Content area
This thesis examines the problems of manuscript cataloguing in Turkey, the problems which manuscript users meet, users' needs and expectations from a bibliographic information system, technological options for a bibliographic information system and proposes a improved bibliographic information system for manuscripts in Turkey.
In order to determine the present situation in Turkey and collect data for the system design, two surveys (library and user surveys) were performed, staff in the libraries and TÜYATOK (The Union Catalogue of Manuscripts in Turkey) Office and manuscripts users were interviewed, and observations were made in the selected libraries. The library survey and user survey performed in five major Turkish libraries and one hundred users were questioned. In addition to the surveys in Turkey, a questionnaire survey also performed in United Kingdom to collect information and possible solution(s) for improving the present situation in Turkey. This survey also included five British libraries, but four of them responded.
The position with cataloguing of manuscripts in Turkey is unsatisfactory. Insufficient cataloguing codes, transliteration schemes, quality and quantity of staff, lack of co-operation between the libraries and support from the government are the major problems in the present situation.
The manuscripts users' needs and expectations from a bibliographic information system are considerably diffrent than the other types of library materials. They need more detailed bibliographic data and comprehensive bibliographic records. So any attempt to improve the present system must take into account this situation.
The thesis concludes with possible solutions for the mentioned problems and proposition of a feasible bibliographic information system which involves co-operative computer-based approach.