Advisory statements

Advisory statements are used in catalog records and other public documents to indicate that the content is known to have shaky foundations, and may or may not be accurate and complete. However, the absence of an advisory statement is not a guarantee of accuracy and completeness.

Catalog records

When a Folger catalog record carries an advisory statement, it's usually for one of two situations:

• it's re-keyed from an old catalog card by a vendor (as often happens with retrospective conversion);
• it's an accession record representing material that has been bought, but not yet been subjected to the scrutiny of a professional cataloger. This may be true even though the records look full and detailed, thanks to the economy of shared cataloging.

Folger staff call this note an HBCN (handy butt-cover note).

HBCNs for vault material

Bibliographic record

 500__ $$aThis is a PRELIMINARY RECORD copied from an old purchase order (which is better than nothing!). Please email catalog@folger.edu for assistance.$$5DFo

 500__ $$aThis is a PRELIMINARY RECORD copied from an old card (which is better than nothing!). Please email catalog@folger.edu for assistance.$$5DFo

 500__ $$aThis is a PRELIMINARY RECORD. It may contain incorrect information. Please email catalog@folger.edu for assistance.$$5DFo

 500__ $$aMeasurements from Folger catalog card. Not verified.$$5DFo

Holdings record

 852_8 $$zThis copy has not yet been cataloged. The description may contain incorrect information. Please email catalog@folger.edu for assistance.

Legacy HBCNs

 500__ $$aThis is a PRELIMINARY RECORD. It may contain incorrect information. The "FAST ACC" number is a temporary call number. Please email catalog@folger.edu for assistance.$$5DFo

 500__ $$aThis is a PRELIMINARY RECORD. It contains unverified data from a re-keying contract and may contain incorrect or incomplete information. Please email catalog@folger.edu for assistance.$$5DFo

 500__ $$aThis is a PRELIMINARY RECORD. It contains unverified data from catalog cards and may contain incorrect or incomplete information. Please email catalog@folger.edu for assistance. ‡5 DFo

HBCNs for open stack and electronic material

500  This is a PRELIMINARY RECORD. It may contain incorrect information. ǂ5 DFo

500  This record was provided by a vendor. It may contain incorrect or incomplete information. ǂ5 DFo

For more information about FAST ACC call numbers, see Call numbers.

Finding aids

We have some finding aids where the entire collection has been evaluated for certain key features, such as filing holes. In those finding aids, there will be item-level notes indicating items that have those features. The absence of an item-level note also indicates that an item lacks those features.

However, we may want to add notes about features for a specific document without undertaking a review of the entire collection described in the finding aid. In these instances, we will add two HBCNs:

At the collection level (the 'front matter' of the finding aid), we will include a Processing Note:

Physical aspects of individual documents may occasionally be added to this finding aid.  

At the item level, we will add the note about the feature and follow the note with a parenthetical statement:

(Not all items evaluated for this feature.)

or

(Not all items evaluated for these features.) 

Folgerpedia articles

Advisory statements in Folgerpedia include:

This article is currently a draft.

This article is known to be incomplete.

This article contains text copied from legacy files and may or may not reflect current information.

This section contains text copied from legacy files and may or may not reflect current information.

This article contains obsolete information

This article contains outdated information and needs review.

This section contains outdated information and needs review.

This page refers to the Voyager ILS, an Ex Libris product used at the Folger from 1996 to 2022. For current documentation on using the catalog, see Category:Catalog. For current documentation on staff use of the ILS, see Category:TIND ILS.