Special Collections & Archives Descriptive Cataloging Levels and Codes

CATALOGING LEVELS:

Levels of cataloging define how completely, and with what degree of verification, catalog records are produced in Special Collections. LC's definition of Full and Minimal-level MARC encoding is documented here.

Full (ELvl: blank) records should be used for the majority of our cataloging, with the following exceptions:

Brief records (created in Millennium, with author, title, and imprint only) are created for attaching order records when no copy exists in OCLC
Minimal (ELvl: 7) records (essentially, those without in-depth subject analysis) are created initially for unprocessed archives and manuscript collections. [Note: practice discontinued Sept. 2021; all new records for unprocessed archives and manuscript collections will with coded as full.]

The expectation is all brief and minimal records will ultimately be upgraded to full records.

CATALOGING STANDARDS:

Special Collections catalogs using RDA (following the BIBCO Standard Record (BSR) and CONSER Standard Record (CSR)) augmented by the Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (DCRM) suite and DACS for archives and manuscript collection level records. See the BSR for guidance on creating hybrid RDA and DACS records and hybrid RDA and DCRM records (for formats that have not yet be incorporated into DCRM RDA Edition). Listed below are types of materials the library collects with the appropriate descriptive cataloging code to use.

Type of Material	Descriptive Cataloging Standard and Code Used
Pre-1800 imprints	Use the appropriate DCRM manual and RDA. Books DCRMR: add $e rda $e dcrmr to 040 Cartographic materials DCRM(C): add $e rda $e dcrmc to 040 Notated Music DCRM(M): add $e rda $ dcrmm to 040 Serials DCRM(S): add $e rda $ dcrms to 040
Books, serials, and maps 1801-present imprints	RDA: add $e rda to 040 (or RDA and DCRM as appropriate (catalogers’ judgement))
Collection level recs for archives/manuscripts	RDA and DACS : add $e rda and $e dacs to 040
Graphic materials (all dates)	RDA and DCRM(G) : add $e rda and $e dcrmg to 040
Notated music (1801-present) and sound recordings	RDA and MLA Best Practices (see RDA toolkit): add $e rda to 040
Manuscripts (individual)	DCRM(MSS): add $e dcrmss to 040 (Note: DCRM(MSS) and RDA hybrid records are not valid.)
Moving image materials	RDA and if appropriate OLAC Best Practices for DVD and Blu-Ray or Streaming Media
Electronic resources	RDA : Add $e rda to 040 If following provider neutral guidelines, add $e rda and $e pn to 040.

Revised by Daved Marsh, September 22, 2015; Michelle Mascaro, June 14, 2017
Approved by the Roger Metadata Policy Subgroup; updated September 28, 2021; August 3, 2023