Joan C Biella
Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:34:00 -0800
There are a number of problems to be considered before assuming that the roman form of the name in a Hebrew book must be a typo. 1) Consider n 99028230 "Newton, Chim." This person has written 5 books in the LC database. Should we assume that his (or her) heading also results from t.p. typos? 2) Can we be sure that Babitz had no control over the form on the verso of his title page and/or didn't care? 3) If we assume a typo and "correct" it as we see fit, how can we be sure that catalogers in widely separated places and with widely varying experience will arrive at the same corrected form? As a learned fellow cataloger points out: "Although 'Chaim' might be the obvious correction to some, to others the obvious form might be 'Chayim' or 'Chajim' or 'Chayyim.' Still others might believe the obvious form should be 'Hayim' or 'Hayyim' or 'Haim' (with or without a dot under the 'h')." 4) At least one vendor's catalog on the Net indexes this form of the name: http://kirke.hbz-nrw.de/dcb/Schlagwoerter/0115.html 5) More than 20 libraries in WorldCat have cataloged the item in question. If we change the heading, we do them all a disservice. This is the consideration behind CPSO's and the LCRI's reluctance to allow changes in headings except under very well-documented circumstances. To make a long story short, I've put a "[sic]" after "Chim" in the 670 of the record Barry discusses, and I've added a reference from "Babitz, Chaim." That may not be strictly kosher, but it's similar to the way we make references from "Vais" even when the heading has to have "Vis"). Joan >>> Barry Dov Walfish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 11/27/07 11:32 AM >>> LCAN 93030427 The authorized entry is Babitz, Chim, 1908- based on the t.p. verso of the author's Fun Krokhmalne biz Kalima. This is obviously a typo for Chaim. Does common sense carry any weight, or are we required to record and authorize nonsense if it's printed in the book? Barry