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Library catalog

Register of bibliographic items / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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A library catalog (or library catalogue in British English) is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations. A catalog for a group of libraries is also called a union catalog. A bibliographic item can be any information entity (e.g., books, computer files, graphics, realia, cartographic materials, etc.) that is considered library material (e.g., a single novel in an anthology), or a group of library materials (e.g., a trilogy), or linked from the catalog (e.g., a webpage) as far as it is relevant to the catalog and to the users (patrons) of the library.

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The card catalog at Yale University's Sterling Memorial Library
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Another view of the SML card catalog
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The card catalog in Manchester Central Library
Library of Congress Main Reading Room
Finding aids are utilized to assist information professionals and help researchers find materials within an archive[1]
The Card Catalog at the Library of Congress
The Card Catalog at the Library of Congress

The card catalog was a familiar sight to library users for generations, but it has been effectively replaced by the online public access catalog (OPAC). Some still refer to the online catalog as a "card catalog".[2] Some libraries with OPAC access still have card catalogs on site, but these are now strictly a secondary resource and are seldom updated. Many libraries that retain their physical card catalog will post a sign advising the last year that the card catalog was updated. Some libraries have eliminated their card catalog in favor of the OPAC for the purpose of saving space for other use, such as additional shelving.

The largest international library catalog in the world is the WorldCat union catalog managed by the non-profit library cooperative OCLC.[3] In January 2021, WorldCat had over 500,000,000 catalog records and over 3 billion library holdings.[4]

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Card catalog at Yale