From the KABA Subject Headings Language to the National Library Descriptors – the implementation of the cataloguing code and authority control rules of the National Library of Poland in the University Library in Toruń

Abstract

This article presents the process of the changes in the set of rules with defined terminology designed for cataloguing purposes at the University Library in Toruń, i.e. the  departure from the KABA subject headings language and the transition to and implementation of the new set of rules for cataloguing using the National Library cataloguing descriptors. The article discusses the reasons that brought about this change, stages in the preparations, and the actual implementation of this new method for processing library materials. The author compares the information content of bibliographical data in the previously used  method and the newly-implemented method, as well as their functionalities in the Library’s new Alma integrated library system with its Primo VE search engine. The  expected utility of the new data for users of academic libraries is discussed and evaluated. The chronological bracket is defined by the years between 2015 and 2022. The present article is a case study and employs a comparative method and literature analysis.