[DCRB-L] Comments on DCRM Statement of objectives and principles

[J.J. Hall]

The Rare Books Department, Cambridge University Library, would like to
make the following comments on

"CONFERENCE DRAFT 20030313
DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUING OF RARE MATERIALS
A statement of objectives and principles"

Page 3, line 5
Existing text: "exemplars at the item level"

Comment: Does "exemplars" here mean more than "examples" or "copies"? If
so, it seems to us that it would be simpler and clearer to use one of
the latter words.

Suggested revised wording: "examples at the item level" or "copies at
the item level"

Page 3, Objective 3
Existing text: "Users shall be able to investigate physical processes
and post-production history and context exemplified in materials
described"

Comment: Does not the mention only of "physical processes" make this
objective rather narrow (and there is rarely much to be said in a
catalogue record that is directly about physical processes)? For
example, a user might want to know about the printer/publisher of a book
in order to investigate not the physical processes involved in the
printing, but (say) that publisher's commercial policy. A reference to
"production" or "production history" seems to us to cover the ground
better. Also, are the words "exemplified in" essential? A user might
wish to investigate an item's provenance, etc., just for its own sake;
and the mention of "context" indicates that the user is not expected to
be interested solely in the material being described, but in related
matters also.

Suggested revised wording: Users shall be able to investigate the
production and post-production history and context of materials
described.

Objective 4:
Existing text: "Users shall be able to access materials whose production
or presentation characteristics deviate from modern conventions."

Comment: it seems to us that a better description of this objective
would be "to enable users to identify", rather than "to access", the
materials they need; and also that the relevant conventions (as referred
to in the next sentence, beginning "General cataloging codes ...") are
those followed by cataloguers, rather than by the producers of the
material.

Suggested revised wording: Users shall be able to identify material
whose distinguishing characteristics deviate from those described
according to modern cataloguing conventions.

Page 4: Principles a, last sentence of comment:
Existing text: "The principle enables distinguishing among items as well
as manifestations."

Comment: It seems to us that a principle of allowing users "to
distinguish ... different manifestations" does not include the
distinguishing of different items (meaning copies?) of the same
manifestation.

Suggested revised wording: omit the sentence (or, if we have
misunderstood it, revise it to show more clearly what is meant).

Page 4: Principles c:
Existing text: "... permits users to investigate physical process and
post-production history and context exemplifed in the item described"

Comment: acceptance of the revision suggested above of Objective 3 would
make necessary a revision of this wording, for example:

Suggested revised wording: ... enables users to investigate production
and post-production history and context of the manifestation and item
described.

Page 5: Principles d:
Existing text: "all elements of bibliographical significance"

Comment: Should there not be a definition, or a reference to a published
definition, of "bibliographical"? Scholars have differed in their view
of "bibliography": for example, McKerrow's "Introduction to
bibliography" (p. 121, beginning of chapter 7) says "Binding as an art
or craft lies outside our subject" - I don't think we should want to
take that view.

Page 5, penultimate line:
Existing text: "DCRM shall carefully consider alternate wording"

Comment: would it not be simpler to say just "use other" instead of
"carefully consider alternate" - we can surely take it for granted that
the wording will have been carefully considered.

Suggested revised wording: DCRM shall use other wording.

	J.J. Hall
Rare Books Department,
Cambridge University Library,
West Road,
Cambridge CB3 9DR,
England

e-mail: jjh10 at cam.ac.uk