You had me at “multiplicity”
Just downloaded the Library of Congress report (PDF) on bibliographic control that everybody’s reading.
First paragraph of the guiding principles:
The phrase bibliographic control is often interpreted to have the same meaning as the word cataloging. The library catalog, however, is just one access route to materials that a library manages for its users. The benefits of bibliographic control can be expanded to a wide range of information resources both through cooperation and through design. The Working Group urges adoption of a broad definition of bibliographic control that embraces all library materials, a diverse community of users, and a multiplicity of venues where information is sought.
I’m sold. I haven’t even read that entire page yet, and I’m willing to call this report a roaring success just on the strength of that paragraph. I was recently at a gathering of librarians (details left vague for obvious reasons) in which someone expressed disbelief at Roy Tennant’s “MARC must die!” attitudes because “obviously we’ll always need structured bibliographic description!”
I wanted to sink into the floor and die, I was so embarrassed for my profession. That the equation that librarian drew is just plain flat-out wrong and it didn’t even occur to her to question it… it’s just shameful.
Go LoC.