Investigating Mental Models of Cataloguers as the First Step Towards the Development of Intuitive Cataloguer’s Tools

The roles library professionals play in bibliographic information systems are
constantly evolving with the changing information environment and demanding
users. In terms of Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records
(FRBR) (1998), the new paradigm relating to the bibliographic universe is
driving new requirements for data preparation and that represents a dramatic
change in how cataloguers think; in other words, in their mental models
(Rose, 2012: 129).
Therefore, a study of the cataloguers’ mental models of the bibliographic
universe was carried out to investigate whether the FRBR structure would be
confirmed by mental models of cataloguers. Our method for elicitation of
mental models is based on concept mapping, which is well suited for representing
mental models of individuals (Jackson & Trochim, 2002: 312). The
findings of our study show that on average cataloguers’ mental models resemble
the FRBR conceptual model.