Shelflisting and Filing Rules
and
Subject Authority Control
May 11, 2005
1
Overview

Shelflisting









Basic definitions
Filing rules
Dates
Editions
Translations
Corporate bodies
Biography
Supplementary materials
Subject authority control
2
Basic definitions
Call 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.
3
Basic definitions (cont.)
Title: Treasures of the Library of
Congress
Call number: Z733.U58 G66 1991
Class number: Z733.U58
Book number or author number: G66
4
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)
5
Shelflisting
The activity of arranging materials within
an existing collection, normally by
author
OR
The activity of determining the book or
author number and necessary additions
to the call number for a unique number.
6
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).
SCM: Shelflisting has additional rules
7
Order of fields with identical
leading elements




Person
Place
Corporate body
Title
8
Order of fields with identical
leading elements (cont.)
George, Alan
George (Ariz.)
George (Motor boat)
George is lost
9
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.
10
Identical filing entries (cont.)
Education
Education
Education
Education
Education
Education
Education
today / 1966
today. 1966
today / by John Smith. 1969
today. 1977
today (Boston)
today--and how it works. 1970
today : language teaching. 1966
11
Abbreviations

File abbreviations exactly as written
Mister Doctor Blo
Mme. Begue and her recipes
Mr. Drackle and his dragons
Mrs. Appleyard's family kitchen
12
Dates
1976?
ca. 1976
1981, cl980
1971, cl972
1979 [i.e.1978]
1962 or 1963
1969 (1973 printing)
1979-1981
between 1977 and 1980
197197-?
19-19--?
use 1976
use 1976
use 1981
use 1972
use 1978
use 1962
use 1969
use 1979
use 1977
use 1970z
use 1970z
use 1900z
use 1900z
13
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
14
Translations
.x
.x12
.x13
.x14
.x15
.x16
.x17
.x18
Original work
Polyglot
English
French
German
Italian
Russian
Spanish
15
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
16
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
17
Supplementary materials
Supplementary materials are separately issued
subordinate works that continue or
complement a previously issued work.
Examples:




Supplements
Appendices
Indexes
Addenda
18
Supplementary materials
(cont.)
3 situations:
1.
Cataloged separately

add Suppl. to call number for original work
Covered by a note in the physical
description or note area
2.

add appropriate term (tables, maps) to the call
number for the original work
Indexes
3.

add Index to the call number for the original
work
19
Subject Authority Control



Purpose and use of subject authority
records
MARC format for authority records
Creation of new subject headings
20
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
21
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
22
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
23
MARC Authority Format

Variable fields
X00
X10
X11
X30
X50
X51
Personal name
Corporate name
Meeting name
Uniform title
Topical heading
Geographic name
24
MARC Authority Format (cont.)

Variable fields (cont.)
1XX
4XX
5XX
Authorized form
Synonyms and other unauthorized
forms
Broader, narrower, and related
forms
25
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
26
MARC Authority Format Example
010
040
053 0
150
450
450
450
450
450
450
550
670
670
War
670
$a sh 85148273
$a DLC $c DLC $d DLC $d AuSU $d DLC
$a D731 $b D838
$a World War, 1939-1945
$a European War, 1939-1945
$a Second World War, 1939-1945
$a World War 2, 1939-1945
$a World War II, 1939-1945
$a WW II (World War, 1939-1945)
$a WWII (World War, 1939-1945)
$w g $a History, Modern $y 20th century
$a Women's fiction of the Second World War, 1996.
$a LC database, May 7, 2004 $b (titles: World War Two; World
2; WW II)
$a Am. heritage dict. $b (WWII: abbr. World War II)
27
Creation of New Subject
Headings




When to establish a new heading
Authority research
Citation of sources
Formulating the subject heading
28
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)
29
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
30
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
31
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
32
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
33