The historical catalogue of a publisher facing the digital

Abstract

A publisher’s historical catalogue is an important document for many reasons. Above all, it represents a source for studies in the history of culture. Today a publisher’s catalogue, whether historical or contemporary, must inevitably make use of electronic format so that it can still be consulted by users or readers. All publishers have their own websites, and some of the most famous names manage the historical part of their companies directly. The digital environment, in brief, has made a publisher’s titles immediately available as a real-time ‘list’, as exemplified by the OPACs of libraries for the preservation and use of precious bibliographical collections. These developments have led to a reflection on how the historical catalogues of former times are still useful and how their compilation methods may be helpful for electronic databases.