Biblio-ditties so witty

  to the tune of Tit-willow

At the Adelaide Conference I heard Doug and Wes
Singing biblio-ditties so witty
And I sez to them: Fellows, now listen, I sez
Why those biblio-ditties so witty?
Do you love cataloguing with heart-wrenching pride?
Is a sloppy main entry what you can’t abide?
Does good classification leave you Dewey-eyed?
Why those biblio-ditties so witty?

Well you’re on the right track there, replied Wes and Doug
With our biblio-ditties so witty
But we earnestly beg that you don’t pull the plug
On our biblio-ditties so witty
For our aim is to keep cataloguing alive
So this noblest profession might prosper and thrive
While we’re teaching AACR 3, 4 and 5
With our biblio-ditties so witty!

[Kerry Webb, 1983] 

His scheme goes marching on

  to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic

It would take a Melvil Dewey, or a man of similar views
To obtain a tax deduction for a pair of rubber shoes
And to come up with a system for which fountain pen to choose
His scheme goes marching on!

Melvil Louis Kossuth Dewey
Structured order out of hooey
Even though some think it screwy
His scheme goes marching on!

Columbia didn't want him so he went to Albany
As his women had invaded that secluded monastery
The Council demurred and Dewey incurred their bitter enmity
But his scheme goes marching on!

[Doug Down, 1976]

AACR2 by heart

  to the tune of The Red Flag

Cataloguers all praise lustily

The glories of your mystery

Each reference whiz must rue the day

She did not seek the truer way.

O sneer no more at LC's cat!

They really must know where they're at.

Let's renew our pledge before we part -

Learn AACR2 by heart!

[Harrison Bryan, 1987]

The Melvil Dewey Anthem

Oh say, can you see
What Melvil Dewey's done to me?
Ev'ry thought in my mind
Dominated by numbers!

When a score's 4 to 3
I think "Dictionary".
Clocks say - six thirty-five
I think "Beans and cucumbers"

But although it seems strange
Number language won't change
And as secrets are told
Many pleasures unfold.

You should see people stare
When my secrets they share:
For at eight forty-six
I've a shelf of French Lettres!

[Doug Down, 1976]

The Standards Committee Blues
  to the tune of Summertime Blues
(the committee referred to was where cataloguing issues in the Australian Bibiliographic Network were thrashed out)

If you've got a problem, ugly or pretty
You should take your problem to the Standards Committee
Your problem won't be taken there in vain:
You'll find two in favour, one against, and seven will abstain.

I just don't know what I'm-a gonna do
Cause there ain't no cure for the cataloguing blues.

I had a real problem with Australia's indigines
With the subject heading of Australian Aborigines
I asked the Committee and they said, quote
"We solved the problem with a three-way tied vote".

I had another problem with places in cities
So I took my problem to the Standards Committee.
The Standards Committee consulted its list
And said "Places in cities, man - they don't exist!"

Now up in Vietnam they can't stand commas,
So they asked for some help from the Aussie bombers,
We took it all the way to JSC
But we were rolled by the comma lovers at LC!

(Warwick Cathro, 1986)

I Like Lib'ry of Congress
  to the Aeroplane Jelly tune

I like Lib'ry of Congress
Subject headings for me:
The terms are related and hierarchical
There's broader and narrower, some farcical;
The cov'rage is high as the name will imply,
The Lib'ry of Congress, just see it and die.
I like Lib'ry of Congress . . .

I like conceptual mod'lling
E-R di'grams for me:
The works have expressions and that's a good start,
All manifestations I take to my heart.
The item's important we cannot deny,
The intellectual content is what makes us sigh (aaaaah!)
I like conceptual mod'lling . . .

I like S G M L
Meta-data for me:
Biblio-graphic is now out of date,
We must interface and be seamless to rate.
A GUI is fine, as the name will imply,
And graphical users must surf it or die.
I like S G M L . . .

World Wide Webbing I li-ike
'Cos it's new and it's fun:
We all must follow correct netiquette,
The spiders will crawl and the URLs will get et.
I surf through the Net and I never get wet,
And much more of this and we'll all be in debt.
World Wide Webbing I li-ike . . .

Do like Lib'ry of Congress!
Subject heading to see:
The terms are related and hierarchical
There's broader and narrower, some farcical;
The cov'rage is high as the name will imply,
Or would you prefer World Wide Webbing and fly.
Do like Lib'ry of Congress . . .

(Table 3, National Cataloguing Conference, 1995)