CARD CATALOGUES Meaning and
Definition
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Card catalogues are physical filing systems used in libraries to provide organized access to their collection of books and other materials. Typically found before the advent of digital catalogs, card catalogues consisted of rows of index cards arranged alphabetically in drawers or cabinets.
Each card within a card catalogue represents a specific item in the library's collection, such as books, maps, periodicals, or multimedia resources. The cards contain essential information about the item, including the title, author, publication date, subject headings, and the call number that corresponds to its location on the library shelves. Additionally, the cards may feature cross-references or notes to aid users in finding related materials or alternate search terms.
To search for a particular item in a card catalogue, library users would consult an index or browse through the cards alphabetically or by subject. Once they located the desired item, they could take note of its call number and then navigate the library to find it on the shelves.
Although card catalogues have largely been replaced by online catalogs and databases, they remain valuable historical artifacts representing the organization and accessibility of knowledge before the digital age. Card catalogues were a crucial tool in libraries, providing a standardized system for organizing and retrieving information, simplifying the search process for users, and facilitating the effective management of library collections.
Common Misspellings for CARD CATALOGUES
- card catalogue
- xard catalogues
- vard catalogues
- fard catalogues
- dard catalogues
- czrd catalogues
- csrd catalogues
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- cqrd catalogues
- caed catalogues
- cadd catalogues
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- cars catalogues
- carx catalogues
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- carr catalogues
Etymology of CARD CATALOGUES
The word "card catalogues" originates from the Middle English word "card", derived from the Old French word "carde", which referred to a square or rectangular piece of stiff paper or cardboard. The word "catalogue" comes from the Greek word "katalogos", meaning a register or list.
In the context of "card catalogues", the word "card" refers to the individual index cards that were used to organize and categorize information in a library catalog. These cards contained bibliographic details about books, such as the author, title, subject, and location in the library. The word "catalogue" refers to the system or collection of these cards, which formed the library's catalog.
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