The basic level of search access we have come to expect for a common book had been extended to a collection of Internet resources. Soon, library system vendors began modifying their products to take advantage of the linking capability of the 856 field, and the Web OPAC was born. Participating libraries were to select resources for cataloging as guided by local collection development policies and the expressed or anticipated interests of their respective users. As of this writing, some 500 different OCLC-member libraries have cataloged more than 16,000 Internet resources representing more than 330,000 individual library holdings. Addressing these three questions provides an opportunity to discuss many important and related aspects of cataloging Internet resources.
Collection development is a significant value-adding function.
Before cataloging any Internet resources, libraries should exercise selection processes similar to those extended to material in any other format. That a resource is in electronic format and accessible via the Internet is insufficient for making selection and collection development decisions. Resources that meet a library's selection criteria are candidates for cataloging. This question sets aside the resource's format and manner of access and focuses on its content, merit and warrant. Some years ago the relative merit of Internet resources, at least in terms of library collection policies, may have been in question.