Cataloging of Chinese language materials in the digital era: the cataloging standards and practices in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, cataloging of Chinese language materials is more costly than that of English language materials because the major sharing of cataloging work of Chinese language materials is limited to the eight government-funded universities. There is little sharing of bibliographic records among libraries in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. One main reason is the different cataloging rules and practices in these three places. This paper stresses the importance of sharing cataloging work and the need of standardization to make this sharing possible. It provides an overview of the cataloging rules and practices in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong and also gives some thoughts on future directions to enhance sharing of bibliographic data among different Chinese communities.