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Pathfinder Central Guide: Cataloging

Find answers to your Pathfinder questions here.

Cataloging Items in Pathfinder

 

The purpose of this guide is to provide useful information that will help the cataloger produce uniform MARC (machine readable cataloging) records or to locate them for import into Pathfinder Central via Z39.50 searching.  Pathfinder Central, our Integrated Library System (ILS), uses RDA (Resource Description and Access) cataloging standards.  

RDA cataloging (Wikipedia link) was fully implemented and adopted by the Library of Congress as of March 2013. Many records that you import will reflect RDA cataloging. RDA records will have words spelled out that are normally abbreviated in AACR2. In addition, the publishing information will show in the 264 field, leaving the  260 field empty. RDA adds three new fields in the 300s: 336, 337, 338. Previously it was necessary to edit RDA records to make them AACR2 compatible. On September 1, 2016 our MARC bibliographic framework was modified to show RDA fields from imported records.

Pathfinder Cataloging Manual

Table of Contents (Click on the chapter description to open)

Introduction:  Pathfinder Central Cataloging Best Practices

Glossary of Terms: Commonly used cataloging terms

Chapter 1:  0xx & 1xx Fields
Chapter 2:  2xx Fields 
Chapter 3:  3xx Fields
Chapter 4:  4xx Fields
Chapter 5:  5xx, 6xx, 7xx Fields
Chapter 6:  8xx, 9xx Fields
Chapter 7:  Cataloging a book - RDA
Chapter 8:  Cataloging a large print book

Item Details

Mandatory fields - Item Details

When attaching holdings to records please populate the fields in red in addition to any other fields your library uses.

Mandatory Fields - Item Detail Screen

8  - Koha Collection
a - Location (home branch)
b - Sublocation or collection (holding branch)
e - Source of Acquisition &/or your initials
o - Koha full call number
p - Place designation (barcode)
v - Cost, replacement price
y - Koha Item type

* Default Replacement Values:

Audio - $50.00 . This includes Playaways
Book - $20.00
Magazine - $3.00
Cake Pan - $25.00
Game - $50.00
DVD and Blu-Ray - $15.00 

Dewey Decimal System Classification

Cataloging Basics

Cataloging Resources in Pathfinder

If you want to learn more about cataloging, these books are good resources that are available in the CKLS area by using Pathfinder Interlibrary Loan or regular interlibrary loan. 

Subject Headings and Controlled Vocabulary

Adding subject headings, selected from a controlled vocabulary, to a catalog record allows the catalog user to retrieve all items on a given subject in a consistent manner.​
CKLS uses Library of Congress for controlled vocabulary.

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) were developed and are maintained by the U.S. Library of Congress, initially for the collections of the Library. LCSH, as a controlled vocabulary used for indexing, cataloging, and searching for bibliographic records in library catalogs and electronic databases, has become a de facto standard for libraries who use cataloging records disseminated by the Library of Congress, or who catalog to the standards set collaboratively by the Library of Congress and the library community. LCSH is updated daily in Classification Web.