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.
In general, pre-1830 almanacs/works on chronology will be treated as monographs and post-1830s will be given serials treatment. The exception being when good copy is available in OCLC or when aligning with already cataloged titles in the MSU catalog (e.g. previous titles cataloged as monographs). When in doubt, contact Tad Boehmer.
*Return duplicates copies to Tad Boehmer.
Location
1901 or later – sppop
1701 through 1900 – sprar
all up through 1700 – vault (XX) sprar
Special MARC fields to check/add
26X field should be for the year previous to the date on the item (e.g. Almanac for 1759is assigned 1758 as the date of publication), unless the imprint explicitly states otherwise.
563 use for bindings with covers printed with product or publisher, (e.g. "Printed paper binding with advertisement for Ovaltine," OR "In publisher's paper wrapper" OR "unbound").
Gift notes
541 1_ $c Gift; $a William Chase; $d 2016; $n (insert number of issues being added) $o issues. $5 MiEM
590 _ _ MSU: Gift of William D. Chase (2016).
For serials: if gift only encompasses part of the issues owned, adjust the 590 language to refer to a specific copy or issue, like so: MSU: SPC 1994/95 issue gift of William D. Chase (2016).
830 _ 0 William D. Chase Collection of Almanacs and Works on Chronology. $5 MiEM
Genre form term
655_7 Almanacs $z [Country of publication] $z [City of publication] $y [Year covered by almanac] $2 rbgenr
Do not include date for serials.
Date in $y should reflect year covered by the almanac, not the date of publication, if different.
ALMANAC CATALOGING: FIXED FIELD
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
_ _ _ _
Year of publication is the year before the almanac's coverage (that is, 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.)
Almanac titles can be long and hard to tell from typography where 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, 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."–Title page.
246
Varying form of title
Cataloging checklist
Element
MARC field
Example
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
Do not include date for serials.
Date in $y should reflect year covered by the almanac, not the date of publication, if different.