The Old Catalogues
- Introduction
- Catalogue revision and retrospective conversion
- Principles of entry
- Specimen catalogue entry
- Notes on classmarks
In 2005, the project to provide records in the Newton Online Catalogue for all works represented in the Pre-1978 General Catalogue was completed, and Newton became the authoritative source for information about all books of primary academic interest. While similar work is being undertaken on secondary material, beginning with nineteenth-century publications, it remains necessary to consult the old Supplementary Catalogues for most pre-1978 publications not considered of primary importance for scholarship when received. The following guidance on the use of the old catalogues is therefore now of most interest to those using the Supplementary Catalogues. It also, however, preserves information about the Pre-1978 General Catalogue for historical purposes and for occasions when its use might still be considered (if the Online Catalogue is temporarily unavailable, for example, or in rare cases where an adequate record has failed to be provided on online). Note, however, that no corrections or alterations have been made to the General Catalogue since March 2006.
The Old Catalogues have two components:
- The Pre-1978 General Catalogue in the green volumes (with supplementary volumes in red) around the walls of the Catalogue Room. This contains material considered at the time of cataloguing to be of primary academic importance.
- The Supplementary Catalogue of material thought at the time of cataloguing to be of secondary interest for academic studies (children's books, school textbooks, much English fiction, and many other categories). Because of the subjective nature of such decisions, the Supplementary Catalogue should always be consulted if an item published before 1978 cannot be found in the Online Catalogue. This catalogue is in two sequences: a sheaf catalogue on slips for works published from 1800 to 1905 and a card catalogue for publications from 1906 to 1977. These are located in he Reading Room Corridor South.
New cataloguing rules introduced to the General (but not the Supplementary) Catalogue in 1971 resulted in the need for the whole catalogue to be gradually revised, a process far from complete when it closed. When surviving pre-1971 practices have important repercussions on finding books they are mentioned in what follows, but they may also explain less significant deviations from what is said here. The amount of descriptive detail included in catalogue entries has also varied over the years.
[References to `entry' usually imply that a complete catalogue description, with classmark, will be found at all the headings specified. In some circumstances, and as normal practice in the Supplementary Catalogue, cross-references from alternative headings will direct you to one main entry where the classmark will be found. The use of the present tense refers to practices current at the time of the closure of the catalogues.]
The Old Catalogues are basically name catalogues. Works with one, two or three authors, editors or (in the case of literary works) translators will normally be found in the catalogue at each of them. When more than three authors or editors appear on the title-page latest practice is to enter at the first mentioned.
If no personal author appears on the title-page of a book (e.g. if it is anonymous, produced by an organisation, etc., rather than a person, or if the author's name is revealed only elsewhere in the book), or if it has more than three authors, it is normally entered under the first word of its title, excluding any definite or indefinite article, in addition to any other appropriate heading.
Before 1971 there was an important exception to this rule. When a work in either of these categories contained in its title a proper name - place, person, institution, etc. - it was entered not under its title but under that name. So, an anonymous work entitled `A visitor's guide to York' would be found not at VISITOR'S but at YORK or `The wreck of the Dragon' not at WRECK but at DRAGON, ship. As part of the process of revision, such entries were moved to the first word of the title. Most major geographical names have been dealt with, but many minor ones and other sorts of 'proper name entry' remain and should be remembered when looking for older works of this type. No revision has taken place in the Supplementary Catalogue.
If a society, institution or other `corporate body' has been significantly involved in the production of a work, that work is usually entered under that body in addition to any other appropriate heading (for the form of heading for such bodies, see below). As well as the proceedings, transactions, etc., of such bodies and their administrative and official documents, `significant' involvement includes the organising of conferences or exhibitions, the ownership of collections, corporate authorship or editorship, but not necessarily straightforward publication of a named author's work.
The Old Catalogues do not provide general subject access. Books about a person or persons, however, will be found under the name of that person or persons (up to three, above which no subject entry is made, except for families). A similar entry will be found for the dedicatee of a Festschrift. Books about other books are entered either under the author of the work which is the subject or at the appropriate heading for anonymous or collective works. (There was a period when subject entries for works about the Bible were severely restricted.)
It is important to be aware of the principles governing the formation of headings, particularly those of `corporate bodies', as the catalogues assume such awareness in their users and are sparing in their provision of cross-references.
Although practice has varied over the years, the general tendency in the Old Catalogues has been to provide as full a version as possible of an author's name. This involves the frequent substitution of full names for initials and sometimes the inclusion of additional forename(s) not normally used by the writer. This practice can be instrumental in distinguishing persons who write under the same name, something which may also be achieved by the addition of an epithet or date of birth or death. It is therefore important, when looking for an author known to you, for example, as D. Wilkins, to check not only at WILKINS (D ) but through all forenames beginning with D before assuming he or she is not represented in the catalogues.
In general, `institutions' (whose functions require a building, equipment or permanent habitation) are entered under the place where they are situated:
EDINBURGH. 3. University
Societies are entered directly under their names:
FRANCE. 7iii. Société française de musicologie
There are exceptions and complications to this rule, often covered by cross-references. The most important is that if the society's name refers to the U.S.A. or to Britain, England or London, entry is not under the country or city but directly under the name:
SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF LONDON
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
Government departments, etc., are entered under the country or other jurisdiction.
Certain types of work are entered under a `form heading':
Liturgical works and the Icelandic sagas are entered at LITURGIES and SAGA respectively.
The proceedings of congresses, conferences, etc., are entered, in addition to other appropriate headings, at the heading CONGRESS, if so described in English or a clear foreign equivalent, or CONFERENCE, if using any other terminology (conference, symposium, workshop, seminar, etc.). This is followed by a subheading expressing the name and subject of the meeting, in English. If, however, the conference is the regular meeting of the members of an established corporate body these form headings are not used but entry is made under the appropriate heading for the body.
Dictionaries, directories, encyclopaedias and grammars receive, as well as other appropriate headings, an entry at DICTIONARY, DIRECTORY, ENCYCLOPAEDIA or GRAMMAR, with appropriate subdivision by language, subject, etc. These entries form an appendix to the General Catalogue and are to be found in red volumes at the end of the alphabetical sequence. In the Supplementary Catalogue they remain in the main sequence and many otherwise obsolete form headings also survive, particularly in the sheaf catalogue. When searching here for something other than a straightforward personal author it is advisable to seek staff help rather than assume that the Library does not hold an item.
Foreign names with prefixes are normally arranged according to general usage in the language concerned; this most often means arrangement under the part of the name following the prefix, unless the prefix is an article or a contraction of an article and a preposition:
Such names, when pertaining to authors from English-speaking countries (native or naturalised) are entered under the full prefix:
The prefixes M', Mc, S., St and Ste are printed in the form used by the person concerned but arranged as if spelt out in full as MAC, SAINT, SAINTE, e.g. McGREGOR arranged as if MACGREGOR.
Foreign compound surnames and English compound surnames spelt with a hyphen are entered under the entire compound:
English compound names without hyphens are entered under the last element unless there is strong evidence that common usage or the writer's own practice makes entry under the compound form preferable:
German forenames Carl, Conrad, etc., are always spelt with a K: Karl, Konrad, etc. An umlaut is spelt out in headings by the addition of the letter e: ä becomes ae. So, Carl Werner Müller appears in the catalogue as MUELLER (Karl Werner). Neither practice applies if the person has become a naturalised citizen of a non-German-speaking country. Diacritics in other languages have no effect on the filing of letters.
When deciding alphabetical arrangement, a space or hyphen between words is treated as though it were a letter preceding A:
-
ALBERT (William)
ALBERT BROTHERS, LTD
ALBERT VICTOR, Duke of Clarence
ALBERTA.
The important exception to this principle is that Western names beginning with a prefix (except SAINT and its equivalents in Western languages) are arranged as if they were spelt right through without a space:
-
LOSAEUS (N )
LOS ALTOS, Cal.
LOS ARCOS (Juan)
LOSCH (Bruno)
LOS-RIOS (José de)
LOSS and gain.
When the same word occurs in different kinds of heading the order of arrangement to be found in most of the catalogue is: (i) title, (ii) single personal name, (iii) compounds (i.e. societies, compound names, hyphenated words). The new filing rules which were being slowly applied to the General Catalogue alter this arrangement by interfiling titles with the compound entries, after single personal names:
| Old | New |
|---|---|
| ENGLISH church review | ENGLISH (Brian Henry) |
| ENGLISH (Brian Henry) | ENGLISH ASSOCIATION |
| ENGLISH ASSOCIATION | ENGLISH church review |
| ENGLISH-IRISH relations | ENGLISH-IRISH relations |
| ENGLISH OF HAMMERSMITH (George English, Baron) |
ENGLISH OF HAMMERSMITH (George English, Baron) |
| ENGLISH-WARBURTON (William) | ENGLISH-WARBURTON (William) |
Where the new rules have been introduced, an explanatory note has been inserted in the catalogue. As most of the General Catalogue and all of the Supplementary Catalogue follow the old practice, however, it is important to remember the separation of title entries from societies and compounds.
Under an author's name the usual arrangement is: (i) two or more works, (ii) separate works, (iii) works edited or translated by the writer, (iv) subject entries
Some authors with large numbers of entries have column headings or are preceded by printed schemes explaining the arrangement, which may differ from or be more complex than the usual one.
730. c. 97. 202, 292 (two copies) ('72 . 6916)
WORDSWORTH (Jonathan):
Bicentenary Wordsworth studies in memory of John
Alban Finch; ed. by J.Wordsworth. Assistant editor,
B.Darlington 25cm. Ithaca (N.Y., 1970).
You will find a copy of this entry at:
-
BICENTENARY [title entry for book of collective authorship]
WORDSWORTH (Jonathan) [editor]
WORDSWORTH (William) [personal subject]
FINCH (John Alban) [dedicatee of Festchrift]
The practice at the time of cataloguing was not to give a heading for the subordinate editor. Because of changes in rules, it is usually safest to search under the first name to appear on the title-page, if known.
The classmark is the key to finding the book you want and should be noted down very carefully. A full stop or decimal point can be crucial. While the specimen entry given above is representative of modern practice, different methods of catalogue production over more than a century mean that the appearance and position of the classmark may vary:
- an additional or altered heading may be added in manuscript above or alongside the classmark,
- on the oldest slips, the classmark may be in the centre,
- in the Supplementary Card Catalogue the classmark is on the right.
If, even bearing these points in mind, you can find no classmark on an entry it is likely to be a cross-reference and should be read right through to discover the point in the catalogue to which you are being redirected.
Various methods have been used to indicate the presence of more than one copy of a book. That given above implies two copies with classmarks identical except for the last element, i.e. 730.c.97.202 and 730.c.97.292. Classmarks differing more substantially are likely to be found separated by a semi-colon: 194.c.97.33; 9180.c.8642. Most recent practice gives the full classmark of each copy on a separate line. Additional copies, particularly if they differ in some respect from the first, may also be added below the entry for the first copy, a method used also for some different issues or editions.
A superior number appearing in a classmark: Pam.6.80.14, indicates a single item, in this case the fourth, within a volume of separate items bound together.
There are many detailed aspects of cataloguing rules and practice which it has not been possible to cover in this short guide. Whenever you have any difficulty in using the catalogues, please do not hesitate to enquire at the staff desk in the Reading Room.