Summary: Instructions for cataloging the William D. Chase Collection of Almanacs and Works on Chronology items for Special Collections. As with all SPC cataloging, retain dust jackets and make a note as needed. Refer to general Special Collections cataloging procedures for other rare book cataloging considerations.
Workflow
Almanacs will be placed on the designated project shelves in Technical Services.
Cathy will make a first pass through almanacs delivered from SPC, using streamers to make notes.
Almanacs needing original monographic cataloging will be placed on the ORIGINAL shelf.
Almanacs needing analytic treatment will be set aside on the ANALYTICS shelf until Folio functionality allows analytic work.
Original catalogers will pull from the ORIGINAL shelf.
Questions for Tad:
Save the record to the online save file in Connexion
Make a note on the streamer
Place on the QUESTIONS shelf
Otherwise, place almanacs on the REVIEW shelf
Location | 1901 or later – sprrr 1701 through 1900 – sprar all up through 1700 – vault (XX) sprar |
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Special MARC fields to check/add |
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Gift notes |
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Genre form term |
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Almanac cataloging: general notes
Monograph or serial? | We are currently cataloging all almanacs as monographs, even if there's an existing serial record for issues already owned. This is because Tad wants more thorough documentation of physical condition than a serial record can accommodate. |
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| Location | 1901 to present: 948 = sppop 1701 to 1900: 948 = sprar 1700 and earlier: 948 = sprar and 050 = $f XX before rest of call number |
Treatment of dates | Unless you have explicit evidence to the contrary, almanacs are assumed to have been published the year before their coverage. But we use the year of coverage for the call number and subject headings. Example: Pennsylvania Almanac 1865
(These instrux are repeated in the tables below.) |
What collection? | Most almanacs were acquired as part of the William Chase gift, but Tad is also purchasing smaller batches from various bookdealers. (Maybe have Ruth Ann do all non-Chase almanacs, so these instrux can be streamlined?) |
Subject headings | We use LCSH and RBMS genre terms. See 6xx fields below. |
Almanac cataloging: fixed fields
Field | Code | Stands for |
|---|---|---|
Type | a | Language material |
BLVL | m | Monograph |
Elvl | blank | Full record by PCC library |
Form | blank | Not microform, large print, etc. |
Cont | blank | Not a bibliography, catalog, etc. |
Ills | blank or a, b, d | Blank = no illustrations at all – a = drawings, photos, etc. – b = maps – d = charts |
Srce | d | Cataloging agency other than LC etc |
Conf | 0 | Not a conference proceeding |
Fest | 0 | Not a festschrift |
Audn | 0 | Age level not specified |
Biog | 0 | Not a biography |
LitF | 0 | Literary form is not fiction |
DtSt | s | Single date |
Ctrl | blank | No 'archival control' (that is, a nested description as in an archival finding aid) |
MRec | blank | Not modified for machine-readable entry |
Dates | _ _ _ _ | Use the year before the almanac coverage (an 1870 almanac was published in 1869) |
Lang | _ _ _ | eng for English |
Ctry | _ _ _ | Country of publication: For U.S. states, use postal abbreviation + u. (Michigan = miu, New York = nyu, etc.) All others use https://www.loc.gov/marc/countries/countries_name.html |
Almanac cataloging: 0xx to 3xx fields
Field | Content | Explanation | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
040 | Language of cataloging | Add $b eng to new records | |
041 | Language of material if other than English | 1st indicator 0 if not a translation 1st indicator 1 if includes translated material Code from https://www.loc.gov/marc/languages/ | An bilingual almanac in German and English: ger $a eng |
043 | Geographic area, if indicated | Code from https://www.loc.gov/marc/languages/ | Pennsylvania almanac... 1865: n-us-pa |
050 | Call number | Use year of almanac coverage at end of call # | Pennsylvania almanac... 1865: AY81 .P3 $b N47 1865 |
090 | Local call number | Repeat the 050. Precede call number with $f Folio or $f XX if appropriate | $f XX $a AY57 $b .P66 1732 |
1xx | Author main entry: seldom used in almanacs | ||
245 | Title & statement of responsibility | Almanac titles can be long, and hard to tell from the typography where the title ends! Okay to use first portion in 245 and quote remainder in 500. Always cite where quoted material comes from. | 245 04 The New England farmer's almanac for the year of the Christian era 1850 : $b being the second after bissextile, or leap year, and the seventy-fourth of the American independence. 500 00 "Containing, besides the usual astronomical calculations..." (blah blah blah) |
246 | Varying form of title | Supply if appropriate | |
250 | Edition statement | Seldom seen in almanacs but supply if appropriate | |
264 | Publication statement | For pub date, use the year before the almanac's coverage in brackets | Pennsylvania almanac... 1865: 264 _1 Philadelphia : $b Publisher name, $c [1864] |
300 | Physical description | If pages are unnumbered, count them Indicate the illustration types you noted in the fixed field Ills | 300 _ _ 32 unnumbered pages : $b illustrations, charts ; $c 22 cm or 300 _ _ [32] pages : $b illustrations, charts ; $c 22 cm |
Almanac cataloging: 5xx fields
Field | Content | Explanation | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
500 | Cover illustration note | Optional, but desirable: a brief description of the cover illustration. This would be a big help for future instruction and exhibit prep. Many agricultural themes here! | 500 _ _ Cover illustration shows an eagle holding a shield in its talons. The shield has a ship, a plow, and three sheaves of wheat. 500 _ _ Cover illustration shows a woman in ancient dress, holding a scythe and seated near a plow. 500 _ _ Cover illustration shows a kneeling man, holding the Earth on his shoulders. 500 _ _ Cover illustration shows a man plowing a field, with a farmhouse and orchard in the background. |
500 | Other general notes | Almanacs almost always have the title on the cover. Note the presence of advertisements. The cover may have other interesting stuff. And as noted above, if a title is extremely long or you can't tell from the typography where the title is supposed to end, you can make the 245 more readable by putting the excess in a 500 note. | 500 _ _ Cover title. 500 _ _ Includes advertisements. 500 _ _ At head of title: "Our 77th year!" 500 _ _ "50 cents."–Below title. 500 00 "Containing, besides the usual astronomical calculations, a great variety of curious, useful, and entertaining matter; fitted to the latitude and longitude of Concord, N.H., but will serve, without sensible variation, for all the adjacent states."–Below title. |
541 | Immediate source of acquisition | Record name of donor or bookdealer; Gift or Purchase; date in format YYYYMMDD; and institution code MiEM. Follow exact formatting in examples. Sometimes with gifts only the year is known. Date is when the item was received in Acquisitions, not the P.O. date. | 541 1 _ William Chase ; $c Gift ; $d 2016. $5 MiEM Other examples: 541 1 _ Ian Brabner Rare Americana ; $c Purchase ; $d 20230415. $5 MiEM 541 1 _ DeWolfe & Wood Rare Books ; $c Purchase ; $d 20220926. $5 MiEM 541 1 _ Arie Koelewyn ; $c Gift ; $d 2019. $5 MiEM |
546 | Language note | Specify if item is not in English. (With second example, I would not include $a eng in the 041 field.) | 546 _ _ In German. 546 _ _ In German, except for two advertisements in English. |
561 | Accompanying material | Accompanying material is usually a bookdealer description, price list, or catalog. Occasionally, there's a note from a donor. After cataloging, these items are separated from the book and placed in MSS 466, a manuscript collection created to organize them. Start note with MSU: and end with our institution code $5 MiEM | 561 1 _ MSU: Bookdealer description transferred to MSS 466. $5 MiEM 561 1 _ MSU: Bookdealer catalog with description of this item transferred to MSS 466. $5 MiEM 561 1 _ MSU: Note from donor to MSU curator transferred to MSS 466. $5 MiEM |
561 | "Laid in" material | "Laid in" material means anything that was left in the book by a former owner. After cataloging, these items are separated from the book and transferred to MSS 466. Note where the material was found before moving it! Start note with MSU: and end with our institution code $5 MiEM | 561 1 _ MSU: New York Times article about the Hindenburg airship crash found between pages 15-16; has been transferred to MSS 466. $5 MiEM 561 1 _ MSU: A dried flower was pressed between pages 101-102; transferred to MSS 466. $5 MiEM 561 1 _ MSU: Entry ticket for Edgewater Amusement Park in Detroit, found between pages 225-226. Transferred to MSS 466. $5 MiEM |
561 | Provenance | Provenance information is evidence of use, damage suffered by the book, and marks of ownership.
Security is one reason for documenting provenance – if we need to prove a stolen item is ours – so please don't feel you are being pedantic to note small things! Start note with MSU: and end with our institution code $5 MiEM | Sample notes for writing in book 561 1 _ MSU: Front paste-down has pencil inscription "Louisa Elliot" on upper left corner. $5 MiEM 561 1 _ MSU: Pencil inscription "For my dear Albert" at head of title on front wrapper. $5 MiEM 561 1 _ MSU: Child's pencil scribbling on front paste-down and flyleaf. $5 MiEM 561 1 _ MSU: Margin notes on the astronomical tables for September to December. $5 MiEM 561 1 _ MSU: August 14 has pencil note "Terrible hailstorm" in the margin. $5 MiEM 561 1 _ MSU: Unread inscription on upper right corner of flyleaf. $5 MiEM ("Unread" means you can't read the inscription!) |
561 | Provenance continued | We use the 561 for damage that we want to note for security purposes. But we use the 590 to note entire missing pages. That way, if you find copy with a 300 field showing the full page count, you can use it and note the missing material in a field that should always be displayed in public view. A 561 may only be visible in staff view. | Sample notes for damage 561 1 _ MSU: Pages 15-16 and 17-18 have lower corner torn away, with loss of text. $5 MiEM 561 1 _ MSU: Page 22 has dark stains, possibly ink blots, slightly obscuring the text. $5 MiEM |
561 | Provenance continued | There may be evidence of ownership and use other than a person writing their name in a book: bookplates, ownership stamps, etc. We take special note of ads printed on the back covers of almanacs because that usually means the almanac publisher did a special print run for that customer to give away in their store. This is why you may see many similar records in WorldCat for the same almanac. The cataloger noticed that the back-cover ad described in an existing record was different from the piece they had in hand. | Sample notes for ownership and distribution 561 1 _ MSU: Embossed ownership stamp for Western Reserve Historical Society on front wrapper. $5 MiEM 561 1 _ MSU: Bookplate of former owner, Joseph Higgins, on inside front wrapper. $5 MiEM 561 1 _ MSU: Ink stamp in blank area at bottom of back wrapper: "A free gift for you from Hankins Drugstore, Hinckley, Minn." $5 MiEM 561 1 _ MSU: Back wrapper printed with ad for James Wilder & Sons, Dayton, Ohio. $5 MiEM |
563 | Binding note | Tad wants us to use the phrase "paper wrappers" to refer to front and back cover. In almost all cases these are printed, so we say "Printed paper wrappers." Specify whether the pages are secured with staples, pamphlet stitch, stab stitch, or a combination. You may see a strip of paper used to reinforce the spine, often with stab stitch attaching it to the text block. Note when you see a hole drilled through the upper left corner for hanging. Note loops of string through this hole. Always end with our institution code, $5 MiEM. | 563 _ _ Printed paper wrappers, staple bound. $5 MiEM 563 _ _ Printed paper wrappers with pamphlet stitch binding. $5 MiEM 563 _ _ Printed paper wrappers with pamphlet stitch binding. Spine reinforced with strip of paper, attached with adhesive, over the pamphlet stitch. $5 MiEM 563 _ _ Printed paper wrappers with pamphlet stitch binding. Spine reinforced with strip of paper, which is attached to the text block with stab stitches. $5 MiEM 563 _ _ Printed paper wrappers, staple bound, with hole drilled at head of spine for hanging. $5 MiEM 563 _ _ Printed paper wrappers, staple bound, with hole drilled at head of spine and loop of string for hanging. $5 MiEM |
590 | Gift note | If applicable. | 590 _ _ MSU: Gift of William D. Chase (2016). 590 _ _ MSU: Gift of Arie Koelewyn, 2021. |
Almanac cataloging: 6xx to 9xx fields
| Field | Content | Explanation | Examples |
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| 600 | Personal name subject heading | Use if there's significant content about a person. | 600 1 0 Washington, George, $d 1732-1799 |
| 650 | Topical subject heading | Be sure to distinguish between language and nationality: Almanacs, German = almanacs in German Almanacs $z Germany = almanacs from Germany EXCEPTION: Almanacs, American refers to nationality. | Almanac for German-Americans, in German language, published in Pennsylvania: 650 _ 0 Almanacs, German $z Pennsylvania $z Lancaster $y 1865 Almanac published in Germany: 650 _ 0 Almanacs $z Germany $z Berlin $y 1865 |
| 650 | Topical subject heading | Many almanacs are published to promote something. Add topical headings as appropriate. | 650 _ 0 Patent medicines 650 _ 0 Agricultural machinery 650 _ 0 Socialism |
| 655 | Genre term | Use the 655 field for the genre term Almanacs. Follow with $2 rbgenr to identify what vocabulary the term is taken from. | 655 _ 7 Almanacs $z geo $geo $y date $2 rbgenr |
| 700 | Added entry, personal name | Usually no editor is identified for an almanac, but often the person who calculated the astronomical data is touted. | 700 1 _ Perkins, George R., $d 1812-1876, $e contributor. $4 ctb |
| 710 | Added entry, corporate name | Note the publisher name in a 710. This may be a company, a political organization, etc. | 700 2 _ John Baer & Sons, $e publisher. $4 pbl 700 2 _ Socialist Party, $b National Lettish Organization, $e publisher. $4 pbl |
| 830? | Series to identify contents of Chase collection? | ||
| 947 | instance record | Only if there's a stub record in Inventory. For almanacs, usually there is not. | |
| 948 | Location | Depends on date of coverage | sppop or sprar |
| 949 | Instance record | 949 Printed Material $d Non-circulating $f workstat |
Cataloging checklist
Element | MARC field | Example | |
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Date of publication | 264 $c | Should be date | |
Description of cover | 500 __ lorem ipsum | ||
Source of acquisition | 541 | 541 1_ $c Purchase; $a Ian Brabner, Rare Americana; $d 2020; $n (insert number of issues being added) $o issues. $5 MiEM 541 1_ $c Gift; $a William Chase; $d 2016; $n (insert number of issues being added) $o issues. $5 MiEM | |
Laid in material | 561 | Book dealer's description | |
Provenance | 561 | ||
Inscription | 561 | ||
Margin notes | 561 | ||
Binding type | Staple binding Pamphlet stitch binding Stab stitch binding | ||
Hole/loop for hanging | |||
Gift note | 590 | 590 __ MSU: Gift of William D. Chase (2016). | |
Genre/form term | 655 | 655_7 Almanacs $z [Country of publication] $z [City of publication] $y [Year covered by almanac] $2 rbgenr
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