Control Numbers

The IMAP cataloging template requires that you enter a unique control number for each record. We’ll use this convention to create a code for each item:

Year-of-publication[4-digit-year]

- [dash]

Type-of-material[capitalized]

- [dash]

Old-catalog-number[4-digits -- add 0s before the catalog number if it lacks 4 digits]

For example, tape number 1324, published in 1982 would be assigned the control number:

1982-T-1324

[hold over issue from previous iteration of Control Number convention, to be edited 05/07/2008]

Unfortunately, the template doesn’t seem to recognize the distinction between numbers and letters. It interprets “1982.T.0083″ and 1982.CD.0083″ as the same number. To get around this, I’ve added a decimal point and number after the control number’s “old catalog number” element. The number after this last decimal point is related to media type.

Thus:

Audio cassette & DAT: nothing

CD: .1

Reel-to-reels: .2

Multimedia (e.g. CD-ROM, computer diskette): .3

miniDV & VHS: .4

DVD: .5

NOTE: The control number convention for reel-to-reel tapes needs to be examined and revised.

–cmw

More questions/problems

How should we indicate that we are unsure of the running time?

If one poet is reading works by numerous poets, how should we indicate the various authorship? Do we include it in the “Formatted Contents” field, in a general note, or elsewhere? (See “Dylan Thomas reading.”)

In what fields, or in what cases, do we NOT use a period? For instance, do we put a period after the “Old Number”? (So far, I have not.)

What if the date cannot be determined? (See the Jack Gilbert tape.)

After an author’s name and birthdate (eg. “Kinnell, Galway, 1927 – “), where do you put the period? (Is there a space between the hyphen and the period?)

For the time, do we write “minutes.,” or “min.,” or something else?

If we already have a record for a CD version of a recording, what should we do with the cassette version?

Questions and Problems from Mike’s first day of Cataloging

What’s the best way to determine if an item is a duplicate?

Press the find button to call up a blank database page. Enter keywords into appropriate fields, e.g. “Pablo Neruda Reads” in the title field. Then hit enter. This should call up any related records. It may be necessary to do a couple of different kinds of finds to determine whether the item is already in the collection.

Do we catalog duplicates separately? (That is, do two copies of the same title get two separate records in the catalog?)

We do not catalog duplicates separately. Note the presence of an additional media carrier (and the type of media carrier) in the “Additional Copies” field and set aside.

If a title has more than one copyright date, which one do we use?

Use the copyright date related to the media carrier in-hand. If the recording is a reissue, note the earlier copyright date in the “General Note” field. (We should look into whether this is standard practice and possibly amend this.)

What’s the difference between a “Subject Added Entry” (600 field) and an “Added Entry” (700 field)?

Library cataloging systems are generally not capable of performing keyword searches across fields. Thus there is a certain amount of redundancy in cataloging — the cataloger must fill out fields related to particular search criteria. 600 fields contain subject information. According to OCLC’s cataloging handbook:

Use fields 700–730 to provide additional access to a bibliographic record from names and/or titles having various relationships to the item you are cataloging. Added entries are made for persons, corporate bodies and meetings having some form of responsibility for the creation of the work. This includes intellectual and publishing responsibilities.

Use fields 700–730 also for added entries for other titles under authority control related to the work for which the record is made (e.g., other editions). Added entries are assigned to records for persons, corporate bodies, meetings and titles which are not given access through subject or series entries.

How do I save a record?

FileMaker automatically saves your work. This means any change you make to a field is a permanent change, so be aware of accidental keystrokes.

Is it necessary to put a “Restricted Access” note, like “For library use only”?

Yes, going forward this will be a very important piece of information. As of now, all materials are “For library use only”.

Can more than one party be included in the “Main Credits”?

No. If more than one person is on a recording their names should be cataloged alphabetically in the 700 “Added Entry — Personal Name” field and the “Main Credits” field left blank.

What if there is no LC authority record for a personal or corporate author?

That means an LC authority record may not exist. Use your best judgment for cataloging the names of these entities. No birth or death date is necessary.

For the corporate author (710 field) and the “Name of the Production Company” (260b), should I use the name of the publisher (eg. HarperCollins) or of the imprint (eg. Caedmon)?

What do we do about copies of commercial recordings?

For preservation purposes we create duplicate copies of commercial recordings for which only one copy exists in the collection.