprints were alphabetized by author and printed into 754 volumes • These volumes total over 528,000 pages, take up 130 feet of shelf space, and weigh over 3 tons • They can be found in over 1100 libraries in America & Canada

  4. Very thorough record of pre-1956 books before digital cataloging databases Massive size makes this bibliography difficult to use Pros & Cons

  5. Evaluation of NUC • Accuracy: it is an accurate representation – it began as a reproduction of catalog cards that were sent to libraries across the country so that anyone could find bibliographic information on virtually every book

  6. Evaluation of NUC • Authority: It is an authoritative source of bibliographic information as it is a direct reproduction of Library of Congress catalog cards of books in American & Canadian libraries

  7. Evaluation of NUC • Scope: It has a wide scope – it includes virtually all books cataloged before 1956.

  8. Evaluation of NUC • Arrangement: Due to its massive size and weight, it is not a very efficient way find bibliographic information. Since 1983, it has been produced on microfiche to cut down on its physical size.

  9. Evaluation of NUC • Methodology: It began as actual photocopies of catalog cards that were reproduced and printed serially quarterly to be distributed across the country to libraries

  10. Evaluation of NUC • Bibliographic Content: It is a massive bibliography alphabetized by author – everything is verifiable

  11. Evaluation of NUC • Currency: This bibliography includes almost everything published prior to 1956. Due to the huge amount of materials, it is still incomplete, but it does include many items that cannot be found on a digital catalog database.

  12. Images of NUC

  13. Sources Cited • Library of Congress, Information for Researchers http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/inforeas/union.html • Wikipedia, National Union Cataloghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Union_Catalog#References • Facebook, National Union Catalog http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Union-Catalog/110937278958996 • Cornell University, Olin Library http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/renovation/nuc.htm

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