Importance Of Library Collection

The library catalogue is the most basic and important tool to ascertain the resources available within the library on a specific topic, according to C.A. Cutter, “A library catalogue is a list of books which is arranged on some definite plan. As distinguished from a bibliography it is a list of books in some library or collection”. (Kumar and Riaz, 1999).

The usability, availability, completeness on an up to date basis, to personalise, current and future size, format and productivity of the catalogue are some of the factors which affect the use of catalogue. There are four options of cataloguing axe as follows:

1. Online access to catalogue and its database.

2. Card catalogue which may be produce manually or prepared i with the help of computer.

However, these updates in time. Unit record equipment was the first use as mechanised method for cataloguing purpose in 1940: The catalogue data were key punched and the punched card were filled in relevant sequence. Many punch card catalogues were produced and printed in 1950. Safety reports that pre-computer equipment such as card sorters and paper tape typewriter were in use in 1940 in United States. The computers were first in early 1960 to produce catalogue card and book catalogue. After the use of computer in cataloguing traditional methods have been aborted and for the sack of uniformity and standardisation international standards have been established. Many institutes including International Federation of library Association (1FLA), Library of Congress (LC), British National Bibliography (BNB) and United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO) contributed in this standardization

In 1970 few libraries in USA developed online real time systems. Slowly use of computer in serial control has been propagated due to advance microcomputer system. In 1971 UNISIST, the organization under UNISCO developed international serial data systems (ISDS) which is located in Paris. The major functions of this center are as follows:

1. To create and update an international file of serial publication

2. To assign and ISSN to each new serial.

3. To launch an international communication network with the international center in Paris.

In 1974 Library of congress, the National Agricultural Library, the national Library of Medicine, the National Library of Canada started a project contains a quarter of million titles and is accessible via OCLC network. Northern University Library also developed an integrated serial control system, notice converting nearly 15000 current and retrospectiveserial titles. Ulrich plus is a CD-ROM published by R.R. Bowker which contains information about one lakh regularly and irregularly published serials from sixty-five thousand sources in more than 180