The Paper Shelflist in the Twenty-First Century: A Survey Report

Abstract

For more than 100 years, library catalogs were chiefly maintained in card files, including a public card catalog and a shelflist, which was organized in call number order and typically shelved in a staff-only area. Although the shift to online catalogs led many libraries to close their card catalogs, the important functions served by the shelflist, including collection maintenance and security, led some libraries to continue to maintain paper shelflists after discontinuing their card catalogs. Until recently, the security guidelines of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section directed special collections libraries to maintain a secure shelflist, with a further instruction to