Bibliographic Record Quality Analysis

Bibliographic record quality analysis evaluates the catalogue records that describe library resources — typically MARC or linked-data records built to standards such as RDA — to determine how well they serve their purpose. Philip Hider's account of information resource description frames quality in terms of accuracy, completeness, consistency, and conformance to cataloguing rules, while Elaine Svenonius's objectives of the catalogue — to find, identify, select, and obtain resources — supply the functional yardstick against which records are ultimately judged. The analysis samples records, scores them on each quality criterion, checks their encoding and content against the relevant standard, and asks whether they actually let users carry out the catalogue's core tasks. The result is evidence about where cataloguing is strong, where it fails, and what remediation or policy change is needed.