These guidelines accompany the North Carolina Literacy Resource Center's Catalog Entry Form. Based on Starting Point: Guidelines, Standards and a Framework for Establishing a National Literacy Information and Communication Network developed by the National Institute for Literacy, OCLC's Bibliographic Formats and Standards, and Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second Edition, 1988 Revision. The guidelines are intended to assist non-librarians in cataloging their materials. The guidelines should answer most questions that arise, but there is no substitute for professional expertise. If a question isn't answered here, please contactnclrc@nando.net .
Books, booklets, pamphlets: The title page is the primary source of information for book materials. The verso (back side) of the title page is used as well. The cover, spine, and back of the item are all secondary sources. If there isn't a title page, use a secondary source.
Periodicals: The cover is the primary source of information for periodicals. The masthead and editorial pages are secondary sources, in that order of preference.
Audio recordings: The label on the item is the primary source, unless accompanying textual materials (a booklet or the container) furnish a collective title and give information about parts, and the labels do not.
Video recordings or motion pictures: The title frames and credits provide the primary source of information. If there are no title frames, labels on a video cassette can be the primary source. If there is no other primary source, use accompanying material, the container, or other sources, in that order, to get the information.
Computer files: The title screen(s) are the primary source. If there is no title screen, use other "internal" information such as the main menu or program statements. If the information is not available, or if it isn't practical to get it, use the following sources (in order of preference): the physical carrier (the diskette, for example) or its labels, accompanying documentation, or the container in which it came.
Realia, games, three-dimensional objects: The object itself, accompanying textual materials, and the container issued by the publisher/manufacturer of the item provide the primary source of information. Prefer information on the item itself to information from the other sources.
Get the title from the primary source of information . The title proper is usually determined by using visual clues such as centered text, or larger letters. Subtitles, often indicated by smaller letters or different text positioning, are entered in their own field. The title proper should be typed exactly as it appears on the item, including wording, spelling, accentuation, and other diacritical marks (if possible). If the title is very long, it can be shortened if there is no loss of essential information. Use three dots "..." to indicate omissions. If any source other than the primary source of information is used to derive a title, add a note to the record stating the source used. If a title can't be determined from the title page or any other source and one has to be invented, enclose the invented title with brackets.
A subtitle is an expansion of the title proper. It may follow the title and a colon, or it may appear as a smaller type size, or be positioned differently on the title page. In any case, enter the subtitle in the same manner as the title proper. An example of a title proper and subtitle: Adult learning in your classroom: (title proper) The best of Training magazine's strategies and techniques for managers and trainers (subtitle).
A parallel title is the title proper written in another language or in another script. Popular titles are also considered parallel titles. For example, Hayden's Symphony 94 in G Major is also known as the "Surprise Symphony." If it is noted on the primary source of information, include it here.
A series title represents a number of separate works, usually related in subject or form, that are issued successively. They are usually issued by the same publisher and in a uniform style. The series title may appear on the title page of each work, or it may appear on the front or back covers of each work. A sample series title might be ETS Applied Skills Series.
Don't confuse a series title with a serial or periodical title. Serials and periodicals are publications with a distinctive title, published in successive numbers or parts at stated intervals, and are intended to be continued indefinitely. Titles of serials and periodicals are entered in the (title) field.
This is the individual chiefly responsible for the intellectual or artistic content of the item. This information should be derived from the primary source of information. A compiler or editor would also be included in this field. If an organization as a whole is responsible, that organization would be entered as a corporate author, in a different field. Because names are often listed in different ways, it is helpful to consult an (author authority) where "official" names are listed to help ensure consistency. Enter the name with the last name first, then the first name, then the middle name or initial.
A corporate author is an organization, or group of persons collectively identified by one name and acting as an entity, which is responsible for the content of the work. This information should be found in the primary source of information.
If any edition statements are made in the primary source of information, include those statements here. They indicate changes, deletions, or other modification that may have been made to earlier versions of the material. Such statements may read, for example, "revised and enlarged," "abridged," "expurgated," or may provide numbered information such as "5th edition," or "version 2.0."
This includes information about the place of publication, the name of the publisher, and the date of publication, or if the material is a serial or periodical, the date the publication started. All of the publication information should be found on the primary source of information.
The publisher or source is the person, corporate body, or organization responsible for issuing the material. Don't confuse the publisher with the distributor of the material, which may be different from the publisher. If a separate distributer is noted, put information about the distributor in a note.
Enter the date of a serial or periodical with a hyphen to indicate continuation (1994-). Occasionally, a date will not be given. Use other information such as a bibliography or other enclosed materials to make a "best guess" then enter it with a question mark (1994?) and add a note to explain the source.
These are terms entered to describe the topic of the material to the person looking at the catalog record. Because people have many different ways of describing the same things, a controlled vocabulary should be used. Use the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors, or Library of Congress Subject Headings if possible, or develop a local controlled vocabulary. Just remember that it is crucial that the same terms be used every time. For example, use English (Second Language) every time instead of ESL one time, then English as a Second Language the next. Include up to three subject headings.
Use this field to note the source of the controlled vocabulary for the subject headings.
A statement of physical medium is included to further identify the material. It also serves to distinguish printed works from audio-visual or other formats. Select the medium that most accurately describes the material.
A statement of material type provides additional information about the material in hand. For example, a CD-ROM (the physical medium) could contain music, a computer game, or software (material type). Select the type that most accurately describes the material.
Most commercially published materials have standard identification numbers assigned to them, and those should be included here. They are most often found on the verso of the title page or on the back cover of print material, or on the container of non-print material. The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a ten-digit number assigned to books, often shown with hyphens. In the cataloging form, enter the ISBN without hyphens. The ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is an eight-digit number, shown with four numbers, a hyphen, then four more numbers. Enter the ISSN with the hyphen. The GPO (Government Printing Office) Item Number is a twelve-digit stock number assigned to an item by the GPO. Enter the GPO Item Number without hyphens.
Notes can consist of statements quoted from the work or other sources, or a combination of the two. Notes serve to augment the identification or description of the work. For example, if the item was produced through grant funding and the grant information was noted on the item, that information could be recorded here. For periodicals and serials, include information about the starting volume and issue numbers if known. Notes should also include information about any sources used for obtaining cataloging information if those sources were not the primary source of information.
Also include in the notes information about the intended audience of the work (i.e., new readers, girls, hispanic americans, etc.), and age or reading level of the work.
NC LRC Requirement: please, include in the notes the physical location where the item resides and whether the owning organization is willing to loan it to others.
Abstracts and summaries of the material content should be entered here, especially for games, realia, computer software, and audio-visual materials. Information about the intended audience could also be included. An example for a video might read, "Video explores ESL instruction in the multi-level classroom and gives teaching tips for ways to keep learners at all levels engaged. Approximately 25 minutes in length. Appropriate for self-training or for use at a workshop."
This field includes any local identification numbers, such as a call number or an accession number, assigned to the material to aid in its retrieval. If you use the Library of Congress or Dewey Decimal classification systems, enter the information in this field. Text information can also be used, if materials are arranged by subject area rather than call number.
This field holds the date the record was entered. Enter the date in dd-mm-yy format.
We gratefully thank Thomas Eland and Virginia Heinrich of the Minnesota/South Dakota Regional Literacy Resource Center who created this HELP information and the beginning version of the Online Catalog Entry form which accompanies it.
For further information about this Web service and its content, contact NC LRC or send e-mail to: nclrc@nando.net .
This page, and all contents, are Copyright © 1995 by Tom Eland, St. Paul, MN, and NC Literacy Resource Center, Raleigh, NC. All rights reserved. SGML and HTML versions prepared by SAGRELTO Enterprises, Inc., Durham, NC. This document was last updated 09/27/95.