Special Collections & Archives Genre Terms
Special Collections & Archives (SC&A) applies genre terms to original catalog records and enhances copy catalog records with genre terms. These are added entry terms that describe the intellectual genre or form of presentation of published materials.
Special Collections catalogers apply terms primarily from the RBMS controlled vocabularies and Library of Congress Genre Form Terms (LCGFT) but may also use other vocabularies as appropriate such as, the LC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials (GMGPC or TGM) and Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT), for significant conditions of publication and physical characteristics.
Catalogers must familiarize themselves with the introductory material in each thesaurus, since details of term selection and coding vary.
Special Collections catalogers apply most terms selectively to items that are particularly important, attractive, early, or representative examples of a genre or form. A term may sometimes apply to only a portion of a book (e.g., Calendars, Bookplates, Genealogies, Letters, Maps, Menus, Advertisements), not necessarily to the entire item. Apply genre terms as indicated by the curator and exercise cataloger’s judgement about tracing features that are especially exemplary.
Assign 655 genre headings in addition to appropriate form subdivisions in the 600/610/650/651.
Example:
600 10 Smith, John |v Diaries
655 _7 Diaries |z California |z San Diego |y 19th century |2 rbgenr
Genre Subdivisions
Rules for application of subdivision varies between thesauri, and can be found in their respective introductions. Below are local subdivision practice for the most common genre thesauri used in Special Collections.
RBMS Controlled Vocabularies
For RBMS genre terms, apply subdivisions as instructed in the RBMS genre term introductory text applying the following local practices:
Order of subfields/subdivisions: Apply subdivisions/subfields in the following order:
1. geographic (|z)
2. chronological (|y)
4. facsimile (|x)
5. thesaurus source code (|2)
Geographic subdivision: When more than one level of geographic subdivision is called for, use indirect subdivision as prescribed by LCSH. For geographic locations in California, subdivide down to the city. For geographic locations in the United States, subdivide down to the state. For geographic locations outside of the U.S. use country only.
Chronological subdivision: SC&A usually, but not always codes the decade in which the year of publication falls in the |y subfield. For example, a publication date of 2005 would be coded |y 2000-2009. In cases where the imprint date would be misleading in describing the period of the genre of the term (e.g. Bookplates, Letters, Diaries), use the date or the century appropriate to the unique feature itself, or omit the date entirely.Facsimile subdivision: Use "|x Facsimiles" for facsimile copies indexed using terms from Genre Terms. Index facsimiles only for important examples or for terms indexed exhaustively (e.g. a book of hours or a facsimile atlas).
LCGFT and AAT
Subdivisions are not used for LCGFT and AAT headings. In cases where we collect deeply in an area and there is an equivalent RBMS genre term (such as “cookbooks”) prefer to code the heading as RBMS and apply appropriate subdivisions.
Thesaurus for Graphic Materials
Apply subdivisions as instructed in TGM introduction. TGM has two special subdivisons:
- Color subdivision: Use "|x Color" for examples in color of graphics/visual terms from TGM.
- Reproduction subdivision: Use "|x Reproductions" for reproductions of visual items indexed using TGM. Index facsimiles and reproductions only for important examples or for terms indexed exhaustively (e.g., a book of hours or a facsimile atlas).
Thesaurus source code
Thesaurus source code: |2 must always be present at the end of the field; see the introduction to each thesaurus, for the appropriate |2 code. Generally prefer to use a term from RBMS Genre Terms followed by LCGFT when a term with the same meaning, but different syntax, is also found in multiple thesauri.
Some examples of coded terms:
655 _7 Artists’ books |z Indiana |y 2010-2019. |2 rbgenr
655 _7 Artists’ books |z California |z San Diego |y 2010-2019. |2 rbgenr
655 _7 Broadside poems |y 1940-1949. |2 rbgenr
655 _7 Broadsides |z England. |2 rbgenr
655 _7 Broadsides |z Mexico |y 1780-1789.|2 rbgenr
655 _7 Cookbooks |z Oregon |y 1980-1989. |2 rbgenr
655 _7 Cookbooks |z California |z San Diego |y 1980-1989. |2 rbgenr
655 _7 Screen prints |y 2010-2019 |x Color. |2 gmgpc
655 _7 Detective and mystery fiction. |2 lcgft
655 _7 Pop-up books. |2 lcgft
655_7 Tunnel books. |2 lcgft
Terms used exhaustively
Special Collections uses the following terms for every book that is an example of that genre or form, instead of only in selected cases. Catalogers should be especially familiar with the meaning of each of these terms. This list should be expanded as departmental needs dictate or new terms are identified for exhaustive indexing. Instructions for exhaustive indexing of a particular term are sometimes also included in collection-specific cataloging procedures. Materials cataloged prior to implementation of genre indexing (in 1985) may lack these terms; as such items are identified, appropriate terms should be added.
Almanacs. |2 rbgenr
Artists' books. |2 rbgenr
Atlases (Geographic). |2 rbgenr (Note: prefer over lcgft term: Atlases)
Books of hours. |2 rbgenr
Broadsides. |2 rbgenr
Broadside poems. |2 rbgenr (added Oct. 2016)
Captivity narratives. |2 rbgenr
Community cookbooks. |2 lcgft (added Aug. 2016)
Concrete poems. |2 rbgenr
Cookbooks. |2 rbgenr
Diaries. |2 rbgenr
Exploration literature. |2 rbgenr
Extra-illustrated copies (Provenance). |2 rbprov (added Aug. 2016)
Herbals. |2 rbgenr
Imaginary voyages. |2 rbgenr
Incunabula. |2 rbgenr (added Aug. 2016)
Juvenile literature (removed Aug. 2016)
Juvenilia. |2 rbgenr
Leaf books. |2 rbgenr
Ledger drawings. |2 aat (added Jan. 2017)
Letters. |2 rbgenr
Overland journals. |2 rbgenr
Paste paper bindings (Binding). |2 rbbin (added Aug. 2016)
Photographic postcards. |2 gmgpc (added Aug. 2016)
Pictorial lettersheets. |2 gmgpc (added Aug. 2016)
Playbills. |2 rbgenr (Note: Prefer over lcgft term)
Pop-up books. |2 lcgft (Note: Used for books with pop-up illustrations. May be used on conjunction with “Toy and movable books,” for books that also have animated illustrations, such as pull tabs, etc.)
Postcards. |2 gmgpc
Sermons. |2 rbgenr
Survivors' narrative. |2 rbgenr
Toy and movable books. |2 lcgft (Note: Used for books with animated illustrations such as pull tabs, etc. May be used in conjunction with “Pop-up books,” for books that also have pop-up illustrations.)
Tunnel books. |2 lcgft (added Aug. 2016)
Viewbooks. |2 rbgenr
Updated 2017-02