Abstract

Information Network Based on a literature survey of union cataloging, and New EnglanA libraries it was determined that (1) New England's collective union catalog needs and problems had not been specified, especially regarding the possibilities of machine application; (2) crucial data and analysis needed for such specification was unavailable; and (3) the absence of this data prevented evaluations of relative merits of differing union catalog approaches and of different kinds of machine form catalogs. Three general union cataloging configurations were examined; (1) the single regional union catalog; (2) the combination of six state union catalogs; and (3) the random combination of state and/or interinstitutional union catalogs. Part II of this project was levoted to the development of the essential capabilities for a machine form union catalog of books and a printed union catalog of books for the New England tibrary Information Network (NELINET). This was accomplished by; (1) a study of machine form union catalog needs; (2) file design for present and projected needs; (I) development of techniques and programs for collecting, storing and updating library holdings data; and (t) development of programs to produce a printed union catalog using the Library of congress card number as the identifying element. (Author/44)