Here are some comments on RDA draft chapters 4-6 and appendix D:
4.3.0.3. Describing the nature and scope of the content
All of the geographic note examples seem to be from cartographic
materials. I'd like to see a geographic coverage note that's explicitly
labeled as such, and could be for some other type of resource. For
example:
Geographic coverage: Pierce and Thurston Counties just south of the Puget
Sound.
(Title of resource: Ecology and conservation of the South Puget Sound
prairie landscape)
Geographic coverage: East from the far eastern Indian Ocean (the Andaman
Sea just west of Thailand, Christmas and Coco-Keeling Islands, far western
Indonesia, and northwestern Australia) to the Pitcairn Island Group in the
southeastern Pacific, then south from the tropical water of south and
southwest Japan to the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef.
(Title of resource: Reef fish identification : tropical Pacific)
Participants surveyed were from three sites on East Coast Australia: urban
Sydney, urban Brisbane, and the rural Northern Rivers area of New South
Wales. The Northern Rivers area is located on the North Coast of N.S.W.
and encompasses Tweed Heads in the far north to the Clarence Valley in the
south.
4.4.0.3. Recording language, script, etc., of the content
There are no examples pertaining to scripts. Here are some possibilities
I found in our catalog that the examples group could choose from:
In Serbian (roman).
In Urdu (Devanagari).
In Tajik (Arabic script).
Hebrew and Arabic (Hebrew script).
Turkish and romanized Ottoman Turkish; facsims. in Ottoman Turkish (Arabic
script).
Kazakh, Uighur (Cyrillic), and Chagatai (Cyrillic and Arabic script).
In Serbo-Croatian (Cyrillic) and English.
In Serbo-Croatian (roman), 1968-1991; in Serbo-Croatian (Cyrillic) and
English, 1992-
In Uzbek (Arabic script); later in Uzbek (Cyrillic script).
Ottoman Turkish poetry in Latin script; introductory material in Turkish.
Contributions in Serbian (roman), English, and Bulgarian, with English
abstracts.
Sanskrit (roman and Devanagari) and English; prefatory matter in English.
In Gujarati; includes passages in Prakrit and Sanskrit (Devanagari and
Gujarati script).
In Hindi; includes passages in Kashmiri (Kashmiri in Devanagari).
Includes passages in Sanskrit (Sanskrit in roman and Devanagari).
4.2, 4.3, 4.5, or 4.6
Some of you may be aware of the MARC Discussion Paper No. 2006-DP02
(available at http://www.loc.gov/marc/marbi/2006/2006-dp02.html). The
paper discusses adding a coded value to the MARC 21 008 to alert visually
impaired users that materials contain swear words, sex scenes, or violence
or are unsuitable for family reading (a combination of the above). The
paper notes that the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped at Library of Congress currently includes similar information
in a 521 note (Target Audience), e.g. "Contains descriptions of sex." The
Service also sometimes includes sentences in the 520 note (Summary) that
give the same information, e.g. "Explicit descriptions of sex and strong
language."
RDA 4.2 is called Type and Form of Content but we don't have the content
of this rule yet, but I could see how the information above might fall
under this rule.
RDA 4.3 is Nature and Scope of the Content, and I can see how information
about strong language, sexual content, and/or violent content could fit
under "Nature" of the content
RDA 4.5 is for Intended Audience, which is the MARC field used by LC.
However, there are no examples of a note like this in 4.5.0.3, nor does
the text here seem to sanction a note about graphic content: "Make a brief
note of the intended audience for, or intellectual level of, the resource
if this information is stated on the resource or is readily available from
another source and is considered to be important."
RDA 4.6 is Summarization of the Content and 4.6.0.3 says "Provide a brief
objective summary of the content of the resource unless another part of
the description provides enough information" and "Provide a summary for
all resources designed for use by persons with disabilities." LC also
uses the MARC field for summaries sometimes, and the second bullet
regarding a summary for people with disabilities seems to support this
use.
Since notes like this are deemed to be important, I'm wondering if there's
one or more places in RDA that we should have examples like the ones
above, and if that rule or those rules need to be rewritten to include
such notes.
4.7.0.3. Listing contents
There is no information or examples showing how to record incomplete
contents and also what to do as information about the contents of later
parts or issues becomes available (i.e. update the contents note when
later parts are received).
I'd like to see examples of the following types added:
Folded map in pocket has title: Special management areas for long-footed
potoroo in Victoria.
"Advance to bold mission thrust, 1970-1980 / Frank K. Means": p. [310]-457.
These kinds of contents notes justify the making of analytic added
entries.
4.9.1. CUMULATIVE INDEXES TO SERIALS
Why should this rule be limited to serials? Multipart items (especially
microform sets) and integrating resources also can have cumulative indexes
that it might be worth noting. For example:
Includes index to microfilm.
Accompanied by printed reel guide compiled by Blair D. Hydrick.
Accompanied by an index with title: Fujin sansei kankeishi shiryo¯ mokuroku.
[note: macron is supposed to be over the o in shiryo]
Accompanied by: Index to the documents of the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights, 1960-1995, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights,
1980-1995. Washington, D.C. : Columbus Memorial Library, Organization of
American States, 1995; and by: Index to the documents of the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 1960-2004, and the
Inter-American Court of Human Rights, 1980-2004. Washington, D.C. :
General Secretariat, Organization of American States, 2005.
Accompanied by guide titled: San Francisco Bay Area gay and lesbian
serials : a guide to the microfilm collection.
4.10.0.3. Describing related content
Example "Second draft" - couldn't this be an edition statement?
Example "Recording of speech given at the University ..." - isn't this a
nature and scope note, not a note about related content?
Example "Original letters in the collection of the ..." - the note ends in
the postal abbreviation for Connecticut, but I thought RDA said to use in
notes the abbreviation that will presumably be in the appendix: Conn. If
it should be Conn., this same example appears at 4.10.2.
4.10.1.1. Continuation, sequel, prequel, etc.
Firstly, I'm glad to see sequel and prequel included in the caption.
Since this note is not just for serials, a sequel or prequel note would be
nice to have as an example too.
Sequel to: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Prequel to: Jane Eyre / Charlotte Brontë.
"Prequel to Newberry Medal Winner Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry".
4.10.1.3. Split
Final bullet: shouldn't there also be the reverse note for the other
resource, e.g. Once part of: ______ or Once included in: ______
4.10.1.4. Absorption
The second example illustrates the option before the option is listed!
4.10.2. ORIGINAL OF A FACSIMILE OR REPRODUCTION
See comment in 4.10.0.3 about whether CT in fifth example should be Conn.
4.10.3. FACSIMILE OR REPRODUCTION OF AN ORIGINAL
Shouldn't there be an example of formal reproduction notes, e.g.
Photocopy. Ann Arbor, Mich. : University Microfilms, 1981. 22 cm.
Preservation photocopy. Charlestown, MA : Acme Bookbinding, 2005. 28 cm.
Electronic reproduction. Ottawa, ON : National Library of Canada, [between
1999 and 2005]. Mode of access: World Wide Web. System requirements: Adobe
Acrobat reader.
Electronic reproduction. Boulder, Colo. : NetLibrary, 2000. Available via
the World Wide Web. Available in multiple electronic file formats. Access
may be limited to NetLibrary affiliated libraries.
4.18.0.3. Recording dissertation information
In the U.S. we have an LCRI 1.0C which says (in the section on other parts
of the bibliographic record besides access points): "Treat an abbreviation
consisting of more than a single letter as if it were a distinct word,
separating it with a space from preceding and succeeding words or
initials." Thus, we in the U.S. record Ph.D. as Ph. D. in dissertation
notes. It would be nice if we could agree on a single practice!
I would like to see something in this section that says what to do about
recording notes for works produced as part of the requirements for a
degree but which are not specifically theses or dissertations. In our
catalog, we record these statements as quoted notes, e.g.:
"A professional paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Forest Resources, University of Washington."
"A professional project submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Urban Planning, University of
Washington."
"A professional report submitted in partial fulfillment of therequirements
for the degree of Master of Science in Construction Management, University
of Washington."
4.19.0.3. Recording information on awards
I am thrilled that this section on awards was added to the rules. When
we here at University of Washington suggested this to CC:DA, we included
some examples. I trust that some examples will be added here. The ones
we suggested last year were:
Pulitzer Prize in Music, 2001.
Caldecott Medal, 1964.
American Library Association Stonewall Book Award for Nonfiction, 2002.
Academy Award, 1989: Best Art Direction, Set Direction; Best Costume
Design; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
Academy Award, 2001: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the
Screen; Golden Globe, 2001: Best Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical; Best
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Hudson).
(May also be recorded as separate award statements for each award)
5.0. PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Since this rule says it includes information on how to "access a
resource", I was surprised that there was nothing in this chapter about
recording Uniform Resource Identifiers in a bibliographic record. A CC:DA
task force produced an excellent report
(http://www.libraries.psu.edu/tas/jca/ccda/docs/tf-uri.pdf) on URIs and
recommended that there be explicit rules for them in AACR2. I agree and
think that they should be mentioned SOMEWHERE in RDA.
5.3.0.3. Providing contact information for published resources
The example, while fine, is a holdover from pre-Internet days. I'd like
to see an example showing that you could include a phone and/or fax
number, an email address (communication with publishers is much more
likely these days to be done by email, fax, and phone), and even a Web
address.
6.0. PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Although the chapter is called "Item-Specific Information", what's covered
here is both single items as well as collections. The purpose and scope
note doesn't seem to recognize this.
6.2.0.3. Recording details of the item described
Last bullet: an example would be nice.
6.3.0.3. Recording provenance
The term "original resource" struck me as a bit unclear.
6.4.0.3. Recording restrictions on access
The seventh example "The collection is open for research use" -- I was
thinking that this might really be a note on restrictions on use (6.5).
D.1.2.3. Material (or type of publication) specific area
c) Numbering
"Enclose a date following a numeric and/or alphabetic designation in
parentheses."
Shouldn't the word "date" be replaced by "chronological designation"?
And shouldn't this same instruction be included in D.1.2.6 after the
instruction "Precede the numbering within a series or sub-series by a
semicolon."?
D.1.3.2. Presentation of an "In" analytic
There's no provision here to record a parallel title and parallel other
title. Shouldn't there be?
Because of the font used, in some of the examples here (and elsewhere in
the document too), a dash is very hard to tell apart from a hyphen.
Wouldn't it be much clearer if two hyphens were always used for a dash
instead of the dash character, which is not easy to tell apart from the
hyphen? When we key in bibliographic records, we use two hyphens for the
dash as a matter of course.
D.1.4.2. Presentation of a multilevel description
A typo in the first example: Vols. 39-40. should not have a period after
40.
Thhe, thhhe, thhat's allll folks! (inaccuracies intended)
Adam
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Adam L. Schiff
Principal Cataloger
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA 98195-2900
(206) 543-8409
(206) 685-8782 fax
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://faculty.washington.edu/~aschiff
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