A Research Agenda for Cataloging: The CCQ Editorial Board Responds to the Year of Cataloging Research

The cataloging and classification community was called to highlight 2010 as “The Year of Cataloging Research,” and specifically was challenged to generate research ideas, conduct research, and generally promote the development of new research in cataloging. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly has become the most influential journal of research in cataloging and classification since its inception in 1981. The idea behind the research reported here was to give the CCQ editorial board an opportunity to present its point of view about research for cataloging. A Delphi study was conducted in three stages during the 2009–2010 academic year. Members were asked to define the key terms “cataloging,” “evidence,” and “research,” and to develop a research agenda in cataloging. The results reveal a basic core definition of cataloging perceived as a dynamic, active process at the core of information retrieval. An eight point research agenda emerges that is forward-looking and embraces change, along with top-ranked calls for new empirical evidence about catalogs, cataloging, and catalog users.