[DCRM-L] Eliminating an RDA option in DCRM(G) draft: want to allow "i.e." and "[sic]"

[Deborah J. Leslie]

It's worth pointing out that DCRM(B) calls for use of "i.e." and "sic"
in the 245 only for misprints or misspellings, not to correct inaccurate
information. So while I agree with others that it is a rare materials
issue to keep transcription accurate, and a signal when something is
wrong is necessary, the correction of inaccurate information in the
title area can be considered a graphics (and maybe a cartographic)
issue. This allows for deviation of G (and C) from B regarding
corrections in the title and statement of responsibility area. 

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


-----Original Message-----
From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu] On
Behalf Of Zinkham, Helena
Sent: Thursday, 04 August, 2011 18:51
To: 'DCRM Revision Group List'
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] Eliminating an RDA option in DCRM(G) draft: want
to allow "i.e." and "[sic]"

Quick clarification: The DCRM(G) interest in having a transcribed and
corrected title appear together in the same title element has nothing to
do with protecting catalogers' reputations by pointing out 'who made a
mistake.' Nothing.

Nor is the question being raised with an eye towards consistency of
practice over time "within" a library catalog.  Quite the opposite--the
concern is about what happens when picture titles are taken out of the
catalog context and separated from the notes. This separation happens
frequently because single pictures are often reproduced in book
illustrations, Web pages, and lectures; or, many pictures are harvested
for use in specialized databases with just a few pieces of metadata
attached (not the full catalog record).

We're looking for a way to alert catalog users when a title has totally
misleading information. We're trying to reduce the chances that, for
example, a picture showing Russia is used to represent Poland.  True, we
don't always know when a picture has an inaccurate title. But when we
do, it seems useful to make it easy to recognize the real subject
matter. That's the "complete package" -- keep the transcribed and the
devised corrected title side by side, so that they travel together when
pulled out of the library catalog.

Is this a rare materials issue? I believe so, in that the inaccurate
title issue surfaces most often among historical, limited distribution,
and unpublished pictures. But it might primarily be a "graphic
materials" issue--the frequency of "wholly inaccurate" titles might well
be higher among pictures than other information resources. 

Helena Zinkham
Prints & Photographs Division
Library of Congress