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The article presents information on the National Resource Centre for Dance (NRCD) of the University of Surrey. It is said to be the only archive exclusively committed to collecting materials related to the history of dance in Great Britain. The archive includes personal papers, photographs, scrapbooks, periodicals and many forms of ephemera. It says that the oldest item it found was a book published in 1698 about the English stage. In 2008, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) awarded the NRCD and University of Surrey with funds to conduct cataloguing, research and dissemination work on its collections during the early decades of the twentieth century.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of a 2006 survey of UK Higher Education OPACs in order to provide a snapshot of cataloguing practices for e-books. Design/methodology/approach: The OPACs of 30 UK HE libraries were examined in July/August 2006 to determine which e-books were catalogued, and the level of cataloguing treatment e-books received. Interviews were conducted by e-mail with representatives of eight of these libraries. Findings: A total of 28 universities surveyed provided some OPAC records for e-books; most of these were for subscription collections from suppliers such as ebrary and netLibrary. Five universities included records in their OPACs for individual e-book titles from collections such as Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO); four OPACs included records for free e-books. There are wide variations between institutions in terms of which e-books are selected for cataloguing. Research limitations/implications: The survey was undertaken at a particular point in time (summer 2006) and was not exhaustive of all UK HE OPACs. Practical implications: This research suggests that it should be made easier for users to search OPACs for e-books, and that libraries should provide more information on their websites about which e-books are catalogued. Originality/value: This paper addresses a gap in the UK literature on cataloguing e-books.

Introduction: This paper reports on the findings of a study investigating the potential effects of discipline (sciences and engineering versus humanities and social sciences) on the application of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers learning object metadata elements for the description of learning objects in the Jorum learning object repository. Method: A survey was conducted that examined a stratified sample of 470 metadata records and surrogates used for the description of learning objects in the Jorum repository. Analysis: A quantitative data analysis was performed based on the sample. This included descriptive statistics as well as a set of Chi squared tests for the identification of differences in the application of learning object metadata elements between disciplines. Results: The results of this study showed that some metadata elements tended to be more frequently applied for the description of learning objects in the humanities and social sciences than in sciences and engineering. These were: interactivity type, difficulty, aggregation level, coverage, structure and semantic density. Conclusions: The findings of this study could have implications for the design of metadata editors and annotation tools, as well as the development of metadata training programmes. (Contains 7 tables and 1 figure.)

Stamp collectors frequently donate their stamps to cultural heritage institutions. As digitization becomes more prevalent for other kinds of materials, it is worth exploring how cultural heritage institutions are digitizing their philatelic materials. This paper begins with a review of the literature about the purpose of metadata, current metadata standards, and metadata that are relevant to philatelists. The paper then examines the digital philatelic collections of four large cultural heritage institutions, discussing the metadata standards and elements employed by these institutions. The paper concludes with a recommendation to create international standards that describe metadata management explicitly for philatelic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the occurrence and seasonality of meteotsunami in the United Kingdom (UK) to present a revised and updated catalogue of events that have occurred since 1750. Previous case studies have alluded to a summer prevalence and rarity of this hazard in the UK. We have verified and classified 98 events using a developed set of identification criteria. The results have revealed a prominent seasonal pattern of winter events which are related to mid-latitude depressions with precipitating convective weather systems. A geographical pattern has also emerged, highlighting three "hotspot" areas at the highest risk from meteotsunami. The evidence reviewed and new data presented here show that the hazard posed by meteotsunami has been underestimated in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the very near future, students are likely to expect their universities to provide seamless access to e-books through online library catalogues and virtual learning environments. A paradigm change in terms of the format of books, and especially textbooks, which could have far-reaching impact, is on the horizon. Based on interviews with a number of key informants across several universities in the UK, this paper identifies a number of challenges associated with the creation of the essential metadata to support smooth access to e-books within universities. These challenges arise both from internal acquisition and cataloguing processes within libraries, and from the nature and quality of vendor's e-book metadata, and variously impact on the location of and access to e-books. Access is further hindered by authentication controls, digital rights controls and missing links. e-Book vendors and publishers, librarians and educational technologists need to work together to resolve these issues. In addition, there is scope for further research into the issues associated with providing access to e-books. (Contains 2 tables.)

Metadata enables users to find the resources they require, therefore it is an important component of any digital learning object repository. Much work has already been done within the learning technology community to assure metadata quality, focused on the development of metadata standards, specifications and vocabularies and their implementation within repositories. The metadata creation process has thus far been largely overlooked. There has been an assumption that metadata creation will be straightforward and that where machines cannot generate metadata effectively, authors of learning materials will be the most appropriate metadata creators. However, repositories are reporting difficulties in obtaining good quality metadata from their contributors, and it is becoming apparent that the issue of metadata creation warrants attention. This paper surveys the growing body of evidence, including three UK-based case studies, scopes the issues surrounding human-generated metadata creation and identifies questions for further investigation. Collaborative creation of metadata by resource authors and metadata specialists, and the design of tools and processes, are emerging as key areas for deeper research. Research is also needed into how end users will search learning object repositories. (Contains 4 tables.)

Discussion of library cooperation focuses on a survey that investigated cooperation among university libraries in Ghana. Library cooperation in the United Kingdom, United States, and Nigeria is described; areas of cooperation in Ghana are discussed, including interlibrary loans, cataloging, and acquisitions; and recommendations for library cooperation in Ghana are suggested. (14 references) (LRW)

Describes Project Jupiter, which was developed to promote the United Kingdom's Joint Academic Network (JANET) to its member libraries. Library uses of JANET are described, including online catalogs, commercial services, and electronic mail; the convergence of local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs) is discussed; and future possibilities are considered. (11 references) (LRW)

Describes a survey which examined local government documentation in academic and public libraries of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The results, which provide current data on document management and maintenance practices, are compared with the results of four previous studies. (Author/CLB)

Describes the various innovations in university libraries fostered by the new British universities which became operative between 1961 and 1965. The article stresses that a fresh start more easily enabled and even encouraged innovation in approach and techniques. Ninety-six references are listed. (LLS)

Discusses the problem of underutilization of microform holdings whose bibliographic information is not integrated in the library catalog in British libraries, and suggests that the emerging system of cooperative regional networks may form the base for the manipulation and sharing of full microform analytics in Britain. Seven references are listed. (Author/CHC)

Purpose - To detail a user's experiences of the digital archive project of the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) (RGS-IBG). The "Unlocking the Archives" project has five facets: construction and conservation at its London archives; an online catalogue of its collections; digitisation of images and maps; provision of online fact sheets such as historical time-lines; and an educational programme that conforms to the UK's national curriculum for secondary schools. Design/methodology/approach - The paper explains how the RGS-IBG project has changed the way in which the study of the earth, the earth's history, and its historical sources, are selected, created, researched, taught, written, presented, and used. Emphasis is placed on two parts of the digitised archives: Mount Everest and its ascent, and encounters: images of empire. Findings - The two digitised archives described are not only innovative archival releases for worldwide dissemination but are also the basis for important educational projects. The RGS-IBG is the first UK learned society to provide digital availability and access for research, writing, and teaching. Practical implications - A very useful source of information and impartial advice for those planning to use digital archives or to digitise their own archives. Originality/value - This paper fulfils an identified information/resources need and offers a case study description of the Royal Geographical Society's "Unlocking the Archive" project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of a 2006 survey of UK Higher Education OPACs in order to provide a snapshot of cataloguing practices for e-books. Design/methodology/approach- The OPACs of 30 UK HE libraries were examined in July/August 2006 to determine which e-books were catalogued, and the level of cataloguing treatment e-books received. Interviews were conducted by e-mail with representatives of eight of these libraries. Findings - A total of 28 universities surveyed provided some OPAC records for e-books; most of these were for subscription collections from suppliers such as ebrary and netLibrary. Five universities included records in their OPACs for individual e-book titles from collections such as Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO); four OPACs included records for free e-books. There are wide variations between institutions in terms of which e-books are selected for cataloguing. Research limitations/implications - The survey was undertaken at a particular point in time (summer 2006) and was not exhaustive of all UK HE OPACs. Practical implications - This research suggests that it should be made easier for users to search OPACs for e-books, and that libraries should provide more information on their websites about which e-books are catalogued. Originality/value - This paper addresses a gap in the UK literature on cataloguing e-books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the development of descriptive cataloging from 1830 to 1908 and focuses on the careers of Antonio Panizzi, Charles Coffin Jewett, and Charles Ammi Cutter and the development of the American Library Association (ALA) and the Library Association of the United Kingdom (LAUK). It analyzes the various rules and codes put forth by both Americans and British librarians and the eventual cooperation between the United States and the United Kingdom. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses an environmental survey for the British Library's Names Project that is a response to the growing number of institutional repositories in Great Britain and the need for authority control of author names for articles. The survey is a good starting place for understanding and investigating different library name authority control initiatives. Information is provided on the Union List of Artist Names (ULAN) which is useful for finding standardized names for cataloging.

Two eighteenth-century British military treatises, Humphrey Bland's Treatise of Military Discipline, and the British Army's 1728 Regulations remind catalogers that the bibliographic relationships among items that warrant their collocation in library catalogs are not always clear. The historical circumstance of the two treatises' publication requires catalogers to recall definitions of a "work," and establish which relationships between bibliographic entities warrant collocation in library catalogs. Both treatises seem to embody the same work, though according to conventional cataloging practice they do not share the same author. The items nevertheless retain a bibliographic relationship warranting collocation. Finally, the concepts of the "superwork" and "super record" might also assist catalogers in developing collocating mechanisms to bring together records of related bibliographic entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auckland Libraries' librarians provide an account of a project begun in 2014 to improve access to the Auckland Libraries zine collection through a collaborative and interdepartmental cataloguing project. The parameters of the project and some of the observed outcomes are described. This article is based on a lightning talk and accompanying zine presented at LIANZA Shout! 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ARLIS UK & Ireland Cataloguing & Classification Committee supports the cataloguing and classification of all art materials in libraries, promoting effective discovery of library resources for the visual arts, architecture and design, and by supporting development and research in the sector. In the first half of 2021 we organised two webinars, one an introduction to cataloguing given by Victoria Parkinson, and the second a demonstration of cataloguing by Amy Staniforth, alongside her colleagues Simon French and Lloyd Roderick. From the attendance and feedback, and it was clear there was an appetite for more talks that introduced aspects of cataloguing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the 2012 libraries@cambridge conference, the annual conference of librarians working in the University, Faculty, Department, and College libraries that serve the University of Cambridge. It analyzes the impact of the conference papers on the future development of library services in Cambridge and by extension, similar institutions. Further, the authors contextualize the conference within the broader national future framework of the Research Libraries UK (RLUK) Strategic Plan “The Power of Knowledge” and the future role for subject librarians documented in the Research Information Network 2012 report “Re-skilling for Research: An Investigation into the Role and Skills of Subject and Liaison Librarians Required to Effectively Support the Evolving Needs of Researchers.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents several abstracts related to libraries and librarians including one on open access publishing, one on electronic books and one on author-press-library partnerships.

The article reports on the political, economic and cultural development of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs in Great Britain. The association has received the financial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the online cataloging. In addition, the 2009 Sir Peter Holmes Memorial Award is established to encourage the individuals who ages from 18 to 25 years old to travel purposefully around Asia.

The role of DDC in the ongoing HILT (High-level Thesaurus) project is discussed. A phased initiative, funded by JISC in the UK, HILT addresses an issue of likely interest to anyone serving users wishing to cross-search or cross-browse groups of networked information services, whether at regional, national, or international level--the problem of subject-based retrieval from multiple sources using different subject schemes for resource description. Although all three phases of HILT to date are covered, the primary concern is with the subject interoperability solution piloted in phase II, and with the use of DDC as a spine in that approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The articles provides information on union catalogs, which have been important in libraries for many years in Great Britain. The opportunity to study how users use and view union catalogs and to consider the views of librarians towards union catalogs was led by the recent interest in the relative merits of physical and virtual union catalogs and a recent collaborative project between a physical and several virtual union catalogs. A mix of record searches, interviews, and focus groups were used in the reported research to understand user behavior and views of union catalogs.