---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 22:54:36 -0600
From: Dennis McClendon <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Tangent: Library cataloging
 
Perhaps one of the librarians on the MAPS list would be so kind as to
forward this to a more appropriate list.  I can't figure out if it's a
stupid question or not.
 
My personal library (of books, not maps) has grown to the point (about 3000
volumes) that I really would like a simple catalog so I can quit buying
books that I already have at home.  Since probably 90% of my books have
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data, it seems a waste of
time for me to type in the author and title again.
 
Is there some online catalog where I could type in the LC Card Catalog
number and get back a full record?  I have software (CASPR's LibraryWorks)
that I believe will read MARC format records.  It would seem that with all
the university and public systems on the Web, this would be a simple
matter.
 
Barring that, there must be companies that do this for small institutional
and corporate libraries that don't need OCLC subscriptions of their own.
Would that be a reasonable approach for an individual?
 
Thanks for your help.  (If you are reading this on a list other than
MAPS-L, please reply directly to [log in to unmask])
 
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Dennis McClendon, Chicago CartoGraphics      [log in to unmask]