Library cataloging rules might not sound very exciting, but they’re the only way you can find anything in a library. It’s not too much to claim that the history of library catalogs can be divided into periods before and after Anthony Panizzi (1797-1879). Modern library cataloging rules trace their origin to Panizzi’s 91 rules, published in 1841.
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If you’re older than about 40, chances are that you grew up using the card catalog to find library materials. You may have had some trouble getting used to the new computer catalogs. If you’re younger than about 30, chances are you never used a card catalog. Maybe you have never even seen one. And yet the concept of the card catalog is still with us. Just for fun I looked up “online card catalog” on Google. The search found more than 72 million results. I see that on average Google still gets 90 searches a month on that term. There is no such thing as an online card catalog! Where will you find catalog cards online? Not in an online catalog! Yet some of the sites on the first result page for that search are actually called “online card catalog”!
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