[DCRM-L] Genre Terms query: blank forms

[Robert Maxwell]

Presumably the genre/form term applies to the form as it existed before it was filled out. If I were cataloging such a form I would feel comfortable using this term even though the one I was cataloging happened to have been written on (i.e. is no longer blank), just as I am comfortable describing a book in my catalog record as though it was pristine even though it's been written on. What happens to it after it gets published would be local information, wouldn't it?

I do think the AAT scope note is poorly written. I'd suggest instead something like

Forms with blank spaces intended to be filled with information by users of the form.

I think "Forms whose spaces provided for information have not been filled" makes no sense grammatically or otherwise.

Robert L. Maxwell
Head, Special Collections and Metadata Catalog Dept.
6728 Harold B. Lee Library
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602
(801)422-5568

From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu] On Behalf Of Deborah J. Leslie
Sent: Friday, February 06, 2009 1:07 PM
To: DCRM Revision Group List
Subject: [DCRM-L] Genre Terms query: blank forms

"Blank forms" is in Genre Terms, but unscoped. AAT has a scope note for "blank forms" that reads: Forms whose spaces provided for information have not been filled.

The AAT scope doesn't sit quite right with me, because it's combining both a genre (blank form) with copy-specific information (hasn't been filled out). Does it make sense to anyone else that if and when RBMS gives a scope note for this, it should apply to all copies of the edition, regardless of what has happened to the form after distribution?

I also wonder why anyone would be interested in blank blank forms, but not in filled-out blank forms.

Thoughts?


__________________________
Deborah J. Leslie, M.A., M.L.S.
Head of Cataloging
Folger Shakespeare Library
201 East Capitol St., S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
202.675-0369
djleslie at folger.edu | http://www.folger.edu

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://listserver.lib.byu.edu/pipermail/dcrm-l/attachments/20090206/f3ec453c/attachment.htm