Facet-based library catalogs: A survey of the landscape

Abstract

This paper describes the landscape of facet-based catalogs in academic and public libraries. The purpose of the study is to determine and describe the types of systems and software underpinning facet-based catalogs, the number and nature of facets in use by libraries, and to offer preliminary observations of how far the library and information science (LIS) legacy of facet theory is evident in contemporary catalogs. One hundred academic and 100 public libraries were sampled and those with facet-based catalogs (78 and 54 respectively) were subject to further analysis. Commercial systems were found to dominate although opensource facet-based catalogs account for almost one quarter of the academic sample. Bibliographic facets, such as language, format and publication date appeared frequently across both samples - arguably speaking more to the ease with which this metadata can be extracted than to its usefulness to an information seeker. Though small areas of convergence with LIS facet theory were identified, there remains considerable opportunity to unite policy and modern practice.