Elements of the bibliographic record used by reference staff members at three ARL academic libraries

Abstract

This study determined the extent to which elements of a bibliographic record were consulted by reference staff members of three ARL libraries. It answered the following research questions: (1) For what purposes do reference staff use the catalog and/or database of a bibliographic utility? (2) Are the majority of catalog and utility database searches by the staff for known items? (3) Do the staff members use the author's name as the first access point more often than other access points? and (4) What is the incidence of use of each element of the record? The study raises the question of whether catalog and database use ought to play a part in cataloging theory and practice.