Cataloging in the 21st century—part 1: contextual issues

This paper, one of a pair that examines the library and information science (LIS) literature of the 1990s to identify the role of catalogers in the 21st century, discusses three contextual issues that are likely to affect the cataloging enterprise: 1) the image of catalogers, 2) the ownership vs. access debate, and 3) financial pressures on libraries. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these contextual issues for cataloging.