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The origins of librarianship in Uganda are indicated and the legislation affecting bibliographic control in the country described. Issues are discussed including publishing, a national library and national bibliographic agency, information technology, education and standards. Factors affecting the current state of bibliographic control in Uganda are examined and relevant agencies and publications listed. Strategies for further development are put forward and recommendations made.

The goal of this paper is to propose a data access control framework that is used for editing MARC‐based bibliographic databases. In cases where the bibliographic record editing activities carried out in libraries are complex and involve many people with different skills and expertise, a way of managing the workflow and data quality is needed. Enforcing access control can contribute to these goals.

The proposed solution for data access control enforcement is based on the well‐studied standard role‐based access control (RBAC) model. The bibliographic data, for the purpose of this system, is represented using the XML language. The software architecture of the access control system is modelled using the Unified Modelling Language (UML).

The access control framework presented in this paper represents a successful application of concepts of role‐based access control to bibliographic databases. The use of XML language for bibliographic data representation provides the means to integrate this solution into many different library information systems, facilitates data exchange and simplifies the software implementation because of the abundance of available XML tools. The solution presented is not dependent on any particular XML schema for bibliographic records and may be used in different library environments. Its flexibility stems from the fact that access control rules can be defined at different levels of granularity and for different XML schemas.

This access control framework is designed to handle XML documents. Library systems that utilise bibliographic databases in other formats not easily convertible to XML would hardly integrate the framework into their environment.

The use of an access control enforcement framework in a bibliographic database can significantly improve the quality of data in organisations where record editing is performed by a large number of people with different skills. The examples of access control enforcement presented in this paper are extracted from the actual workflow for editing bibliographic records in the Belgrade City Library, the largest public city library in Serbia. The software implementation of the proposed framework and its integration in the BISIS library information system prove the practical usability of the framework. BISIS is currently deployed in over 40 university, public, and specialized libraries in Serbia.

A proposal for enforcing access control in bibliographic databases is given, and a software implementation and its integration in a library information system are presented. The proposed framework can be used in library information systems that use MARC‐based cataloguing.

Preparation of bibliographic data for the production of CD‐ROM public access catalogs (PACs) requires several services: merging records from various vendors or libraries, the elimination of duplicate records, the identification and decoding of holdings information, updating the database (often in an offline mode), and authority control. The nature of specific CD‐ROM catalogs affects the priorities for processing the database. For example, some systems exploit controlled vocabulary and cross references, making subject authority critical. Others provide powerful Boolean searching on key words derived from all parts of the bibliographic record; as a result, the need for quality control checks beyond those typically provided by library vendors is increased. This article identifies the services and processes offered by seven vendors that provide CD‐PACs and one vendor that processes MARC bibliographic databases.

Outlines the development of international standards for bibliographic control. Considers the relevance and use of these standards in Africa and concludes that more appropriate approaches to cataloguing should be sought for African purposes rather than a slavish adherence to standards developed elsewhere.

With the development and growth of the Washington Library Network Computer System in recent years, it has emerged as an effective and efficient automated system to support acquisitions, cataloging and other technical processing functions in libraries of all types and sizes. The online union catalog and COM catalog production has greatly expanded the effectiveness of reference and interlibrary loan services. This article covers all features of the computer system. It outlines system hardware, software, and the file structure as well as providing a description of the use of the system. Also discussed are system features such as authority and bibliographic quality control, precision database searching, and automated fund accounting for acquisitions and fiscal management. Other areas covered in this paper are: governance, administration, training, research and development, and types of users, both online and those which want to transfer software as in the recent successful installation of WLN software at the National Library of Australia.

The purpose of this paper is to create a model for an XML document that will carry information about bibliographic formats. The model will be given in the form of an XML schema describing two bibliographic formats, UNIMARC and MARC 21.

The description of bibliographic formats using the XML schema language may be discussed in two ways. The first one relates to creating an XML schema in a way that all elements of the bibliographic format are described separately. The second way, used in this paper, is creating an XML schema as a set of elements that presents concepts of bibliographic formats. A schema created in the second way is appropriate for use in implementation of cataloguing software.

The result is an XML schema that describes MARC 21 and UNIMARC formats. The instance of that schema is an XML document describing a bibliographic format that will be used in software systems for cataloguing. An XML document that is an instance of the proposed XML schema is applied in the development of the editor for cataloguing in the BISIS library information system. This XML document represents input information for that editor. In this way, the implementation of the editor becomes independent of the bibliographic format.

The created XML schema cannot serve as an electronic manual because there is some information about the format that is not included in it. In order to overcome this shortcoming an additional XML schema that will contain remaining format data may be provided.

The originality lies in the idea of creating one XML schema for two bibliographic formats. The schema contains elements that are models for data used in cataloguing tools. On the basis of that XML schema, the object model of bibliographic formats is implemented as well as software component for manipulating format data. This component can be used in development of library software systems.

A necessary foundation of library and information services is knowledge of what documentary material exists. Since no field of knowledge and no geographical area can generate within itself all the information it needs, a complete and universal record is required. While the creation of such a record at a single centre is a Utopian ideal, improvements in national records and in techniques of international communication have made a worldwide co‐operative system a realistic goal. Under the title ‘Universal Bibliographic Control’ (UBC), IFLA—working in association with Unesco and other bodies—is establishing a programme to promote an international network of bibliographic agencies. Problems to be solved are: on the national level, complete coverage of national output and speed of production of the record; on the international level, standardization of formats and the creation of co‐ordinating machinery. The UBC programme is complementary to that of UNISIST: a future integrated bibliographic and information system might be based on two interrelated categories of records—national records of separate publications, unrestricted in subject‐matter, and international records of contributions to knowledge (whether separate publications or not), limited to particular subject fields.

This article describes a model for the standardisation of names in bibliographic databases. A prototype that was developed to demonstrate the feasibility of the model is described. Lastly, the impact of implementing this model is investigated. It was found that the new model will revolutionise name authority control. The literature supports such a change. It was also found that the prototype developed verifies the technical feasibility of its implementation.

The history of the Universal Standard Bibliographic Code (USBC) is traced from its original concept as a machine generated control number to its present status as a means of merging catalogues, eliminating duplication and providing quality control in machine‐based bibliographic databases. Details are given of the early research work, the feasibility study that was carried out in connection with the United Kingdom Library Database System (UKLDS), the DOCMATCH Project and the work on expert systems. A resumé is given of the present work and proposed areas for research.