Pressbooks and press kits

These items are classified as ART Vols. and cataloged by modern materials catalogers. Pressbooks were issued by studios to help theater owners promote particular films; they often include information about the film in addition to recommended advertising strategies. Souvenir programs can be for stage productions, film releases, or special showings of films. Press kits, packets of information provided to the media which can include film synopses, promotional stills and headshots, and actor and production team bios, should generally be cataloged to these guidelines as well.

As of August 2014, pressbooks, press kits, and programs for film releases are fully cataloged; programs for single events or theatrical runs are generally given a minimal-level record and an accession-based program call number only.

Cataloging

  • Use cataloger's judgement in determining the title: due to the nature of pressbooks, this may lead to an unwieldy 245 field and several variant titles.
245 00 ‡a Laurence Olivier presents "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare.
246 1  ‡i At head of title: ‡a A J. Arthur Rank enterprise
246 10 ‡a Hamlet
  • Add a 500 note on the nature of the resource.
 500   Souvenir booklet from Katharine Cornell's 1947 production of Antony and Cleopatra. 
 655  7 Souvenir programs. ‡2 aat 
 655  7 Pressbooks (theatre manuals) ‡2 aat 
 655  7 Press kits. ‡2 aat
  • Add subject entries for the names of prominent actors, characters, and the film (with the relationship designator depicted, as appropriate).
 630 00 Ran (Motion picture), ‡e depicted. 
 600 10 Barrymore, John, ‡d 1882-1942, ‡e depicted.
  • Add a 700 name-title heading for the Shakespeare play on which an adaptation is based (i.e., Taming of the shrew for Kiss me, Kate and Comedy of errors for Boys from Syracuse).
 700 10 Shakespeare, William, ‡d 1564-1616. ‡t Taming of the shrew
  • Add a 710 for the film or theater company promoting the film or production. If cataloging a program for showing(s) at a specific theater, add a heading for that institution as well.
 710 2  Theatre Guild.
  • Add a 752 entry for place(s) of publication, manufacture, etc. If the program is for a single film showing or theatrical production, add a 751 entry for place of occurrence.
 751   New York (N.Y.), ‡e event place. ‡2 naf 
 752  United States ‡b New York (State) ‡d New York. ‡2 naf