[DCRM-L] [EXTERNAL] printers' widows

Thu Oct 10 12:26:33 MDT 2024

Thanks Kate (and Bob), these elaborations are helpful.

My query stems from conversations with colleagues who’d like to do reparative work for women currently traced in the catalog as Mrs. Husband’s Name, emulating a project undertaken with archival descriptions at Yale (described here<https://guides.library.yale.edu/c.php?g=1140330&p=8319100>), but for records describing print material at YCBA. The women in question are authors, illustrators, and so on.

There is I think some frustration and surprise that rules and conventions for headings can lead to “Cowie, Harrison Lee, Mrs., 1860-1950” when the actual name is known (and the predominant form now). While the “name phrase” context of printers’ widows is indeed a small difference, it’s close enough to make one wonder why we can’t apply the mindset more broadly.

Francis

From: DCRM-L <dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu> On Behalf Of Robert Maxwell via DCRM-L
Sent: Wednesday, October 9, 2024 2:24 PM
To: DCRM Users' Group <dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu>
Cc: Robert Maxwell <robert_maxwell at byu.edu>
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] [EXTERNAL] printers' widows

Yes, this was an LCRI written by Bibliographic Standards Committee.

Robert L. Maxwell
Ancient Languages and Special Collections Cataloger
6728 Harold B. Lee Library
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602
(801)422-5568

"We should set an example for all the world, rather than confine ourselves to the course which has been heretofore pursued"--Eliza R. Snow, 1842.
From: DCRM-L <dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu<mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu>> On Behalf Of James,Kate via DCRM-L
Sent: Wednesday, October 9, 2024 9:58 AM
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Cc: James,Kate <jamesk at oclc.org<mailto:jamesk at oclc.org>>
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] [EXTERNAL] printers' widows

Hi Francis,

One difference is that the names like “Cowie, Harrison Lee, Mrs.” fall under 9.2.2.9, but the printer’s widows form like “Vidua Christophori Ruremundensis” are considered phrase names (9.2.2.24). The choosing and recording instructions for personal names in RDA  were always kind of a mess. RDA 9.2.2.3 Choosing Preferred Name for Person says, “When a person is known by more than one name, see additional instructions on choosing a preferred name at 9.2.2.6[cid:image001.png at 01DB1B1D.6387FE60]<https://original.rdatoolkit.org/document.php?id=rdachp9&target=rda9-1771#rda9-1771>–9.2.2.8[cid:image001.png at 01DB1B1D.6387FE60]<https://original.rdatoolkit.org/document.php?id=rdachp9&target=rda9-1870#rda9-1870>.”
9.2.2.6 suggests that we would record the phrase as the preferred name since it appears most frequently in manifestations associated with that person, but that’s not necessarily what we do as you pointed out.

So, I think it comes from AACR2/LCRI when we had different rules for people that were authors, composers, etc. and other people. I also think it comes from a strong but often unexpressed preference for using a “real” name over a phrase, especially for pre-20th century people, and especially for women. That printer’s widow LC-PCC PS came from the LCRIs, and I’m certain that it was in the LCRIs because of request from RBMS. That would have been before my time, but I would say it’s a good guess on my part.

Kate

From: DCRM-L <dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu<mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu>> On Behalf Of Lapka, Francis via DCRM-L
Sent: Tuesday, October 8, 2024 10:51 AM
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Cc: Lapka, Francis <francis.lapka at yale.edu<mailto:francis.lapka at yale.edu>>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] [DCRM-L] printerss' widows

Dear list colleagues,

I’ve recently reacquainted myself with guidance on authorized access points for printers’ widows, in LC-PCC PS 9.19.1.1: http://original.rdatoolkit.org/lcpschp9_lcps9-196.html. The same guidance (and some confusion therein) was the topic of a discussion on this list in 2013: https://listserver.lib.byu.edu/pipermail/dcrm-l/2013-September/thread.html#3234.

If a printer’s widow is identified in manifestations as “widow of” but her personal name is known, her personal name is used as the preferred name, as in these examples:

  *   Verseyl, Elizabeth, -1726: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2012043138
  *   Orwin, Joan, active 1593-1597: https://lccn.loc.gov/nr98019565
  *   Cussac, Anne-Élisabeth, active 1816-1825?: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2013116120

If I’ve understood application correctly – and perhaps I haven’t – this outcome is different than other cases where a woman is identified in manifestations in the form by (or about) Mrs. Husband’s Name, and the name as it appears in manifestation(s) is used as the preferred name, as in these examples:

  *   Cowie, Harrison Lee, Mrs., 1860-1950: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2015128982
  *   Cupples, George, Mrs., 1839-1898: https://lccn.loc.gov/n90672060
  *   Ames, Ernest, Mrs., 1853-1929: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2015054850

Is this an inconsistency? That is, why isn’t something like “Orwin, Widdow, active 1593-1597” the preferred name? If it is inconsistent, what is the principle behind it? As often the case, I may be missing an obvious explanation.

I appreciate your thoughts.

Francis

Francis Lapka
Senior Catalog Librarian
Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts
Yale Center for British Art
203-432-9672  ·  britishart.yale.edu<http://britishart.yale.edu/>

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