Cataloguing
The published resources of the National Library are catalogued using the following standards, which we apply at various levels.
Encoding formats
General information about MARC
Descriptive cataloguing
RDA (Resource Description & Access) – standard used since April 2013
Anglo-American cataloguing rules. 2nd ed., 2002 revision. 2005 update – standard used prior to the implementation of RDA
Descriptive cataloging of rare materials (books). Washington, D.C.: Cataloging Distribution Service, Library of Congress, 2007 – used for pre-1800 materials only
Name authorities
LC/NACO Authority File – available from the Library of Congress. The National Library contributes authority records for New Zealand names to this file
Iwi-Hapū Names List – a list of iwi and hapū names developed to assist cataloguers, archivists and indexers to describe material about Māori
Subject vocabularies
Library of Congress Subject Headings – the main subject vocabulary used in the National Library’s catalogue records, available through the same service as the name authorities
Ngā Ūpoko Tukutuku / Māori Subject Headings – a list of subject terms developed to help describe material by for and about Māori. The National Library contributes to the development of these headings
Genre and form vocabularies
We use several different genre, form or format vocabularies when describing some publications.
Rare Books and Manuscripts (RBMS) Controlled Vocabulary for Rare Materials Cataloging
Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials (LCGFT)
Classification
Boggs & Lewis – this classification scheme is used for the Library’s cartographic collections
McColvin – this classification scheme is used for the Library’s lending collection of music scores
Get in touch
For any queries about cataloguing or authority control issues, email nznb@dia.govt.nz