Modern materials cataloging at the Folger

In addition to its expansive historical resources, the Folger also maintains a sizable collection of modern materials. These include scholarly works, reference resources, ongoing monographic series, and current periodicals (mainly found in the open stacks on Deck B); audiovisual materials and microfilm; and rare modern books, designated for their production quality or rarity, or for their value as artifacts of Shakespeareana (such as the Sh.Misc. collection).

Open stacks

The majority of the Folger's open stacks collections are located on Deck B; items can also be found in the Reading Room or offices in the Central Library. These items, mostly monographs and serials, can be checked out by readers and staff.

Copy-cataloging guidelines

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

Most of the books we receive from Yankee Book Peddler come shelf-ready and with cataloging records, checked in by the Acquisitions Assistant. Some books do come to cataloging, in particular books from other vendors and those in series bought on standing order.

Pre-cataloging examination

• Is the book within Folger collecting scope? We collect materials on early modern European civilization, the time period broadly defined as the late 15th through the early 18th centuries (up to about 1714). We also collect on Shakespeare performance up through the present day. Sometimes books slip through that are out-of-scope, usually because they come as part of a series to which we subscribe. Consult supervisor about suspected out-of-scope items.
• Is there any evidence that the book is imperfect? If so, consult supervisor.
• Is it an edition of Shakespeare? We give Shakespeare editions enhanced cataloging; see below. Many editions of Shakespeare are issued as part of a set, which we treat differently than do most libraries. In addition to the usual verification, follow the instructions for Shakespeare sets. If it is a translation of Shakespeare or a school edition, it may belong in the Sh.Col. collection; consult supervisor if uncertain.

Standard copy guidelines

• Search OCLC to see if there are matching records to copy or upgrade. Records must meet these basic criteria before being imported to Voyager.
  • Desc:a (AACR2 cataloging) or Desc:i (accompanied by 040 ‡e RDA). The Folger accepts both AACR2 and RDA records when copy-cataloging.
  • ELvl level: blank, 1, 4, I, or L
  • At least one LC subject heading, unless the item is literature

Descriptive verification

Verify the following to ensure that cataloging copy matches the item in hand.

• Title and statement of responsibility (245 field)
  • The 245 is a transcribed field in both AACR2 and RDA; the entire title proper (245 ‡a) must be transcribed exactly from the title page in terms of word order and spelling, although not necessarily in terms of capitalization and punctuation. If other title information (245 ‡b) is transcribed, it too should match exactly what is on the title page. (Records created following RDA guidelines have the option of using found capitalization; however, prefer sentence case whenever possible.) The statement of responsibility (245 ‡c) may have certain non-essential information left off, such as a person's titles or degrees. (However, if the record is designated as RDA, any non-essential information in the statement of responsibility should be included, as it is also a transcribed field.) Full names should be transcribed as they appear, along with any words appearing with the name, such as "by" or "and."
  • Verify that the second indicator of the 245 field accurately counts any non-filing characters.
• Note that the 240 field [uniform title] is not part of the verification procedure.
• Check for an edition statement or other edition information in the book even if there is no 250 field on the record. If the edition information on the book differs from the edition information on the record, the bibliographic record is not for the same edition. If the record is designated as RDA, the edition statement in the 250 field should be fully transcribed, and not abbreviated.

260 (Publication, distribution, etc.): Publication data must match.

   The elements in this field may be compiled from different parts of the publication, which is fine as long as the places and publishers in the record appear on the recto or verso of the title page. 

   The date of publication or copyright must be the same. A later printing if the publication/copyright date are the same is acceptable if there is no evidence of revision. 

300 (Physical description): Check pagination, illustrations, and size.

   ǂa: the last page of each discrete paging sequence should be recorded in ǂa. Leaves or pages of plates are recorded in ǂa after the leaves or pages of text. 

   ǂb: illustrations are recorded in the second (ǂb) subfield. Verify that there are illustrations in the item if there is a ǂb subfield. 

   ǂc: dimensions are recorded in centimeters in the third (ǂc) subfield. Round up to the next centimeter. E.g., 22.1 cm. is recorded as 23 cm. Only re-measure if you suspect the size is incorrect. Accept variations of about a centimeter either way. If the book is oversize or flat [link], add the appropriate designation to the shelfmark in a ǂk:
       "Folio"; for items with a height over 30 cm. (i.e. the catalog record shows 31 cm or more), or width over 25 cm.
       "Flat"; for items over 50 cm. tall, or anything whose housing can't keep it upright on the shelf 

   ǂe: Make sure accompanying material is present in the book 

490 (Series statements): Verify that series statements on the record appear somewhere in the book, and that series statements on the book appear on the record.

   Series statements are transcribed from the publication; all words in the series statement in the record, including initial articles, should be as they appear in the book. Series subtitles and statements of authority for the series may or may not be transcribed in the record. The ISSN (International Standard Series Number) may be interposed in ǂx between the series title and the volume number. 

   Abbreviations are allowed for volume captions and numbering; however, the presence or absence of a caption constitutes a significant difference
       490 0_ if there is no series tracing
       490 1_ if the series is traced. There should always be a corresponding 8xx. (Most series are traced. The form of the 8xx itself is not part of the descriptive verification). 

Edits on copy selected for cataloging

If you are certain that the cataloging copy is for the same edition of the book you have in hand but is nevertheless inaccurate in one or more of the descriptive fields, cautious changes may be made. Since most books receive preliminary cataloging before they are published, most of the mistakes in bibliographic records derive from inattentive editing of the record once the book is in hand. Be especially vigilant about noticing:

   Changes in minor words or spelling of the title; once in a while, the title completely changes from the CIP record
   The addition or subtraction of a "by" or a middle initial in the author's name
   Changes of the date of publication or copyright; a change in the 260 must also be the 852 call number, and the 008 date fields
   Absence or miscounting of preliminary roman pagination sequences
   Changes in individual volume titles for multi-part monographs (505) 

When making changes

   Be cautious about changing transcribed or recorded data (i.e., fields 2xx-4xx). The rules for these areas are quite specific and not necessarily intuitive. Consult supervisor in case of doubt. 

   Any change in the bibliographic record (except for local fields such as 590, 852, 876) is tagged by the addition of ǂd DFo to the end of field 040. 

Superfluous 035 fields

   Delete all 035 fields except for our own record number 

Non-LCSH subject headings

   Delete all subject headings (fields 600, 610, 611, 650, 651) containing a second indicator other than 0. Delete all 653’s. Such subject headings do not belong to the LCSH subject heading system. Consult supervisor in case of doubt. 

Copy-specific information

   If there is an author's or editor's inscription to the Folger, record that information in a copy-specific note (852 ǂz).
   E.g.: 852 <...> ǂz Author's presentation inscription to the Folger, dated April 19, 2011. 

Expanded relator terms

   Expand the following relator terms (ǂe) after names in the 7xx fields:
       compiler
       editor
       translator 

Rest of the record

   Cast your eye quickly over the rest of the record for any obvious errors. Consult supervisor before changing any typographical errors. (Not all apparent typographical errors should be corrected.)

Audiovisual materials

Audiovisual materials may be standalone works (such as a film in DVD format), or may accompany other items (such as a book with an accompanying CD-ROM). The Folger collection includes VHS tapes, DVDs, records (33, 45, and 78 rpm), reel-to-reel tapes(?), cassette tapes, and CD-ROMs.

Serials, compilations, and offprints

Compilations

Published compilations of essays, articles, or other media are typically treated as open stacks items. For unique compilations, such as post-publication collections of magazine articles, scrapbooks, or other unpublished works, please see the relevant documentation.

Microforms and reproductions

JISC Digital Media provides a helpful guide on the distinction between microfilm and microfiche, while the Northeast Document Conservation Center discusses the merits of microforms as preservation formats.

Microfilm

Microfilm holdings are given call numbers based on whether they were created at the Folger or by an external vendor or institution.

If the microfilm was created at/by the Folger, the film is given a sequential "Film Fo." number:

 FILM Fo. 112.8a 

If the manuscript was created at/by an external institution or vendor, it is accessioned and given a sequential "Film Acc." number:

Film Acc. 539

(The capitalization of "Film" in the call number has varied over time, and may appear in all capitals, or with only an initial capital.)

If the Folger holds the manuscript from which the microfilm was reproduced, an "Additional Physical Form available" note should be added in the MARC 530 field of the manuscript.

530  ‡a Also available on microfilm.

Microfiche and slides

Microfiche holdings are given sequential numbers as they are acquired and accessioned.

Microfiche 36

Reproductions

Reproductions may be photocopies created from microfilms, or reprints of early or public-domain works, published by a modern entity. In the latter case, they are cataloged separately for their designated location at the Folger; see DS465 .B57 2010 for an example.

Vault modern

Books cataloged as "Vault modern" can go into the general rare collection (the Cage section), or into specific collections depending on their format and content.

Sh.Col.

Though the bulk of items in the Shakespeare Collection have already been fully cataloged, a small number of items are still being added to it, and records expanded for others. As of August 2014, these mainly consist of collections of sonnets, some teaching editions, and translations of Shakespeare's works. Shakespeare Collection shelfmarks were previously formulated as LC call numbers.

 PR2821 .A155 Sh.Col 

Call numbers for Sh.Col. translations follow a locally-modified LC scheme, and are mainly grouped under PR2796.

 PR2796 .C9 1856-1873 Sh.Col. 

However, newly-cataloged Sh.Col. items are given accession number-based shelfmarks.

 Sh.Col. 268- 300q 

Sh.Misc.

The Sh.Misc. ("miscellaneous") collection is composed of artifacts of Shakespereana and other materials that demonstrate the influence of Shakespeare upon popular culture. Items include calendars and almanacs, comic books and graphic novels, toys and games, books of quotations, works of fiction about Shakespeare and Shakesperean figures, and other Shakespearean ephemera.

Sh.Misc. items are given call numbers in sequence, e.g.

 Sh.Misc. 1064 

 Sh.Misc. 2186 v.8 

Other rare modern items

Other rare materials that are handled by modern catalogers include some pieces of realia, screenplays, programs, and modern publications that are classified as ART Vols.