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Resources, Archives, & Discovery

Bibliographic Records

The UNM Health Sciences Library & Informatics Center (HSLIC) uses OCLC WorldCat as its bibliographic record and cataloging system.  HSLIC mainly relies on copy cataloging, which means that existing catalog records are pulled from the system.  If a record does not exist, HSLIC's cataloger has the ability to create original records and add them to the system for all OCLC members to use.  OCLC is a cooperative in which any OCLC member or OCLC quality assurance program can change or update a record at any time. This can strengthen the quality and number of records available to all members, but it also means that records can be changed without notice. Local notes may be added to records to help provide information on provenance, background or history of a resource, or any other information that will help users understand and/or find the resource.

Standards

  • MARC
  • RDA

Classification Systems

A classification system is used by libraries to organize and arrange materials usually by grouping related materials together by subject to assist users in finding material.

HSLIC primarily uses the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classification system to classify print and physical materials/resources and relies on the Library of Congress (LC) as a secondary system if subjects do not fit within the NLM classification system. NLM and LC are the main classification systems used by academic libraries in the United States. Because of this, making changes within these systems is a lengthy and involved process to ensure that the decisions made are the best for all libraries and their users.

While HSLIC catalogers have the ability to change individual classifications or call numbers within the local system, HSLIC acknowledges that it must work within the structure of the existing classification systems. 

Subject Headings

  • MeSH
  • LOC

HSLIC's Commitment

HSLIC's Resources Archives & Discovery unit commits to studying and understanding the best practices for descriptive cataloging, classification, and enhancing existing records with the goal of making resources more discoverable and findable to users. 

Metadata Specialist