The impact of Web publishing on the organization of cataloging functions

Cataloging rules have long been organized according to the physical format and monograph versus serial nature of publications. This organization of the rules has resulted in the rise of several typical organizational models that make these same delineations. Web publishing is having a profound effect on both the nature of publications and the number of electronic resources being published and selected for inclusion in library catalogs, and is causing a major shift in the type of materials finding their way into cataloging workflows. Institutions that organize their cataloging functions according to one of the traditional models are finding themselves increasingly unable to meet the demands being placed upon them in this new environment. Traditional models of organization can, and must, be modified to successfully deal with this problem.