ABSTRACT
Databases are the most important part of an automated library system and file creation is one of the most significant tasks in the process of automating. File creation represents a considerable financial investment and the manager must ensure that databases will serve the library’s needs for many years to come. A discussion of standards for bibliographic records in machine-read-able form usually relates to the use of a widely-adopted cataloguing code and bibliographic format for encoding the cataloguing data. The phase of online integrated library systems incorporates the concept of using one bibliographic record to serve many purposes, such as by taking one abbreviated form in a circulation system and another form in an acquisitions module. The most authoritative source of bibliographic records for any library is most likely to be its national library or a bibliographic agency such as the Library of Congress.
