CALL NUMBERS FOR COLLECTIVE BIOGRAPHIES (REVISED)
Prepared by:
Date issued:
Rex Dotson, Database Management
January 30, 2002; rev. October 11, 2002; rev. June
16, 2003; rev. Feb. 22, 2007
Original Effective Date: June 16, 2003
To:
Bibliographic Division, Database Management,
Technical Processing
DEFINITION OF COLLECTIVE BIOGRAPHY
A collective biography is a work consisting of separate or combined accounts of the
lives of two or more persons, such as dual biographies, biographical dictionaries and
encyclopedias. A critical study of the works of two or more persons may also be
included here if biographical information forms a substantial part of the study. The
persons may have a common link (e.g., women explorers; British monarchs) or may
not be associated with any specific subject (e.g., famous people of the 20th
century).
CLASSIFICATION
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Unless the work already classes in 900-999, use 92 followed by the first digit
of the Dewey number found on the workform. The resulting three-digit
number will be the complete class number for the work. For example, a
collective biography on African-American doctors classed in 610.92273 on the
bib record would be assigned 926.
See the accompanying Collective Biography Simplified Classification sheet
for classes of persons included in each number.
Use the “B” classification option only when it is clearly obvious one individual
is the main emphasis of the work (as sometimes occurs with dual
biographies). In case of doubt, do not class in “B”
For family histories, use 929.2.
CUTTERING
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Generally do not double cutter unless the primary emphasis of the work deals
with one person. Dual biographies, in which the lives and/or works of two
people are examined, are usually double cuttered in the “B” classification
when you can determine that one person is obviously the main subject of the
work (clues: the class number, hierarchy and contents of the 6XX subject
fields, especially the 600s). For borderline or unusual cases, refer to a
librarian
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Family histories classed in 929.2 are double cuttered to the name of the
family