[DCRM-L] Question: Local notes in OCLC master records

[Noble, Richard]

Quite simply, information that is inherently copy-specific, whether or
not of interest to researchers of whatever stripe, does not belong in
master records. Any record containing such information cannot be used
for copy cataloging by another institution without editing.

 

I hover in my own judgment about another class of phenomena: things
about one's own copy that are very possibly true of other, but not
necessarily all copies. In general this will mean noting a state in some
element of a copy that likely has a variant. The latest case-in which I
plumped for inclusion in a full collation note with appended $5RPB-had
to do with a sheet which had been perfected the wrong way round. It is
possible that ours was the sole copy exhibiting this feature, but quite
possible as well that it originated with incorrect orientation of the
heap of sheets to be perfected, a mistake which the pressmen might well
discover and rectify to get the remaining copies right (without
discarding the imperfectly perfected ones-it's too expensive to throw
away that much paper, and it might be impossible at that stage to print
more copies of the other forme without having to re-set it). Such a note
can be worded so as to fit comfortably as a species of general
information in any other record; of course, when I can confirm variants
from other copies, EEBO images, etc., it becomes "some copies (e.g.
...)". I do not include such things in anything other than quite
detailed rare-book records in which such attention to physical details
is to be expected.

 

I am confident that Deborah is lining up her sights on me, having read
the preceding paragraph.

 

RICHARD NOBLE : RARE BOOKS CATALOGER : JOHN HAY LIBRARY : BROWN
UNIVERSITY
PROVIDENCE, RI 02912 : 401-863-1187/FAX 863-2093 :
RICHARD_NOBLE at BROWN.EDU 

 

 

From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu] On
Behalf Of Robert Maxwell
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 2:11 PM
To: DCRM Revision Group List
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] Question: Local notes in OCLC master records

 

I thought one of the reasons for creating the ability to have
institution records in OCLC was so that such notes could be recorded in
the institution record rather than the master record. I gather putting
such notes in the master record leaves them vulnerable to deletion by
later catalogers. At least we are advised on OCLC-CAT by OCLC personnel
that local information such as this found in master records can be
deleted.

 

Bob

 

Robert L. Maxwell

Special Collections and Ancient Languages Catalog Librarian

Genre/Form Authorities Librarian

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 McCallum, Rebecca
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 11:38 AM
To: dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu
Subject: [DCRM-L] Question: Local notes in OCLC master records

 

My colleagues and I are currently debating when to add copy-specific
local notes and related tracings to an OCLC master record, and when to
simply leave them in our local catalog only.  

 

At one end of the spectrum are notes that would definitely be of
interest to researchers searching in WorldCat (eg. "500 _ _ $a Wesleyan
copy: Heavily annotated and corrected by the author. $5 CtW").  

 

At the other end of the spectrum are notes that would not be as useful
to those outside our institution (eg. "500 _ _ $a Wesleyan copy: From
the Kallir Family Collection, Given in Honor of Barbara Kallir (Class of
1983). $5 CtW").  

 

But what about cases in between?  We're trying to find a balance point
between providing useful information and avoiding cluttering up OCLC
records unnecessarily.

 

Do you have parameters for when to add a copy-specific note to an OCLC
master record?  If so, would you be willing to share those guidelines? 

 

Thank you very much.

 

Rebecca McCallum

Cataloging Librarian

Wesleyan University

252 Church Street

Middletown, CT  06459

(860) 685-3839

rmccallum at wesleyan.edu

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