Special Collections & Archives General Cataloging Guidelines

This document details various local practices that apply to all special collections materials.  For information on descriptive standards and the level of cataloging used by SC&A, see Special Collections & Archives Descriptive Cataloging Levels and Codes

Shared Bibs for SC&A and General Collections Records

Starting in October 2020, SC&A and General Collections copies of the same resource will use the same bibliographic record in the local system.  It will be a long term cleanup project to dedup GC and Special Collections records previously created under the separate record policy.

General Fields (edit in OCLC)

050 LC Call Number

(Locally in Alma, record in holdings record as: 852 0_ $h/$i)

• Use 050_4 LC call numbers, when assigning new LC call numbers. (When creating or authenticating CONSER and BIBCO records use 050 14).
• Create cutter to fit the SC&A shelf list.
• Include the publication date in all call numbers, except serials.
• If applicable add the appropriate call number suffixes
  • B/W: "Bound With" or "Housed With" items.
  • AB-1/A, etc.: Art Bins
  • VLT: Items housed in the vault
• For analyzed monographic sets and serials classed together, add the volume number to the end of call number.  (e.g., QH345 .S644 v.5 (serial), F497.S9 B34 1918 v.2 (monographic set)),
• Artists’ books receive a N7433.4 or N7433.3 call number.

In OCLC, do not edit and replace existing LC call numbers in the master record unless they are clearly wrong (and not a merely matter of different judgement). Also, do not add an additional LC call number to the master record, unless the call number is for different treatment, such as bibliography, series analytic, etc. All other call number tweaks should be made in Alma to the call number in the holdings record only. 

500 General Notes Field

Use 500 for notes that apply to all copies of a manifestation being cataloged and are appropriate for the OCLC master record.  Notes that are describe something specific to SC&A’s copy or cataloging should be 590s. UCSD does not apply |5 CU-S to 5xx for copy-specific notes.

• Make notes as required, especially to support tracings or to elaborate on a significant facet of a particular work.

• If you find copy specific notes in OCLC cataloging copy, that are not marked with $5 for institution they apply to, delete them and replace the OCLC master record before exporting. For copy specific fields that are properly tagged with $5, generally leave in the OCLC Master record.  You may delete them from our local copy in Alma with the understanding they will sneak back in from OCLC daily updates.

• Only record signature note when curator instructs to do so.

• Make a brief note recording "limited edition" statements when the edition comprises 1,000 or fewer copies.  Include copy-specific numbering only in the local 590 field (e.g., 590 Special Collections copy signed and numbered 23 of 50). Such statements usually appear in the colophon or on a preliminary leaf.  Do not make other notes regarding colophons unless they are required to support a related tracing.

504 Bibliography Note

Apply the note "Includes bibliographical references" liberally whenever citations or lists of works cited appear in the piece.

510 Citation

See “Standard Citation Forms for Rare Book Cataloging”; move credible citations found in 500 fields to the 510 field, using correct coding.

655 Genre Terms and Physical Evidence

SC&A uses a variety of genre terms from the RBMS Controlled Vocabularies as selected by the curator. Refer to Genre terms for more information.

7xx Name Entries

Add additional access points for publishers for the following categories of materials:

• Early print imprints
  • Eastern U.S.: before 1820.
  • Western U.S., Latin American: before 1860.
  • California: before 1875.
  • All other locations before 1800
• Artists’ books
• Fine press books
• Select publishers in the Archive for New Poetry 

856 Links

Alma/Primo uses URLs in portfolios to provide access to electronic resources and not 856s in the bib record.  856 42s for finding aids are an exception that should be retained in the bib record in order to enable access. 

856 42 $$3 Finding aid $$u http://library.ucsd.edu/speccoll/findingaids/SAC0006.html

Upon export from OCLC, all 856 with indicators other than 42 are stripped out. Locally policy is to retain 856 42s in our records.

Local Fields (add in Alma)

Note: Make sure all local fields as properly designated as local extensions.

099 Textual Call Number

(Locally in Alma, record in holdings record as: 852 8_ $h)

SC&A assigned non-LC/textual call numbers to the following categories of materials.  Non-LC call numbers should be coded 099.

• Archives and Manuscripts collections receive an RSS/MSS/SCM/SAC ##.
• Audio recording have their own local call number scheme. (See Assigning/Deciphering Call Numbers to Media in Catalog (UCSD Login Required) for more details.)
• 16/32 mm film masters receive a FS #
• In general map case items are assigned LC callnumbers. In select cases (such as the North Korean Propaganda Posters) items are given an call number in the format MC-### item # (e.g., MC-015 item 23)

Note: 099s from Millennium migrated as non-local fields into Alma.  While they do not hurt anything, they may get lost from the bib record when overlaid and therefore going forward new 099s should be tagged as local.

590 Local Notes

Use 590 for local notes describing something specific to SC&A’s copy or cataloging.  Notes that apply to all copies of a manifestation being cataloged and are appropriate for the OCLC master record should be 500s (or other 5xx). Record statements about copy-specific numbering in 590 field (e.g., 590 Special Collections copy signed and numbered 23 of 50).  Use 500 for notes on general "limited edition" statements, without copy specific numbering (e.g., 500 limited run of 250 copies signed by the author).  

Do not make copy-specific notes describing bindings inscriptions, bookplates, or other unusual or unique features unless instructed to do so by the selector. For notes pertaining to materials laid in, see "'Laid in Materials" (UCSD login required)

Provenance notes should be a separate 590.  Other local notes can be combined in a single 590.  If there are numerous copy specific features being noted, catalogers may at their discretion break up the information into multiple 590s to improve readability. 

• Make a brief note recording "limited edition" statements when the edition comprises 1,000 or fewer copies.  Include copy-specific numbering only in the local 590 field (e.g., 590 Special Collections copy signed and numbered 23 of 50).

Provenance notes (always separate 590)

Construct necessary notes pertaining to provenance following the examples below, preferring the most specific phrase for provenancial evidence and using the name form as it appears on the piece, unless it is part of a large donor collection that does not have a name on individual items.

590  Special collections copy formerly owned by John Smith.

590  Special Collections copy gift of Brian E. C. Schottlaender (NOTE: Use “gift of” for items that are gifts, but donor is not considered the former owner.)

590  Special collections copy has bookplate of John Doe.

590  Special collections copy signed by Mary Jones.

590  Special collections copy inscribed by Mary Smith.

Incomplete or imperfect copies notes

Construct notes for incomplete or imperfect copies following the examples below.  Do not make local notes describing condition unless it substantially affects the text.

590  Special Collections Goodman copy lacks v. 3.

590  Special Collections copy imperfect: lacks frontispiece and title page.

Other local notes examples

970 (or 971) Former Owner

Make a local added entry for former owners using the relationship designator, |e former owner.  Generally, do not provide 970s for individuals (or 971s for corporate body donors) listed in the 590 as “gift of”, unless instructed to by the selector.

970 1_Lilly, Carolyn, |e former owner.

973 Local Added Title Entry

If applicable, add the appropriate title hook for print collections (see Special Collections-Collection Specific Titles). 

All electronic format records (and all print records with a link to a digitized version) should have the appropriate electronic resources title hook (see E-Resources Tracking Page).

See also Adding Access for Electronic Version to SC&A Print Records (UCSD login required) for local procedures on creating portfolios and adding links of digitized versions to print SC&A records 

Revised Dec. 2017 by Michelle Mascaro (Approved by RMPS Dec. 19, 2017), revised Dec. 20, 2021, Jan. 4, 2022, Jan. 25, 2022, Aug. 3, 2023