Preferred Practices in DCRM(B) Cataloging

The following instructions are generally applicable when doing original DCRM(B) cataloging, although they may be disregarded as needed in order to distinguish between variants, etc. It is permissable to accept variant practices when doing copy cataloging.

Local Notes

General Notes

Other

Local Notes

Location of provenance evidence

Note the location of provenance evidence only if it is in an obscure place or it would be time-consuming for a reader to find:

590     ‡a BEIN 1999 78: Autograph on p. 543: Prudence Crandall.
590     ‡a BEIN 2000 5: Vol. 9 signed by author and illustrator.

Do not generally note the location of provenance evidence if it is in an obvious place:

Locations not needed:

590     ‡a BEIN 1978 1: Autograph on front flyleaf: A. Simone.
590     ‡a BEIN 1994 66: Bookplate of Martha Wheeler on inside back cover.

Leaves/pages wanting

Note pages that are wanting in a particular copy as follows:

590     ‡a Imperfect: p. 7-10 wanting.

Do not use such phrasings as:

590     ‡a Imperfect: wanting p. 7-10.
590     ‡a Imperfect: p. 7-10 lacking.
590     ‡a Imperfect: lacking p. 7-10.
590     ‡a Imperfect: p. 7-10 missing.
590     ‡a Imperfect: missing p. 7-10.

Ties/clasps wanting

Do not note that ties or clasps are wanting in a binding.

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General Notes

General rules for quoting text

  • Follow AACR2 rules for punctuation and capitalization
  • Follow DCRM(B) rules for diacritics
  • Do not convert Roman numerals to Arabic
  • Do not insert ISBD punctuation
  • Do not include marks of omission before or after quoted text; do include internal marks of omission

Either enclose the quoted text in quotation marks or precede it with introductory wording followed by a colon. Both methods are correct.

500     ‡a “Published in a limited edition of 30 copies”–Colophon.
500     ‡a Colophon: Published in a limited edition of 30 copies.

Colophons

Quote a colophon only if it contains places, persons, or years that differ from those transcribed in the 260 field:

260     ‡a Lugduni : ‡b Apud Heredes Iacobi Iuntae, ‡c 1569.
500     ‡a Colophon: Lugduni, ex typis Ioannis Symoneti, MDLXIX.

Do not note the colophon if it merely provides an expanded or variant form of information already present in the 260 field (e.g., there is no need to note a colophon simply to bring out the day and month of printing or the street address of the printer).

Printer’s devices

Do not note printer’s devices.

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Privilege statements/imprimaturs

Note such statements if they provide important date or other information (e.g., if the date is useful in dating the item)

260     ‡a In Bologna : ‡b Presso Giuseppe Lucchesini, ‡c 1774 [i.e. 1779?]
500     ‡a “Die 25. Aprilis 1779. Imprimatur. Fr. Carolus Domenicus Bandiera”–P. [1] at end.
260     ‡a In Bologna : ‡b Presso Giuseppe Lucchesini, ‡c [1779?]
500     ‡a “Die 25. Aprilis 1779. Imprimatur. Fr. Carolus Domenicus Bandiera”–P. [1] at end.

Do not note such statements if their date matches the date of publication:

260     ‡a In Bologna : ‡b Presso Giuseppe Lucchesini, ‡c 1779.

Do not also make:

500     ‡a “Die 25. Aprilis 1779. Imprimatur. Fr. Carolus Domenicus Bandiera”–P. [1] at end.

Information taken from dealer’s description

Information not present in an item, or not present in a CtY-BR copy of an item, should be supplied using descriptions found in standard reference sources whenever possible. However, it is permissible to use a dealer’s description as a source of last resort. Generally, treat such information as questionable.

260     ‡a [Venice? : ‡b Antonio Brucioli e fratelli?], ‡c 1547.
500     ‡a Place of imprint and publisher suggested by dealer’s description of CtY-BR copy.
500     ‡a Not in Adams or BM STC Italian 1465-1600.

Errors in pagination/foliation

Note an error if it affects a pagination or foliation sequence:

300     ‡a 87 [i.e. 88] p.
500     ‡a Error in pagination: p. [88] misnumbered “87”.

Do not note an error if it “corrects itself” within a sequence:

300     ‡a 88 p.
500     ‡a Error in pagination: p. 80 misnumbered “89”.

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Quoting text from unpaginated sequences

Give the location of the quoted text within the context of the unpaginated sequence:

300     ‡a 82, [2] p.
500     ‡a “Die 25. Aprilis 1774. Imprimatur. Fr. Carolus Domenicus Bandiera”–P. [1] at end.

Do not give the location relative to a paginated sequence:

300     ‡a 82, [2] p.
500     ‡a “Die 25. Aprilis 1774. Imprimatur. Fr. Carolus Domenicus Bandiera”–P. [83].

Final blank page

If the work is paginated, give the following note:

300     ‡a 31, [1] p. ; ‡c 21 cm.
500     ‡a Final p. blank.

If the work is foliated, give the following note:

300     ‡a 17, [1] leaves ; ‡c 28 cm.
500     ‡a Verso of final leaf blank.

Internal blank leaves

It is not necessary to note internal blank leaves unless noting other blank leaves.

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Initial and final blank leaves

Always note initial and final blank leaves using a parenthetical addition at the end of the signature statement:

500     ‡a Signatures: A-F⁸ (A1 blank).
500     ‡a Signatures: a-m⁸ (m8 blank).

Include a space before the parenthetical addition unless the final gathering stands alone:

500     ‡a Signatures: A-B⁸ C⁴(C4 blank).

Note multiple blank leaves as follows:

500     ‡a Signatures: A-C⁸ (C7,8 blank).
500     ‡a Signatures: pi⁸ A-M⁸ (pi1, H8 blank).

Do not use phrasing such as:

500     ‡a Signatures: a-k⁸ (initial leaf blank).
500     ‡a Signatures: A-C⁸ (final leaf blank).

Do not give as a separate note (unless the signature statement is omitted, as is permitted with post-1700 imprints):

500     ‡a Signatures: A-C⁸.
500     ‡a Final leaf blank.

Do not separate out a final gathering from a larger series, as one does when indicating a cancelled leaf:

500     ‡a Signatures: A-B⁸ C⁸(C8 blank).

Do not indicate multiple blanks as follows:

500     ‡a Signatures: A-C⁸ (C7-8 blank).
500     ‡a Signatures: A-C⁸ (C7-C8 blank).
500     ‡a Signatures: A-C⁸ (C7 and C8 blank).

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Final blank leaves preceded by blank page

If the work is paginated, do not give a parenthetical addition at the end of the signature statement; give a note as follows:

500     ‡a Final [3] p. blank.

If the work is foliated, do not account for the blank leaf verso preceding the final blank leaf; simply note the final blank leaf using a parenthetical addition at the end of the signature statement:

500     ‡a Signatures: b-f⁸ (f8 blank).

Do not make a note as follows:

500     ‡a Final leaf and verso of penultimate leaf blank.

Other

Romanization for rough breathing in Greek

Follow the instructions in DCRM(B) Of2.1 and note 3 of the ALA-LC Romanization Table for Greek. This means supplying the romanization for rough breathing (“h”) whether or not the mark appears in the Greek vernacular text.

Note that titles beginning with the single Greek letter “eta” (the letter resembles an “H” in its capitalized form and translates to our initial article “the”) often have the rough breathing mark omitted. The correct transcription is “He” with a macron over the “e”. The macron is included in the count of nonfiling characters, making the second indicator in the 245 field “4”.

Make a 246 tracing for the title without the romanization for the rough breathing mark if appropriate.

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