Former owners

Revision as of 09:17, 26 July 2014 by ErinBlake (talk | contribs) (Minor edits to separate cataloging instructions from general description.)

All persons or entities who have had custody of an item, even if temporary, and even if we do not know their name, are considered "former owners" in Folger catalog records. This includes booksellers, gift-givers, and inscribers. Folger catalogers add name access points to catalog records for former owners in most circumstances. NOTE: from the late 1980s until 2013, the Folger used "Gift of ..." bookplates regardless of whether the book itself was a gift, or the money to reimburse the purchase the book was a gift ("Adopt-a-book"), so people named on the plates are often not former owners. For more information on evidence of ownership, see Provenance.

Notes and name access points for catalogers

(For cataloging workflow relating to items "adopted" at Acquistions Night or purchased through a Restricted Endowment Fund, see Virtual bookplates)

  • Make a note, transcribing (preferably) or summarizing data for every legible name found in connection with an item being cataloged, including names of persons or bodies from whom we acquired the material and date of acquisition if easily ascertainable.
  • Make name added entries for provenance as follows; up to but not including immediate source of acquisition
    • For each person who has a legible surname, and a legible forename and/or initials, excluding immediate source of acquisition.
    • For each corporate body that can be identified, or for whom enough information is given to create a reasonable name access point
    • For each person or body identified by a bookplate or a stamp
    • Use "former owner" as the relationship designator
    • When formulating access points for unidentified persons, avoid using unqualified names, even if currently unique. One of the prime goals is to prevent inappropriate association during automated authority processing. Since we are not creating new name authority records for former owners, we will use basic RDA provisions for formulating headings that do not necessarily qualify as standard LC/NACO headings, including use of single active dates, century dates for the 20th and 21st centuries, adding place names if a place is mentioned in connection with a name. For example:
Autograph: R. Barnaby, Augt 3rd, 1824.
7001 Barnaby, R., ǂd active 1824, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
Autograph: Edwd. Arundell (on work published 1710)
7001 Arundell, Edwd.ǂq(Edward), ǂd died not before 1710, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
For book published 1875; no date in inscription; appears to be a 19th century hand
7001 Cooper, Paul, ǂc active 19th century, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
For book published 1905; no date in inscription
7001 Sampson, Sandra, ǂe active 19th century-20th century, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
Autograph: R.W. Tucker, Philadelphia, July 1823
7001 Tucker, R. W. ǂc (Of Philadelphia), ǂd active 1823, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
  • For Emily C.J. Folger and Henry Clay Folger for each item with a case number.
  • Please note that a number of books with case numbers have a bookplate "Gift of Henry N. Paul." This large gift was presumably given to the Folgers for their not-yet-opened library, and so received case numbers. Therefore, Henry N. Paul should receive a former owner tracing:
 1001 Paul, Henry Neill, ǂd 1863-1954, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
  • Do not make name added entries for the immediate source of acquisition, unless instructed otherwise (for example, Mary P. Massey is added to the records for her collection of herbals)
  • Do not note or make added entries for people who have adopted items or supplied the funding but have not actually owned the item. If in doubt, ask Acquisitions staff
  • For instructions on creating headings for provenance, see http://bard.folger.edu/cgi-bin/view.pl/Main/CentralLibrary/Authorities#Special_considerations_for_manus Need to write new guidelines that are generally applicable

Former owners in the Shakespeare Collection

  • Trace known and legible former owners and make notes in 852 field - information comes from the official file, case numbers penciled into copy, book plates, and autographs
  • Books with the Warwick Castle Shakespeare Collection were also owned by Halliwell-Phillipps; always note and trace the latter when Warwick Castle is involved.
7001 Halliwell-Phillipps, J. O. ǂq (James Orchard), ǂd 1820-1889, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7102 Warwick Castle (Warwick, England). ǂb Shakespeare Library, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
ǂz Bookplate: Shakespeare Library, Warwick Castle. Half leather binding with marbled paper boards and endpapers. Halliwell-Phillipps copy.
  • Made name access points for binders when stamped or known
    • Richardot: this binder's work is recognizable, although not all of the bindings are signed
      • If the binding is signed, transcribe the stamp and trace
      • Unsigned; spotted marbling; floral tooling and landscape title on spine; 1/4 cloth proportion="Bound by Richardot" and trace
      • Unsigned and three out of the above four characteristics="Probably bound by Richardot" and trace
    • While many books bound by Richardot are from the library of Edward Dowden, do not trace Dowden when the copy is unstamped
  • Duplicates: trace former ownership when duplicate copies are indicated
    • Example: "H.E.H. dup." signifies that copy came from Huntington sale. Either quote or interpret the handwritten note:
7102 Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
852 ǂz Huntington Library duplicate
OR
7102 Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
852 ǂz "H.E.H. dup."

Frequently encountered Shakespeare Collection former owners

7102 Atelier Binder G.m.b.H., ǂe binder. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Bennett, Whitman, ǂe binder. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Betterton, Thomas, ǂd 1635?-1710, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7102 Britwell Court Library, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Chetwynd, George, ǂd 1809-1869, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Dowden, Edward, ǂd 1843-1913, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Fawcett, Owen, ǂd 1838-1904, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Folger, Emily C. J. ǂq (Emily Clara Jordan), ǂd 1858-1936, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Folger, Henry Clay, ǂd 1857-1930, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Gautier, Johannes Ludovicus ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Halliwell-Phillipps, J. O. ǂq (James Orchard), ǂd 1820-1889, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Harmsworth, R. Leicester ǂq (Robert Leicester), ǂc Sir, ǂd 1870-1937, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Ingleby, C. M. ǂq (Clement Mansfield), ǂd 1823-1886, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Norris, Joseph Parker, ǂd 1847-1916, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Paul, Henry Neill, ǂd 1863-1954, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Richardot, ǂe binder. ǂ5 DFo
7001 Tollet, Elizabeth, ǂd 1694-1754, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7102 Warwick Castle (Warwick, England). ǂb Shakespeare Library, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7001 White, Richard Grant, ǂd 1821-1885, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo
7003 Wister family, ǂe former owner. ǂ5 DFo