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Shelflisting and Filing Rulesand

Subject Authority Control

December 3, 2012

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Overview Shelflisting

Basic definitions Filing rules Dates Editions Translations Corporate bodies Biography Supplementary materials

Subject authority control

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Basic definitionsCall number: A number consisting of a class

number, a book number, and additional information that uniquely identifies the item.

Class number: A number that represents what the item being cataloged is about, selected from the schedules.

Book number: An alpha-numeric device appended to a class number to arrange material on the same subject in a specified order, usually alphabetically by author. Also called author number.

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Basic definitions (cont.)

Title: Treasures of the Library of Congress

Call number: Z733.U58 G66 1991Class number: Z733.U58Book number or author number:

G66

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Basic definitions (cont.)Cutter number: An alpha-numeric

device for representing words or names by using one or more letters followed by one or more arabic numerals used decimally.

Examples: Book numbers Some subdivisions in the classification

schedules (e.g., geographic subdivisions)

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Shelflisting

The activity of arranging materials within an existing collection, normally by author

ORThe activity of determining the book

or author number and necessary additions to the call number for a unique number.

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Filing rules Since the goal of shelflisting is to

organize materials within a class by main entry (either title or author), rules are needed to resolve conflicts

The primary source for filing is: Library of Congress Filing Rules (Washington : Library of Congress, 1980).

CSM: Shelflisting has additional rules

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Order of fields with identical leading elements Person Place Corporate body Title

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Order of fields with identical leading elements (cont.)

George, AlanGeorge (Ariz.) George (Motor boat) George is lost

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Identical filing entries

Consider the title to extend only to the first significant mark of punctuation which will be either a period ( . ) or a slash ( / ).

If two identical but unrelated title entries appear in the same class, arrange the entries by imprint date using successive Cutters, in order of receipt.

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Identical filing entries (cont.)

Education today / 1966 Education today. 1966 Education today / by John Smith. 1969Education today. 1977 Education today (Boston) Education today--and how it works. 1970Education today : language teaching.

1966

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Abbreviations File abbreviations exactly as

written Mister Doctor Blo Mme. Begue and her recipes Mr. Drackle and his dragons Mrs. Appleyard's family kitchen

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Dates1976? use 1976ca. 1976 use 19761981, cl980 use 19811971, cl972 use 19721979 [i.e.1978] use 19781962 or 1963 use 1962

1969 (1973 printing) use 1969 1979-1981 use 1979between 1977 and 1980 use 1977197- use 1970z197-? use 1970z19-- use 1900z19--? use 1900z

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Editions If subsequent editions of a work have the

same author, title, and classification, retain the same cutter and distinguish by the date of publication

If the title is changed but the classification is the same, retain the same cutter and distinguish by the date of publication

If the author and/or title changes, but the classification is the same, retain the same cutter and distinguish by the date

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Translations.x Original work

.x12 Polyglot

.x13 English

.x14 French

.x15 German

.x16 Italian

.x17 Russian

.x18 Spanish

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Corporate bodies For materials entered under a corporate

body heading, Cutter for the name of the corporate body. Add the imprint date to the call number to make each call number unique.

Assign the same Cutter to all publications with the same corporate body heading, including translations, selections, editions, etc.

Ignore all subheadings in establishing the Cutter number

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Biography Biography classes exist in some

parts of LC schedules Within these classes, biographical

materials are organized according to a special table

Biography table The effect is to organize all works

by and about an individual

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Supplementary materials

Supplementary materials are separately issued subordinate works that continue or complement a previously issued work.

Examples: Supplements Appendices Indexes Addenda

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Supplementary materials (cont.)3 situations:1. Cataloged separately

add Suppl. to call number for original work

2. Covered by a note in the physical description or note area

add appropriate term (tables, maps) to the call number for the original work

3. Indexes add Index to the call number for the

original work

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Subject Authority Control Purpose and use of subject

authority records MARC format for authority records Creation of new subject headings

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Purpose and use of subject authority records Subject authority file: authorized

forms of headings Each term appears in a particular

form designated to represent one concept or topic

Each authority record gives information about the heading and its relation to other terms

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Purpose and use of subject authority records (cont.) Purposes of authority records:

To maintain consistency in the choice and form of a heading for a given concept

To relate that concept to others in the database

Controlled vocabularies = authority files

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Purpose and use of subject authority records (cont.) In online systems, authority records

are used to guide users to authorized forms of headings

Some systems will report unmatched headings or unauthorized forms

Other systems require catalogers to search authority records for verification

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MARC Authority Format Variable fields

X00 Personal nameX10 Corporate nameX11 Meeting nameX30 Uniform titleX50 Topical headingX51 Geographic name

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MARC Authority Format (cont.) Variable fields (cont.)

1XX Authorized form4XX Synonyms and other

unauthorized forms5XX Broader, narrower, and related

forms

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MARC Authority Format (cont.) 5XX uses $w

$w g is a broader heading $w h is a narrower heading $w n is a related heading

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MARC Authority Format Example

010 $a sh 85148273 040 $a DLC $c DLC $d DLC $d AuSU $d DLC 053 0 $a D731 $b D838 150 $a World War, 1939-1945 450 $a European War, 1939-1945 450 $a Second World War, 1939-1945 450 $a World War 2, 1939-1945 450 $a World War II, 1939-1945 450 $a WW II (World War, 1939-1945) 450 $a WWII (World War, 1939-1945) 550 $w g $a History, Modern $y 20th century 670 $a Women's fiction of the Second World War, 1996. 670 $a LC database, May 7, 2004 $b (titles: World War Two;

World War 2; WW II)

670 $a Am. heritage dict. $b (WWII: abbr. World War II)

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Creation of New Subject Headings When to establish a new heading Authority research Citation of sources Formulating the subject heading

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When to establish a new heading

“Establish a subject heading for a topic that represents a discrete, identifiable concept when it is first encountered in a work being cataloged, rather than after several works on the topic have been published and cataloged.” (SCM:SH)

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When to establish a new heading New topics that are not discrete or

identifiable – assign existing headings

New topics where American usage is still undetermined – research and use judgment in selecting best terminology

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Authority research Proposed subject headings and UF

references must: reflect usage in current literature reflect construction, language, and style of

LCSH Purpose of authority research:

To document the form used in current literature OR

To show that no such form can be found except in the work being cataloged

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Citation of sources 670 – citation of sources consulted

and found 675 – citation of sources consulted

but not found 952 – citation of an LC pattern

Example: to justify the form of a new heading Art, German, cite the LC heading Art, French

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Formulating the subject heading H285-H365 cover the form of the

headings, including: Singular vs. plural forms Articles in initial positions Foreign terms Natural language Ethnic qualifiers