Cataloging with OCLC and RLIN: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Whether cataloging copy is obtained through the NUC, Brodart, online, or divine revelation, it accounts for about three-quarters of the cataloging done in a medium to large academic library. Cataloging with copy naturally poses a set of problems for the local catalog into which it must be integrated. This paper will compare OCLC and RLIN in five areas: 1) historical development; 2) file structures and search capabilities; 3) costs and manage rial ramifications; 4) available subsystems and predicted future developments; and 5) the increasing standardization of the bibliographic description in the West and how these systems relate to it.