RETROSPECTIVE CONVERSION OF CARD CATALOGUES
According to its card catalogues, the Parliamentary Library has about 180,000 volumes of printed materials that were collected since the library's inception in 1857 up to 1993. In 1993, an automatic Tinlib library system was introduced. In 1997, we succeeded in retrospectively cataloguing all documents since 1989 on an on-line catalogue. At the same time, the retrospective cataloguing of the so-called "live collection" has been continuing (each loan of an older document is completed with a catalogue record in Tinlib and thus it becomes a part of the electronic catalogue).
As the retrospective cataloguing of the entire collection would take several years with the present number of library employees, we decided to perform the retrospective conversion of all the card catalogues.
- In 1996, a tender was put out for retrospectively converting these catalogues and making them available. COMDAT s.r.o. was the winner of this tender.
- In 1997, all the catalogue cards were scanned and, as part of the first phase, made available to users of the Parliamentary Library on one local PC.
- In 1999, the card author catalogue up to 1968 was made available on the Internet. This application allows for simple browsing.
- From 1998 to spring 2000 an overhaul and inspection of the library collection was completed.
- In February 2000, we began downloading records from 1968 to 1990 from the Czech National Bibliography to our on-line catalogue.
- In March 2000, the Card author catalogue 1968-1990 and the Card author catalogue of periodicals until 1990 were made available on the Internet.
- In September 2000 we downloaded 4 000 records from the Czech National Bibliography to our on-line catalogue.
- In December 2000 an external firm re-typed 3 500 records from 1968 - 1990. We have been editing this records, they are in our on-line catalogue since July 2001.
- Nowadays we are working on a retrospective conversion of the card author catalogue until 1968.
Detailed information about the project: Mr. Petr Houdek, tel. +420-02-5717 4515.