📄️ Data Entry
The Data Entry window is the primary workspace for catalogers. It allows for the creation, modification, and deletion of bibliographic records in the selected database.
📄️ Search & Retrieval
The Cataloging module provides 6 distinct methods to retrieve records. Each method is designed for a specific cataloging need, ranging from quick lookups to complex boolean queries and sequential text analysis.
📄️ Authority Control and Thesaurus
Authority control is the process of using a single, distinct, and authorized form for a name or a subject heading to ensure consistency across a bibliographic catalog. This practice prevents variations (e.g., "Twain, Mark" vs. "Clemens, Samuel Langhorne") and guarantees that users can find all relevant materials under a single search.
📄️ Cooperative Cataloging (Z39.50)
Z39.50 is an international standard client-server protocol that allows searching and retrieving information from remote library databases. ABCD includes a built-in Z39.50 client, which is a powerful tool for copy cataloging. Instead of creating a new bibliographic record from scratch, catalogers can search for the item in a large external catalog (like the Library of Congress), and if a record is found, import it directly into the local database.