Inner forms or types of library catalogue are concerned with the order in which entries are arranged in the catalogue. The difference between the physical forms and the inner forms of catalogue is that while physical forms are determined or recognized by the external shape or appearance of entries, inner forms are determined by the mode of arrangement of entries. For this reason, the former is known as the outer or physical form and the latter as the inner form.
1.1 Types of Inner Forms of Library Catalogue:
While enumerating the types or inner forms of library catalogue James Ormerod observes, “Catalogues like sentences or grammar, are of three kinds: simple, compound and complex. A simple catalogue may be either an author, title, or subject catalogue; a compound catalogue is a combination of two simple entries (author and title, for instance, or author and subject); and a complex catalogue is one containing subjects, titles, and series in subordination to the principle (author) entry. The last group belongs to the dictionary and classified types” (the style in card catalogue). Ormerod has mentioned the types or divisions of inner forms based on nature. This is also correct. However, it will be more beneficial to divide the internal forms on the basis of mode or order of arrangement of entries because the inner forms are determined and recognized by the order in which these are arranged.
Based on arrangement, we can have the following types of inner forms:
- Alphabetical catalogue: An alphabetical library catalogue is a type of catalogue in which entries are arranged based on alphabets (and not based on any number of notations) is known as alphabetical catalogue. In other words, an alphabetical catalogue is arranged alphabetically.
- Classified catalogue: Classified catalogue is primarily a subject catalogue arranged based on notation. This is its original form. Margret Man had defined a classified catalogue thus. But arrangement by notation or class number alone can satisfy only the subject approach, and author approaches will remain unsatisfied, resulting in limited use of classified catalogue, and
- Alphabetico-classed catalogue: It is a form of subject catalogue which combines the qualities of an alphabetical catalogue and a classified catalogue both. The alphabetical catalogue is appreciated for its easy arrangement of entries.
The alphabetical catalogue can further be divided as under:
- i. Author catalogue
- ii. Name catalogue
- iii. Title catalogue
- iv. Subject catalogue.
This division may be presented in tabular form as under:
Reference book: Catalogue Theory.
6 Comments
this is helpful to us as students thank you
Thank you for your comment.
please help me understand this. inner forms are they under every physical forms or are used on their own
This is very helpful
Very helpful..
Md. Ashikuzzaman Sir,
Thank You