Special Collections (general)

Summary: Procedure provides instructions to be followed in the cataloging of items for Special Collections (SPC). It covers general cataloging for SPC items, specific procedures may exist for specialized or project cataloging (e.g. Arsenal Collection, cookbooks, etc.)

Overview & general instructions

1. Uncataloged items from SPC will be shelved to the right of the door to HR.
   1. The left range of shelves is for materials routed to copy catalogers.
   2. The right range of shelves is for materials routed to original catalogers.
2. SPC Streamers:
   1. Goldenrod: From 2020 onward, most orders for SPC are given a goldenrod streamer by Acquisitions, including location and other cataloging-related information. Consult this streamer and apply any instructions on it. Use the locations provided on the streamer in your cataloging.
   2. Green: Pre-2020 uncataloged items may be flagged by SPC staff with green sublocation streamers: assign these sublocations, if provided.
3. Items may also be grouped in boxes by gift or collection; if this is the case, it's best to work on an entire box at once instead of removing items from boxes.
4. Items are a mix of formats, including serials. Consult other online Technical Services' procedures for format-specific guidelines.
   1. Any serials, with or without copy, should be placed on the designated serials shelf at the bottom of the original cataloging range with a filled out SPC cat workflow streamer.
   2. Any adds to existing serials should be directed to Devon or Dayna in SPC. Note "serial add" on the item's streamer and put with other cataloged items on SPC cataloging truck.
5. Size designations (oversize, folio) and related changes in shelving location (Main vs. Remote) are no longer the cataloger's responsibility, as of Dec. 2017; all such determinations will be handled by SPC staff in their processing workflow.
6. See additional steps in Section 4 on handling materials being cataloged for Remote SPC locations.

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1. Search for the item in the catalog

If duplicate of item in SPC or MN:

• put record printout or note with call # in book
• place book on dup shelf on SPC cart  

If new monograph title for SPC:

• proceed to Step 2

If add to existing SPC serial title:

• put piece in box on SPC cart with "serial add" note to Kris B.

If add to existing serial title in MN or other branch:

• as appropriate, TS serials catalogers can handle the initial cataloging of the "new" title and adds of any issues on hand
• issues needing to be added in the future would still go to Kris B.

If add to existing SPC Zine serial title:

• Please forward zine serial adds encountered to the Zine Librarian rather than to Special Collections. Zines purchased for Special Collections on the ZINMO fund are delivered by Acquistions to the Zine Librarian for preparation for cataloging. This includes items ordered as serial adds. The Zine Librarian will handle such Zine serial adds directly.

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2. Identify & describe any supplemental materials

Supplemental materials differ from the types of laid-in materials mentioned below. Supplemental materials are designed to accompany the primary piece and have typically been produced by the same creator. Example:

• Describe the supplemental materials by adding 300 $e and 500 “Accompanied by” notes as appropriate (see Supplementary materials for more details)
  • Alternative option: Create multiple 300s using the $3 to cite which item's extent is being described
• Write call number on supplementary material (in usual spot if a codex/booklet; on verso if a single sheet).
• Include RBMS CVRMC heading in 655_7: Insertions (Production) $2 rbmscv
• No item record(s) needed for the supplemental materials
• For now, route item to Tad, who will pass it along to Conservation along with wording for housing, as necessary.
  • (This will change in the future, likely utilizing a Conservation Request flag.)
• Questions? Check with Head of CMS, Rare Books Librarian, and/or selector of piece (if cataloging a new acquisition).

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3. Describe special attributes (gifts, markings, bindings, etc.)

Any questions about describing the special attributes? Contact Special Collections Cataloger, Tad Boehmer, any time for rare books cataloging guidance!

Gift information

Gift items sometimes receive a formal gift statement in the catalog record, and sometimes an accompanying 830 local series title (add local series title to local copy of records only, not to OCLC master records). Such items will be identified by notes in boxes of materials. Use the exact language provided on this list of current gift/series notes in use.

• 590   MSU: Gift of John Doe.

The 590 note is used for development purposes to recognize significant donations. In some cases, gift items may not receive a 590 note. However, gifts may still be identified in the 541 field to preserve provenance information (see below).

Cookbooks

Cookbooks require some additional considerations. See the archived Cookbooks instructions for more detail, but in general:

• Add a 246 variant title field if the word "cookbook" or "cook book" is in the item's title. Examples:
  • 245 10 Autumn's favorite cook book
  • 246 3_ Autumn's favorite cookbook
  • 245 10 Roll Tide : $b the official cookbook
  • 246 3_ Roll Tide : the official cook book
     
• Add a genre/form term for cookbooks or community cookbooks. Examples:
  • 655 _7 Cookbooks. $2 lcgft
  • 655 _7 Community cookbooks. $2 lcgft
     
• For community cookbooks, also add a 650 _0 with geographical information. Examples:
  • 650 _0 Community cookbooks $z Michigan $z Lansing.
  • 650 _0 Community cookbooks $z Alabama $z Tuscaloosa.

Provenance and annotations

Special Collections is interested in recording information about the ownership of and any handwritten notes in our particular copies of items. Such information will be local to our copy and should be marked as such.

Note field examples:

• 541 1_ Joshua Barton; $c Purchase; $d 2015. $5 MiEM
• 541 1_ Joshua Barton; $c Gift; $d 2015. $5 MiEM
• 561 1_ $3 Copy 2: $a Former owner’s inscription on front fly-leaf. $5 MiEM
• 561 1_ Autograph on title page: Io. Bartoni. $5 MiEM
• 561 1_ $3 Copy 9: $a Author’s presentation inscription on title page. $5 MiEM
• 561 1_ Author's presentation inscription on half-title page. $5 MiEM
• 561 1_ Bookplate of Joshua Barton, Earl of Lansing, on front paste-down. $5 MiEM
• 590 __ MSU: Penciled marginalia throughout.
• 590 __ MSU: Several contemporary annotations. 
• 590 __ MSU: Signed by author.

Note that the 590 is prefaced by MSU: while other notes use $5 MiEM to be marked as local. 

Access point examples:

• 655 _7 Annotations (Provenance) $2 rbprov $5 MiEM***
• 655 _7 Marginalia (Provenance) $2 rbprov $5 MiEM
• 655 _7 Inscriptions (Provenance) $2 rbprov $5 MiEM
• 655 _7 Bookplates (Provenance) $2 rbprov $5 MiEM
• 655 _7 Booksellers’ labels (Provenance) $2 rbprov $5 MiEM
• 655 _7 Stamps (Provenance) $2 rbprov $5 MiEM
• 655 _7 Authors’ autographs (Provenance) $2 rbprov $5 MiEM
• 655 _7 $3 Copy 4: $a Authors’ inscriptions (Provenance) $2 rbprov $5 MiEM
• 700 1_ Barton, Joshua, $e bookseller. $5 MiEM
• 700 1_ Barton, Joshua, $e former owner. $5 MiEM

Shared record examples:

• 561 1_ $3 MSU: Copy 2: $a Former owner’s inscription on front fly-leaf. $5 MiEM
• 561 1_ $3 MSU: $a Autograph on title page: Io. Bartoni. $5 MiEM
• 561 1_ $3 MSU: Copy 9: $a Author’s presentation inscription on title page. $5 MiEM
• 655 _7 $3 MSU: $a Stamps (Provenance) $2 rbprov $5 MiEM
• 655 _7 $3 MSU: $a Authors’ autographs (Provenance) $2 rbprov $5 MiEM
• 655 _7 $3 MSU: Copy 4: $a Authors’ inscriptions (Provenance) $2 rbprov $5 MiEM

***These terms are drawn from the RBMS Provenance Evidence thesaurus. The introductory text to this thesaurus instructs catalogers to use the parenthetical qualifier (Provenance) after any of the authorized terms. It is also permitted to subdivide these terms with LCSH geographic and chronological subdivisions, and Tad encourages catalogers to do so! Example:

655 _7 Ink stamps (Provenance) $z Spain $y 20th century $2 rbprov $5 MiEM

Visit this page for more details about RBMS thesauri terms.

Binding

Publishers’ bindings (or edition bindings) from ca. 1790 to ca. 1830:

• Often use plain paper-covered boards in shades of blue, gray, or beige
• Have paper spines, but sometimes cheap cloth as we near 1830
• Frequently have printed paper spine labels
• Often found on books with deckle (untrimmed) edges

Publishers’ bindings after ca. 1830:

• Frequently use cloth
• Often feature decoration in more than one color
• Often employ unusual fonts
• Frequently bear the publisher’s name, typically at the foot of the spine
• May be illustrated
• Sometimes have printed covers
• Use leather occasionally, but typically without place or date on spine

Custom bindings from 19^th century and later (often qualify as fine bindings):

• Frequently use leather
• Almost exclusively tooled in gold and/or blind until well into the 20^th century
• Often have the place and/or date of publication on the spine, typically at the foot
• Sometimes signed by the binder with a tiny stamp, usually on a turn-in or fly-leaf

Three most common descriptors:

1. Quarter – Spine covered in one material, rest of the book in another.
   • 563 _ _ Original quarter vellum over red cloth. $5 MiEM
   • 563 _ _ Publisher’s quarter cloth over decorated boards. $5 MiEM
2. Half – Spine and corners covered in one material, rest of the book in another (also called three-quarter).
   • 563 _ _ Original half leather over cloth. $5 MiEM
   • 563 _ _ Later half cloth over marbled boards. $5 MiEM
3. Full – Book is covered entirely in a single material. Typically implied if not using half or quarter.
   • 563 _ _ Contemporary full leather. $5 MiEM
   • 563 _ _ Early leather. $5 MiEM
   • 563 _ _ Original boards. $5 MiEM
   • 563 _ _ Publisher’s illustrated cloth. $5 MiEM

Other examples of portions of descriptors: …black calf…; …green embossed cloth over boards...; …marbled end papers…; …green ribbon bookmark (detached)…; …hand-illustrated front cover…; …hand-painted front cover….

WARNING: Cloth can be made to look like leather, and some paper can look like vellum. For clues, look at how the extremities have worn over time. Cloth will fray and the weave will be exposed; leather rubs away and crumbles, with no visible weave; vellum is very durable and doesn’t easily crease; paper will often show creasing and tiny tears.

Note field examples:

Continue to use the “Special binding” note as directed or desired

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3. Enter location and workstat

Provide the general location in the bib record 049

049    EEMJ

Add a more specific sublocation to the item record. 

• Each group of materials will be accompanied by a green or goldenrod streamer identifying the correct sublocation.
• Using the appropriate sublocation in the 948 and workstat in 949 as shown below will automatically generate the correct data in Folio (see the Folio cataloging checklist)

​948  sprad
949  Printed Material ǂd Non-Circulating ǂf cmsorigmonojpb ǂg Restricted

A chart of commonly used SPC sublocations is provided below for reference.

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4. Additional notes for Remote SPC locations

1. If green or goldenrod streamer with item includes a Remote SPC location (any location from the Remote column in Section 3 above), the cataloger should include a prescribed 590 in the bib.
2. A 590 should be included in the bib record before exporting from Connexion to load into Folio. For example:
   • 590 __ MSU: The material is stored offsite in Remote Storage. Please contact Special Collections 3 working days in advance if you wish to use it.
   • 590 __ MSU: Copy 2: The material is stored offsite in Remote Storage. Please contact Special Collections 3 working days in advance if you wish to use it.

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5. Post-cataloging processing

• Attach item records for any additional copies.

  • exception: for Comic Arts materials, do not create additional item records for copies

• Leave dust jackets on books.
• Retain any and all laid-in material like newspaper clippings, old letters, booksellers' descriptions, etc.
  • exception: any MSU Libraries material like order slips
  • flag with blue “Material Laid In” streamer
  • SPC staff will properly house laid-in material and add relevant notes and access points to the bib record
  • See laid-in material procedure for more detail
• Call numbers are penciled in RARE items only. Other SPC items do not receive a written call number. (See pictures below for examples.)
  • exception: books in the N7433 range do not get written call numbers
  • pencil call number in upper left corner of recto of first page following the title page (where you might usually find an order number in regular books)
  • if no title page, use upper left corner of recto of second printed leaf
  • broadsides and single sheet items: use top left corner of verso
  • do not pencil call number on any type of unusual paper (i.e., glossy/shiny, darkly colored, or illustrated paper)
• Provide a printed call number slip:
  • Write the call number on a slip of paper to include in the book, or
  • Use Connexion to print the OCLC record used; on the printout, highlight the call number used for the item
• Place call number slip in book
• Put book on SPC cart

Written call number placement examples:

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