Where Do I Start? A Cartographic Cataloguing Code

The cataloguing C.O.D.E. given is intended as an aide-memoire for any librarian or curator faced with cataloguing maps. It raises questions which should be considered when cataloguing maps, including the most basic: why catalogue?, what is cataloguing?, and what should the catalogue record include? Suggestions for answers are given in discussions about the nature of cartographic materials, cartographic intellectual ownership, titles, and physical and mathematical descriptions. The needs of the reader are considered in the degree of detail required to make a useful catalogue record.