The opinion of public and academic librarians on the necessary changes in the library catalogue

Purpose: Librarians as creators of the library catalogue should incorporate users’ needs into the library catalogue, however, they are limited by cataloguing rules and practices. Nevertheless, it is crucial to know the needs and difficulties as noticed by librarians in reference interviews.Methodology/approach: Interviews focusing on the issues of current library catalogues and needed changes were carried out with six (6) librarians from public libraries and ten (10) librarians from academic libraries who interact with users daily. The research was conducted in April 2014 and July 2017 in public and academic libraries.Results: The results identify difficulties encountered by librarians in reference interviews. The interviewees have highlighted the problem of different versions of library materials as well as the relative importance of attributes and relationships, which should be included in bibliographic records, and have described their views on current cataloguing rules.Research limitations: The limitation of the research is the convenience sample.Originality/practical implications: The results are important for creators of bibliographic records and authors of new cataloguing rules. They can set the basis for future research and reflection on the enrichment of library catalogues in the framework of current cataloguing practices as well as in the development of new generations of library catalogues, which will be based on different cataloguing rules.