Welcome to WiCatalog
Who are we?
WiCatalog is a platform for Wisconsin public libraries to collect a baseline of best practices and standards with the goal of making cataloging data cleaner and providing a more consistent experience for users in discovering materials and preparing for a potential state-wide shared discovery layer.
Below is a 3 minute video describing the purpose of the wicatalog.org website. You can use the Heading 3 key to go directly to the transcription of the video below.
Wisconsin Catalog Best Practices Video
Transcript: WiCatalog Overview
Wisconsin's public libraries serve millions of residents every year, connecting communities with books, media, and digital resources.
Behind every successful search result is high quality cataloging.
And as catalogers, we know that metadata quality directly affects discovery.
Across Wisconsin, public libraries share records, participate in resource sharing, and contribute to a broader bibliographic ecosystem.
The statewide Recommended Best Practices from the Wisconsin Public Library's Statewide Bibliographic Standards Committee at Wicatalog.org are designed to support consistency without removing local control.
The Wicatalog website provides recommended best practices for bibliographic records in public libraries.
These are not mandates; they're shared guidelines developed collaboratively to improve consistency and patron discovery statewide.
These practices are the product of a cooperative effort led by the Statewide Bibliographic Standards Committee, created through a multi-year LSTA grant project.
Catalogers from library systems across Wisconsin meet regularly to develop, maintain, and update these recommendations to reflect evolving standards and tools.
The result? Higher quality metadata, improved efficiency, and better service to patrons.
Consistent records save staff time and ensure users can confidently find what they need.
When cataloging practices vary widely, search results can become inconsistent.
Duplicate records, missing data, or inconsistent subject headings can frustrate users.
Shared standards improve accuracy, reduce duplication, and make materials easier to find, whether locally or through shared services.
The guidelines also outline recommended practices for core bibliographic fields.
This includes completing fixed fields accurately, including ISBNs where available, applying controlled subject headings, and using genre and form terms when appropriate.
The recommendations encourage thoughtful decisions about whether to use a single bibliographic record or multiple records for multi-part items.
Consider how materials circulate, how your discovery layer displays records, and what best supports patron understanding.
In addition to general guidance, there are format-specific recommendations.
These help ensure large print, graphic novels, audiovisual materials, and other formats are cataloged in ways that maximize discoverability.
The committee has also created recommended local subject and genre heading authority records to load directly into your ILS to provide improved shared access points.
Cataloging may happen behind the scenes, but it plays a vital role in connecting Wisconsin communities with information.
Visit wicatalog.org to explore the full statewide bibliographic best practices.
What can you do here?
Review cataloging best practices
Click here to review documents describing the best practices for enabling statewide cataloging for different book and media formats.
Cooperative Cataloging
Click here to learn about the history of the statewide LSTA-funded project.
Bibliographic Standards Committee
Click here to read more about the Statewide Bibliographic Standards Committee and what our purpose is.