NACO Records for Rare Materials

Sample authority records illustrating problems frequently encountered when establishing personal names in rare materials cataloging and lists of useful biographical resources on special topics compiled by Beinecke catalogers

HEADINGS (X00 Fields)

General Instructions Alternative dates
Cross-references for I/J and U/V variants Imprecise dates (flourish and century dates)
Multiple surnames Formula for calculating birthdates
Initials indicating terms of address  

CITATIONS (670 Fields)

Citing "name not given" vs. "usage not shown" Citing "old style" dates
Citing names that contain marks of contraction Citing copy-specific usage
Citing names not in nominative form Citing dealers' descriptions

RESOURCES

NACO Participants’ Manual

DCM Z1 (Descriptive Cataloging Manual Section Z1)

OCLC instructions for looking at previous versions of an authority record

VIAF (Virtual International Authority File)

British Book Trade Index

World Biographical Information System (WBIS)
  Good place to start - indexes Dexter, Boase & Sprague among others.

Boase. F.  Modern English biography.
  Beinecke Ref. CT773 B63 1965 (LC) 
  Excellent for British 19th century clergymen and politicians.

Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714.
  Beinecke Ref. LF524 A2 1968 (LC) 
  Good for early Englishmen.

Alumni Oxonienses 1715-1886.
  SML Ref. LF524 A2 1887 (LC)
  Good for English clergy and others; sadly only in SML.

Alumni Cantabrigienses to 1900.
  Beinecke Ref. LF124 A2 1900 (LC)
  Good for Englishmen.

Sprague, W.B.  Annals of the American pulpit.
  SML BR569 S66 (LC) 
  Excellent for American clergymen.

Dexter, F.B.  Biographical sketches of the graduates of Yale College.
  Beinecke Ref. LD6323 D48 (LC) 
  Excellent for early American men and goes up to 1815.

Sibleys Harvard graduates. 
  Beinecke Ref. LD2139 S53 (LC)
  Excellent for early American men but only goes up to 1771.