Copy cataloguing in the online environment: Do we still need qualified cataloguers?

The paper examines copy cataloguing in Cape Town Metropolitan Public Libraries. The study was necessitated by the fact that cataloguing is a critical aspect of the library work without which there would be total chaos in the organization of library materials, making location and use of such materials almost impossible. The following research questions were formulated: What skills do the cataloguers of Cape Town Metropolitan libraries possess? To what extent do cataloguers in Cape Town Metropolitan public libraries adhere to international standards when creating records in the online catalogue? How copy cataloguing is done in Cape Town Metropolitan public libraries? Mixed methods and case study design were employed. The population of the study was made of 6 cataloguers and 500 000 OPAC records. A census of 6 cataloguers was applied. The sample of 384 was used for OPAC records. Focus group interview and document analysis were used to collect data. Findings indicated that the records that cataloguers were copying from OCLC were of low quality and consumed more time when editing than creating original cataloguing. The study among other things recommends that copy cataloguing should be carried out by professionally experienced cataloguers. Furthermore, policies concerning adaptation of copy catalogue records should be established. Keywords: Cataloguing, Copy cataloguing, Catalogue records, Cataloguing skills, Online catalogue