[yul-naco] Adding Death Dates to Headings (Memo from A.Franks)

[Steven Arakawa]

NACO catalogers: this has been posted to various lists.

Date:         Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:38:02 -0400
Reply-To: CONSER Cataloging Discussion List <CONSRLST at loc.gov>
Sender: CONSER Cataloging Discussion List <CONSRLST at loc.gov>
From: Antony Robert David Franks <afra at loc.gov>
Subject: Adding Death Dates to Headings
Comments: To: pcctrng at loc.gov, CONSER <CONSRLST at sun8.LOC.GOV>,
           PCCLIST at sun8.LOC.GOV
To: CONSRLST at sun8.LOC.GOV
Precedence: list

Status:  O

CPSO has noted a pattern of problems when member institutions add death
dates to existing headings in the name authority file. Basically, they
revolve around the need to remember that revising an existing heading
requires a look at the name authority record as a whole.

1.      The simplest omission is that catalogers are adding a dates to
existing headings without including a 670 note to justify the addition.
The formulation of headings and references, as well as the data included
in headings and references, must be justified in a note.

2.      Catalogers are adding dates to headings but not making the same
additions to the cross-references on the name authority record.  Per
AACR2, chapter 26 and related LCRIs, additions to headings and
cross-references ought to match as much as is possible.

3.      Even when adding dates to cross references, catalogers in some
cases are neglecting to review the appropriateness or correctness of
those references.  Especially in dealing with older name authority
records, references might not be in correct AACR2 format. More so, under
AACR2, some cross-references might even be deleted from the name
authority record.  In any case, fixed field 008/29 *Reference
evaluation* should be checked to ensure it is appropriately coded
*a* or *n*.  If the fixed field code is *b*, it should be
resolved to an *a* or to an *n*

4.      Finally, many of these records are not coded as AACR2*fixed
field 008/10. In all cases, members should not revise and re-contribute
records coded *a* for neither Pre-AACR2 nor *b* for AACR1. When
a cataloger revises a heading to add dates, they are also responsible
for assuring that the heading is in conformance with AACR2. The fixed
field should be changed to *c*.

Please remind catalogers working within the NACO file of the need to go
a step further than the satisfaction of an immediate need to add a date
to a heading. This will preclude a great deal of trouble on the part of
a fellow NACO cataloger somewhere else in the program.


Anthony R.D. Franks
Team Leader, Cooperative Cataloging Team
Library of Congress
202-707-2822 (voice)
202-252-2082 (fax)

----------------------------------------------------------
Steven Arakawa
Catalog Librarian for Training & Documentation
Catalog & Metadata Services, SML, Yale University
P.O. Box 208240 New Haven, CT 06520-8240
(203)432-8286 steven.arakawa at yale.edu