Progress report on the Humanities Bibliographical Database project

51. évfolyam, 2005. 4. szám

RÁCZ Ágnes

Könyvtári Figyelő (Library Review), vol. 15. (51.) 2005. no. 4. pp. 751 – 760.

Cataloguing newspaper and journal articles is a core issue in document cataloguing. The idea of creating an online database of articles published in Hungarian periodicals appeared on the agenda in the 1990s, but it did not materialize (see VAJDA, Erik: Creating an online database of selected periodical articles with collaborative partners). In 2003, a feasibility study was carried out for the harmonization of the online cataloguing of periodical articles in various databases (Hungarian Periodical Article Bibliography, the Hungarica database and the MANCI Bibliographical Database of Articles from Hungarian and international LIS journals) but the project remained a plan. The termination of the Hungarian Periodical Article Bibliography in October 2002 was followed by lively professional debates, so the National Széchényi Library set up a plan for a new Humanities Bibliographical Database (HBD) to be based on the collaboration of various libraries. An expert committee was set up for preparing the feasibility study of the HBD, dealing with the collection interest, the range of publications to be catalogued, the structure of the database, the levels of cataloguing, hardware and software needs etc. According to the plan, the first level of the cataloguing will be a list of required periodicals with tables of content, while the bibliographical cataloguing of the publications belonging to the collection area will happen at the second level. Linking to the full text of articles would be possible in both cases. Subject cataloguing would be in compliance with the thesaurus used at the National Library and public libraries, as well as on the basis of subject lists. Similarly to the old documents project of Hungarian National Shared Catalogue (MOKKA-R), the database contains a multifunctional software. The further steps include the design and testing of the database, establishing contact with the potential collaborative partners, concluding the consortial agreement, making an inventory of the resources from retrospective conversion, and securing funding for the initial phase of the development project.

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