Prenatal cataloguing is process in which

The correct answer is the catalog cards are printed before the book is published.

 Key Points

•  Prenatal cataloging is a term used by S.R. Ranganathan.
• Prenatal means before Birth. 
• It is the cataloging and classification of a book prior to its release by the publisher.
• Since the cataloging is to be done before it is delivered(released) for sale or use he called the process Pre-natal Cataloguing.
• Pre-natal technical work is undertaken by the National Central Library of each country.
• The National Central Library prepares a master stencil of the catalog cards for the book before its release.

Additional Information

• Cataloguing in Publication-
  • In publishing and library science, Cataloging in Publication (CIP, or Cataloguing in Publication) is basic cataloging data for a work, prepared before publication by the national library of the country where the work is principally published or by the library of a publishing organization, such as a government department.
  • Ranganathan mooted the idea of cataloging and classification of a book prior to its release by the publisher hence, he called the process `Pre-natal Cataloguing'.
  • In the United States, the Cataloging in Publication Program (CIP) was established by the Library of Congress in 1971 and has since developed in various ways.
  • There are three products of Cataloguing-in-Publication (CIP). Namely:
    • Record of CIP cataloging data on MARC tape made available before the final cataloging copy appeared on the MARC tape.
    • The LC cards were made available before the publication date of the book.
    • Cataloging data printed in the book itself.