50. évfolyam, 2004. 3. szám

Archívum

The study summarises the epoch-making recognitions, theories and methods of the history of the collocating function of the catalogue over several centuries. In the 17th century, the processes that nurtured the collocating function of the catalogue could be revealed through the development of the Bodleian Library’s catalogues. Thomas Hyde’s theories regarding the form and choice of entry headings and organising headings continue to be in accordance with the current tendencies in information organisation that reinforce the role of the authorised headings and indirectly, the collocating function of the catalogue. Theories of the standardised headings cannot be separated from the theories of the object of the cataloguing process, the work itself. In the 1960s, Ákos Domanovszky, the recognised Hungarian theorist of the efforts towards an international cataloguing code, gave a precise definition of the functions and objects of the catalogue as well as a concept of “a work”. In his view, collecting the works of an author and collocating the editions of the works of an author should be regarded as two separate basic functions and not as one function in the general sense. Domanovszky’s concept of work continued to influence the theories that have emerged around the millennium. The post-modern approach to the concept of work takes into consideration the diverse manifestations of the same intellectual content, the various media-containers as well as the different social and cultural contextual spaces. In the Frankfurt Principles (2003), the principle of collocation is incorporated as an implicit presupposition rather than an explicit recommendation. The principle allows of various interpretations and applications, making sure that catalogues are capable to collocate multiple data set elements according to varying demands. The study also touches upon the contacts of Hungarian fellow scholars of the 17th century with the Bodleian Library and Thomas Hyde.

Országos Széchényi Könyvtár Észrevételek