[DCRM-L] Introductory remarks at the DCRM(B) public hearing

[Deborah J. Leslie]

 This is a copy of the remarks I made to kick off the DCRM(B) public hearing. Stephen Skuce took excellent notes on the discussion, which will be distributed to this list presently. --DJL

 

Introduction to the DCR(B) Public Hearing, Chicago, 26 June 2005

 

Thank you for coming to this public hearing on Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Books), sponsored by the Bibliographic Standards Committee of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section. I am Deborah Leslie, chairwoman of this committee. I would like to start out by giving a brief sketch of the context and development of this document. 

 

History of DCRM(B)

In 1981, the Library of Congress published Bibliographic Description of Rare Books, or BDRB, which functioned as LC's own rule interpretations for the section of AACR 2 chapter 2 that covers early printed monographs. Ten years later, a revision of BDRB was published, renamed Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Books, or DCRB, the rare book cataloging rules currently in use by North American as well as some British and European libraries. DCRB was a collaboration between the Library of Congress and the RBMS Bibliographic Standards Committee. Several years ago, the Bibliographic Standards Committee, under the chairmanship of Robert Maxwell, initiated a new revision. Although the Library of Congress as an institution has not had an active role in this revision, they have been kept apprised of its progress and have encouraged our efforts. Moreover, this committee has a liaison to the Library of Congress in the person of Elizabeth Robinson, former member of Bib Standards and the head of the Rare Book Team at LC. The LC Cataloging and Support Office has developed a working group to review and comment on DCRM(B), which will be published by the Library of Congress, providing they approve the text. 

 

Context of DCRM

A note on the name DCRM(B) is in order. Very early in the revision process, we envisioned a cluster of related guidelines for the description and access of rare materials besides printed monographs. (Let me say here that the use of the word "rare" is meant to convey materials receiving special treatment by their institutions, usually because it is desirable for these materials to be preserved in their original state, and it is believed that shelving them in open stacks will not provide the necessary protection. We are therefore deliberately not limiting ourselves to early or scarce materials per se). The unifying concept is that of "Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials," with a parenthetical specification of the type of material the individual guidelines cover, following the ISBD style of designation. Even now, DCRM(M), for rare music, and DCRM(S), for rare serials, are in progress. Descriptive Cataloging of Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, and Early Modern Manuscripts, 2004, by Gregory Pass with the collaboration of the Bibliographic Standards Committee, is included in this cluster of related guidelines, even though its acronym of AMREMM does not follow the pattern just described. 

 

Principles

The objectives and principles of DCRM(B) make clear, we hope, the strong principle-based approach to the revision process. Taking advantage of recent theoretical work provided by Elaine Svenonius as well as the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records, we sought to articulate a clear understanding of what we are trying to accomplish with special rules for rare materials, and what we have judged to be the best ways to accomplish it. We are also responding to growing concern about the serious barriers to scholarly access resulting from large numbers of un- and under-cataloged materials in our special collections units. It is perhaps natural to correlate "rare materials" with "really long, detailed cataloging records," but that is not a necessary correlation. As our contribution to the endeavor to eliminate "hidden collections," we have tried to make it abundantly clear that perfectly legitimate DCRM(B) records may be created that are not, in fact, lengthy, full, or employ all possible options for notes and access points. Most notes are optional. We direct your attention especially to the discussion contained in "Pre-cataloging decisions," as well as the appendices on collection-level, core-level, and minimal-level DCRM(B) records. 

 

Correction of problems 

The revision of DCRB accomplishes two primary goals. First, the use of DCRB over ten years revealed problems with several of its provisions that needed addressing. Two prime examples of substantive revision are 1) the silent conversion in transcription of publication dates expressed as roman numerals on the resource as arabic numerals in the description. This silent conversion, although traditional, is inconsistent with and seriously undercuts the advantages that accrue with precise and faithful transcription of title page information, and its continuance could not be justified without doing violence to the arguments for faithful transcription in the first place. Therefore, DCRM(B) requires the transcription of roman numerals in imprints as roman numerals, followed by the arabic Gregorian equivalent in square brackets. 

 

Another substantive revision was made to the existing instruction to treat added engraved title-pages as leaves of text instead of leaves of plates. Thoughtful reconsideration has led us to conclude that the statement of extent element, which already separates the count of plates from text, should more reliably represent the physical structure of the book than it now does because of a traditional yet seemingly arbitrary instruction: to treat certain plates as text in order to privilege title information. Therefore, DCRM(B) requires the cataloger to treat text as text and plate as plate without regard for the leaf's content. 

 

Additions

The more striking differences between DCRB and DCRM(B) are the substantive additions. Although DCRB explicitly acknowledges that it could be used to describe material of any period, it is in fact founded on the assumption that printed books of the hand-press era are being described. Many catalogers have for some years expressed frustration over the lack of guidance for machine-press books, which more and more frequently are finding themselves in special collections. To remedy that situation, some rules were rewritten in DCRM(B) and examples added throughout to encompass the nature of machine-press books. 

 

The publication, distribution etc. area proved the most difficult and delicate. AACR2 rules for recording information in this area assume modern relationships in the publication, manufacture, and distribution functions, with a primary role taken by the publisher and a subordinate role taken by the printer or manufacturer. In the hand-press period, the relationships between bookseller, publisher, and printer were more fluid and less well-defined. It would be inappropriate to accord primacy to the "publisher" when cataloging an early printed book. In considering how to incorporate publication data for machine-press books, we identified two viable options. One was to add separate rules where necessary for machine-press books, which we eventually discarded. We gave ourselves the more difficult but, we believe, the more coherent approach to devise a single set of rules that would serve for all kinds of printed monographs, and do it in such a way so that the finished description appropriately reflects the publication relationships for item in question. You will see that rule 4A6 includes extended on how to determine whether primacy is to be given to a publisher in transcription, or whether the different functions are to be given equal footing, by using the wording, layout, and typography of the resource itself. 

 

Appendix E

We added a new appendix --Appendix E--which considers the question of bibliographic variants, particularly in the light of when to create a new record. DCRM(B) is explicitly assuming separate records for different editions and issues, but combined records for different impressions and states. However, this approach is not prescriptive, and Appendix E includes a discussion on when a finer granularity for record-creation is warranted, as well as guidelines on how to navigate through rules when a different approach is selected. 

 

Appendix G

Appendix G is a substantially expanded version of DCRB's appendix B. The table of last resort for use when the pattern of IJUV in the text cannot be determined is still there, although the presentation was drastically revised. In conjunction with 0H, more specific guidance on converting uppercase to lowercase capital I or capital V, although the more specific guidance is actually geared toward shortening the process.   This appendix provides guidance on other common transcription difficulties faced by 21st-century catalogers. Of particular note is a table of facsimiles of pre-modern characters, letterforms, and contractions, with their appropriate transcriptions. 

 

Introduction of workers

I would like to just say a word about who has been actively participating in this revision--the "we" I've been referring to so freely. All current members and many former members of the Bibliographic Standards Committee have worked very hard. The substance of most of the significant changes and additions to DCRB were decided on during an invitational conference, hosted by Beinecke Library of Yale University, during March of 2003. Besides Bibliographic Standards Committee members, a number of other people with particular expertise, including some who had been involved in the revision of BDRB into DCRB, participated actively in the DCRM conference to great benefit. The shaping of DCRM(B) drafts beta through epsilon has been in the hands of five editors, who, besides me, are John Attig, Robert Maxwell, Joe Springer, and Manon Théroux.

 

Open the floor 

I would like to now open the floor now for any questions or comments you have brought with you, or which have arisen as a result of my preliminary comments.

 

*	Ligatures. 
*	Roman dates
*	4A6 on the primacy of publishers 
*	Transcription of copyright data
*	Engraved title pages
*	Pre-Cataloging decisions
*	Note labels
*	curved rv

 

_________________________________
Deborah J. Leslie, M.A., M.L.S.
Head of Cataloging
Folger Shakespeare Library
djleslie at folger.edu
http://www.folger.edu

 

 
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