Rare Monographs

Updated 1

Materials published before the introduction of mechanized printing technologies (approximately 1825-1830) should be cataloged according to the RDA provisions for early printed resources and the provisions for rare materials included in the BIBCO Standard Record (BSR). When available, recommendations made by the RBMS Committee for Policy Statements to RDA should also be observed and they have been included in the documentation below.

Items produced after the advent of machine presses should be cataloged according to RDA standards, especially when original cataloging records are produced. For resources that already have a bibliographic record created prior to the introduction of RDA, the descriptions may be kept in the original standard used, if no substantial changes are performed and the cataloging level remains the same. If the level of cataloging is upgraded, the resource should be cataloged according to RDA rules and the description code in the 040 field should be changed to RDA.                    

Other resources such as artists' books, 20th century private press books, graphic materials or items that have been determined to be rare or unique may also be cataloged according to standards recommended for early printed resources and rare materials. Catalogers can apply these instructions, selectively or in full, for any resource determined by CAMS to require a more detailed description. This determination may be made for reasons including, but not limited to age, rarity, fragility, or value as part of a collection. (Cf. RDA 1.12). Catalogers should use their judgement in determining the level of detail provided in the catalog description for these resources.

The following guidelines are intended to provide best practice recommendations for those MARC fields that are specifically relevant for the description of rare books and other printed monographs such as pamphlets, broadsides, prints, posters, drawings, etc. The documentation is not meant to be an exhaustive resource for the special collections cataloger, but a source of information about local practices and cataloging standards currently in use at Princeton University Library.

All materials treated according to rare materials standards should be cataloged to a full description level
(Encoding level _ in the Leader field).

For original cataloging of early printed resources using Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (DCRM) standards, add a subfield ‡e with the code "dcrmb" for books and "dcrmg" for graphic materials.

Add a subfield ‡e for all records that have an authorized access point in the 100/110 field (even when the record is cataloged to a different standard than RDA).

Transcription of the title:

For materials printed after the 1830s, follow RDA recommendations to transcribe the title as it appears on the source of information, including punctuation, abbreviations, inaccuracies, symbols, initials and numbering (RDA 2.3.1.4)

For early printed resources, the current practice recommended by the RBMS Policy Statements to RDA is to normalize punctuation and capitalization based on textual use.

In general, follow the established DCRM guidelines for normalizing punctuation and transcribing early letters forms. However, catalogers are advised to:

• Retain internal marks of punctuation appearing within roman numerals

• Add diacritical marks with the pattern of usage in the text, when converting uppercase to lowercase

• Transcribe ‘vv’ as ‘w’, if ‘w’ is the intended character

Exceptions:

When considered important, the cataloger can apply non-normalized transcription and transcribe punctuation and capitalization as they appear on the source.

Transcription of Inaccuracies:

Correct inaccuracies with notes in the 500 field(s) instead of providing corrections via [sic.] or [i.e.] within the transcription as formerly recommended by DRCMB.

Always add varying forms of the title in the 246 field(s) to cover all possible reading/writing variants. 

For materials printed after the 1830s, follow the RDA guidelines for transcribing the publication area (RDA 2.8.1).

For early printed resources (published prior to the 1830s):

• Provide a complete transcription of the publication area, including all names of printers, publishers and booksellers (and addresses if considered important or relevant for identification)

• If a place of publication is known to be fictitious or incorrect, supply a correction in square brackets

• Treat printers and booksellers as publishers (use a 264 field with 2nd indicator 1) when the distinction between various roles is not explicitly made in the resource (or it cannot be easily ascertained). See RDA 2.8.1.1: “For early printed resources, distribution and manufacture statements relating to booksellers and printers may be treated as publication statements”.

Exception:

In cases when the printer and bookseller are clearly named in the resource, provide two 264 fields with different indicators for the publication and manufacture statements.

In order to transcribe dates, follow the RDA practice of recording numerals as they appear on the source. For early printed resources where the date is supplied in Roman numerals, add the equivalent numerals in Arabic in square Brackets (Example:  M.D.CCXX [1720]).

 Subfield ‡a: Extent of text

For resources printed after 1830, follow the established RDA rules for recording extent of text (RDA 3.4.5).

For early printed resources, use Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (DCRM) conventions when recording extent. Do not spell out unnumbered pages or leaves (as specified in RDA), but instead use square brackets for sequences of unnumbered pages/leaves. Do not abbreviate the word “page(s)”, but instead spell it out.

Also for early printed resources, record full pagination sequences and don’t use one of RDA’s methods for summarizing complicated pagination (e.g., 938 pages in various pagings). Do not use a note for recording full sequences of pagination/foliation even when pagination/foliation is particularly complex. Instead, you can use the optional provision in RDA that pagination of individual volumes may be recorded in parenthesis after the number of volumes in the extent element (e.g., 3 volumes (xx, 202; xx, 203-514; xxi, [1], 515-800 pages)

Subfield ‡b: Illustrations

Whenever possible, include references to the specific types/styles of illustrations (wood engravings, woodcuts, lithographs). These can be described either in the 300 field (subfield ‡b) or separately in a note in a 500 field. For items from the Graphic Arts Collection at Princeton, illustrations should be described into more detail, including naming the illustrators in a 500 field with an additional 700 entry for theirs names in the established form.

Subfield ‡c: Dimensions and bibliographic format 

Record the bibliographic format of an early printed resource if it can be readily ascertained and is considered important for identification or selection. Use an appropriate term from the following list: folio, full-sheet, 4to, 8vo, 12mo, 16mo, 18mo, 24mo. Other terms that can be used are: royal 8vo, oblong 4to or inverted 12mo. 

Transcribe the name of the series statement as it appears on the prescribed source in the item and follow the general guidelines of the Cataloging and Metadata Services Department for tracing series statements.

Use the 500 field(s) to record additional information about the items cataloged, including details about the title, statement of responsibility, edition, collation formula, language of publication, etc. For information specific to Princeton copies, add a subfield ‡5 followed by the MARC organization code for Princeton Library (NjP).
Copy designations in the ‡3 such as "Princeton copy 1" should be paired with a parallel note in the 866 ‡z. See documentation on Holdings Records for more detail.