Card catalogs replaced earlier book catalogs. The advantage of card catalogs was that cards could be added or removed whenever the library added or removed a book. The disadvantage of card catalogs was that it was difficult to duplicate the catalog for a group of library locations that wanted to share a catalog. Microfiche catalogs , which replaced some card catalogs, could be duplicated and shared easily. However, it was not as easy to add or remove book citations from microfiche catalogs.
Computerized catalogs have the dual advantages of being easy to update and easily shared.
Copyright 1995 by Bill Hord.