A complete discourse on "bound-with books" will help catalogers create records for these materials that are appropriate to their value and uniqueness.
Libraries, especially academic research libraries, hold "bound-with books" in far greater quantities than they know, often because such compilations sit on library shelves without having been given the adequate description and cataloging that will make them useful. That obscurity is about to end.
Written to provide catalogers an all-in-one resource for information about bound-with books and relevant cataloging practices, Collection-level Cataloging: Bound-with Books takes a fresh look at collection-level cataloging for these often overlooked materials.
The volume begins with an explanation of the phenomenon in which individuals assembled and bound together nonrelated printed material, documenting how this practice continued through the centuries as wider literacy and use of printed materials gained ground. The various methods used to describe bound-with books in catalogs over time are also discussed. Most critically for today's librarian's, the book describes the elements that can now be used in putting together a collection-level record for a bound compilation, offering rationale for catalogers who must choose between two very different cataloging approaches in making their records. Careful illustrations, photographs, and examples further clarify the process.
Features
• 10 full-length sample records, plus examples of how individual fields may be entered
• A computer-based drawing depicting a bound-with book, along with a diagram of how features of each item in the book are "translated" into catalog records
• 12 representative photographs showing the various forms the volumes take and the various ways the internal items are bound
• Examples of less straightforward, bound-with situations, along with the decision-making considerations applicable to them
Highlights
• Provides a historical overview of the phenomenon of bound-with books and their composition, from the mid-1400s to the point at which the practice began to wane significantly in the mid-20th century
• Helps catalogers recognize these volumes and choose the best descriptive treatments for them
• Surveys past and current guidance on bound-with books cataloging in rulebooks, such as ALA and LC Cataloging Rules, AACR2, DCRM(B) and IFLA, in order to identify best practices
Jain Fletcher is principal cataloger and head of the technical services division in the Department of Special Collections at University of California, Los Angeles, in Los Angeles, CA. She was editor-in-chief of the OLAC Newsletter (the organ of the OnLine Audiovisual Catalogers, whose specialty is finding rational, standardized approaches to a plethora of print and nonprint bibliographic material) for six years. She currently presides as chair and chief editor of the RBMS and MLA Joint Task Group on creating rules for rare music material cataloging, which will be published with the title, Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Music).
Reviews
"Anyone who has been faced with cataloging a volume containing more than one book (called a bound-with book) will appreciate this all-in-one resource that provides an overview of the history, past and current practices, and more related to dealing with this special type of material. Part of the Third Millennium Cataloging series, this volume is based on older cataloging standards, which does not detract from the usability of the theories and concepts presented. The seven chapters are a thought-provoking read about the cataloging of these materials, addressing an issue that has been only glossed over in most cataloging guides and handbooks. A valuable guide to ensure proper care and attention is paid to the treatment of bound-with books in the bibliographic record."—Booklist Online
