An overview of processes and procedures for cataloging "weird stuff," including video games, Playaways, streaming media, and realia. Also includes a list of resources for cataloging.
The idea for this program was developed at the Resources and Technical Services Forum luncheon at the 2008 ILA Conference. RTSF’s cataloging programs were standing-room only last year, and very well-received. We wanted to come up with something that would be relevant and entertaining, and someone threw out the idea: “what about cataloging the weird stuff we get at libraries? New formats, oddball items—that kind of thing?”And so this program was born.There’s a lot of “weird stuff” being collected at libraries. I thought I would ask my cataloger friends on Twitter to tell me about weird stuff in their collections.
So I asked them:What is the weirdest thing you have ever cataloged?The results were…predictably weird.
Shana McDanold (University of Pennsylvania)
Sarah Johnson (Eastern Illinois University)
The pseudonymous DejahThoris, who works at a culinary archive at the University of Michigan, has cataloged some culinary ephemera.
Jenny Benevento, who currently works as a taxonomist for Sears, cataloged some Soviet serials during her graduate assistant days.
Jeremy Goldstein, Technical Services Supervisor at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield, MA, cataloged a door check ticket. This item is part of a local history special collection.
Here’s Jeremy’s MARC record for the door check ticket. Note that there are many unknowns in the record—a common problem when cataloging realia.
A number of articles have been written about the cake pan collections in the public libraries of Iowa. The North Liberty Community Library has one of the largest cake pan collections in Iowa.The presence of cake pans in Iowa public library collections is prevalent enough that the Central Iowa Library Service Area (CILSA) developed a list of guidelines for cataloging cake pans.
The Charleston Carnegie Public Library in Charleston, IL has a fishing rod collection for children. Here is the public view of the record for the library’s fishing rods.
I’d like to take a quick audience participation break and ask you: what are some of the weird things you have cataloged?
As we’ve heard, there’s a universe of weird stuff out there that needs to be cataloged for public use. We could spend several months talking about all of it. I decided to focus on four specific types of “weird stuff”: video games, Playaways, streaming media, and realia. Compared to cake pans and fishing rods, most of this stuff isn’t very weird at all—it’s more new and unfamiliar than weird. But when a format is new and unfamiliar, it can be just as difficult—if not more difficult—than some of the oddball materials. It’s probably tougher to blaze a trail through video game cataloging than it is to catalog the guitar-toilet on this slide. Both formats are unique, both are new to libraries, and both will require clever and creative use of cataloging resources to develop the best possible access.
We’ll start with video games. Since this is an abbreviated session, I’m going to focus mainly on those areas of the catalog record that are odd and/or different when cataloging video games. I’m assuming that most of you are catalogers with some level of familiarity and expertise in audiovisual cataloging, so I’ll be leaving out the more obvious stuff.
If you catalog a particular nonprint format frequently enough, you’ll eventually memorize the 007 inputs. It takes a long time to get to that point, though.The most important reminder I have for you about this area is that you should omit any optional fields that are not relevant. Since the Electronic Resource 007 is a catch-all for a variety of different digital formats, there are a lot of fields that do not apply to video games. You should omit them.
Playaways are pre-recorded audio players. Most Playaways found in libraries are prerecorded audiobooks. The Playaway unit is the size of a deck of cards, weighs approximately 2 oz., and can hold up to 80 hours of audio. Playaways are battery-operated and are stored in a case that is the same size as a standard VHS tape case.They are portable plug-and-play devices—all the patron needs to do is plug in a set of earphones and press “play” on the device.Champaign Public Library introduced Playaways to its adult collections in late 2007, and to the juvenile and teen collections in mid-2008. They have been popular among users in all age groups, and we have had library users specifically request that we purchase titles on Playaway because they like the format. Many audiobook vendors have started to distribute Playaways, and special sales on the format are not uncommon.
SincePlayaways are both an electronic resource (the carrier) and a sound recording (the content), two 007 fields are required to adequately describe the item. Fortunately, the 007s for all Playaways will be the same, so it’s easy enough to develop a cheat sheet that you can use when creating original MARC records for Playaways (or when copy cataloging Playaways).The codes for the electronic resource aspect mean: $a c = electronic resource (type of material) $b z = other (specific material designation) $d n = not applicable (color) $e z = other (dimensions) $f a = sound on mediumThe codes for the sound recording aspect mean: $a s = sound recording (type of material) $b z = other (specific material designation) $d z = other (speed) $e s = stereo (configuration of playback channels) $g z = other (dimensions) $h n = not applicable (tape width) $i n = not applicable (tape configuration) $m e = digital recording (special playback characteristics) $n d = digital recording (capture/storage techniques)
Based on the preference for carrier over content when it comes to assigning a GMD, the OLAC committee that developed the guidelines for cataloging Playaways settled on electronic resource as the GMD. This follows the precedent of other materials that are issued digitally, such as sound and video files. (More on that later.) As you can imagine, this was a difficult choice. When library users see a Playaway, they’re not thinking of it as an “electronic resource.” (Actually, “electronic resource” is, in my opinion, one of the most useless pieces of library jargon out there, but that’s another topic for another presentation.) Library users think of Playaways as audiobooks. Most libraries shelve their Playaway collections with or near their audiobook collections. The OLAC guidelines do give libraries the option to use the “sound recording” GMD as part of their local practice, and that’s what we do in the Lincoln Trail Libraries System. When it is implemented, RDA will eliminate GMDs in favor of carrier type terms, which will appear in MARC field 338.
I’m skipping over some of the more obvious things about cataloging Playaways—I’m assuming that catalogers will know how to handle titles, statements of responsibility, and edition statements without any input from me. I do, however, want to mention a few unique things about the Publication and Distribution area.Most Playaways contain information about both a publisher and a manufacturer/distributor. You’ll list both in the record. The manufacturer/distributor for Playaways is often Findaway World, LLC, although other audiobook vendors have started to distribute Playaways as well. Findaway World is located in Solon, Ohio. The location never seems to appear on the Playaways themselves, probably because of the limited territory, so you’ll have to put the location in square brackets.Dates are also tricky for Playaways. The first date in 260 $c is the date of the Playaway release of the item. It should NEVER be earlier than 2005, since Playaways were not commercially available until 2005. The second date, when applicable, is the date of the original recording.
The specific material designation ($a of the 300 field) for Playaways is “sound media player.” If you can find the playing time of the recording, you should include it with the SMD. Playing time is usually listed on the back of the container insert, and is sometimes listed on the back of the device itself. The recording type (300 $b) is digital.The dimensions of the Playaway are listed in inches, consistent with other types of sound media devices and carriers, per AACR 6.5D. The dimensions of the Playaway device itself should be listed, not the dimensions of the container. Dimensions of the container can be listed in a note.Playaways are generally packaged with earbuds and an AAA battery. Many libraries do not circulate these items (pre-used earbuds? ick!). Since they are not intellectual content, they should not appear in a 300 $e, but in a note. If your library is not circulating earphones and/or a battery with the Playaway, you can remove these notes from the record.
There are a number of notes that can be included on descriptive records for Playaways, and many of them are optional.The first is the source of title proper note, which is required. The two most likely sources for a title proper note are the Playaway label (on the device itself) and the Playaway container insert.The second is a statement of responsibility note for the narrator or narrators. This is the same type of note a cataloger would include on a record for an audiobook on CD or cassette.The third is an optional edition and history note, which lists previous releases of the item on other formats. This information can usually be found on the back of the container insert.Fourth and fifth on this list of notes are optional accompanying material notes, both of which were mentioned on the previous slide.The final note on this list is a optional quoted note from the container, which describes what a Playaway is.
Access points for Playaways are the same as access points for other spoken word sound recordings. The main entry is the creator of the original text being read on the audiobook, and added entries should be included for the narrator or narrators. Optional access points can be added for the publisher of the original recording (where applicable), the publisher of the Playaway, and the distributor of the Playaway device.
Before we discuss how to catalog streaming media, we need to make sure we’re clear on what streaming media is…and what it isn’t.Streaming media is defined by OLAC as “video or audio transmitted over a network that can be played immediately, with no need to download an entire file before playback. Audio and/or video content is sent to the user as a data stream. A small amount of data is sent ahead to the user’s computer and buffered temporarily on the hard drive, and as playback proceeds, more data is constantly streamed to the user’s machine. The files created by buffering are temporary, and are gone when playback is complete.”Services that broadcast audiovisual material live over the internet are streaming media sites. Three popular web sites that you may have heard of include last.fm (music), Hulu (television shows), and YouTube (user-created video). Some colleges and universities host streaming media content on their web sites, including recorded lectures and student performances. There are also subscription services for libraries that provide users with streaming audio or video, such as the Naxos Music Library.
Streaming media is NOT contained on any sort of physical media (DVD, CD, videotape). Music or video downloaded to a portable device is NOT streaming media. Rule of thumb: if you can listen to or watch it without an active internet connection, it isn’t streaming media.
Streaming media files are, by their very nature, a hybrid format. All streaming media files are cataloged using the rules for descriptive cataloging found in AACR Chapter 9, but depending on the format, they also follow the rules in Chapter 6 (for sound recordings) or Chapter 7 (for motion pictures and videorecordings).The chief source of information for streaming media is “the resource itself.” This includes not only title screens or introductions (for video), but also home pages where the media file streams from, or metadata embedded in the file. We’re going to focus on cataloging streaming video. If you can catalog a streaming video file, it’s easy to catalog a streaming audio file! We’re also focusing on video that is born digital, rather than video that existed in a different format prior to being encoded and put up on the web. The rules and practices are different for materials that have been converted from a different format.
Let’s return to Keyboard Cat. This video needs an 007 field. (Actually, it needs two 007 fields, one for the video characteristics, and one for the electronic resource characteristics.)The first 007 is for the video characteristics of the item. $a = v (videorecording) for category of material $b = z (other) for specific material designation $d = c (color) for color $e = z (other) for videorecording format $f = a (sound on medium) $g = z (other) for medium of sound $h = u (unknown) for dimensions $i = u (unknown) for configuration of playback channels.The second 007 is for the electronic resource characteristics of the item. $a = c (electronic resource) for category of material $b = r (remote access) for specific material designation $d = c (color) for color $e = n (not applicable) for dimensions $f = a (sound on medium)
As you probably noticed when we watched the Keyboard Cat video, there’s no title screen. There is, however, a title on the YouTube home page for the video: “Charlie Schmidt’s Cool Cat.” This is what we will use for the title of our video.I admit that I puzzled for quite a while as to whether Charlie Schmidt should be the main entry for this video. He is, after all, the hand guiding Fatso the Cat’s paws, and the video was his brainchild. I decided to follow the practice used in most videorecording cataloging and treat the authorship as potentially diffuse, thus using the title main entry.Since this video is best known as the internet meme “keyboard cat,” I chose to include a 246 field for this well-known alternative title.
It seemsodd to include a physical description of an item with no actual physical manifestation. Streaming media is, by its very nature, a stream of 0s and 1s transmitted across the internet to your computer or other electronic device. In its guidelines for cataloging streaming media, OLAC recommends that a physical description be included in catalog records for streaming media.One of the joys (and, subsequently, one of the pains) of cataloging streaming video is that the information that you need to create a complete record may or may not be easily ascertained. As much as I love Keyboard Cat, this is a particularly awkward example because there just isn’t much there. There’s no title screen, no credits, no technical information…just a plump orange tabby “playing” the keyboard. In an ideal situation, I’d have credits to work with, and perhaps some technical specifications. Since I don’t have these things, I am forced to work with what I have!The few things I know about this video include: the length (54 seconds), that it is a digital file, that there is sound, and that it is in color. Since the video streams through YouTube, I’m not sure what its file format is, but if I knew, that would be included in this area as well.
As with other A/V formats, there are a number of notes that you can add to records for streaming media in order to better describe the material being cataloged. All notes are optional, but it is a good idea to add them when and where they apply.Most of the notes that are available for use don’t apply to Keyboard Cat, but I’ll give a brief description of each, then we’ll add the necessary notes to our Keyboard Cat record. System requirements (MARC 538) lists any specific requirements for playing the media file. Mode of access (MARC 538) is usually going to be “World Wide Web” for streaming media. If the file is available in more than one language, a note (MARC 546) lists all languages. An optional note (500) can be used to describe the nature of the artistic form, e.g., “Opera in five acts” or “Video tutorial.” The source of title proper (500) should be used in any situation where the title was not taken from a credits screen. As with motion pictures, an additional statement of responsibility can be added to the 511 field (for performers) or the 508 field (for persons with technical responsibilities). An optional note can be included to provide the history of the video (e.g., “Originally broadcast as part of a seminar on feline talents.”) If the item is issued in another format (e.g., DVD), a 530 note should be included indicating availability in an alternate format. A 505 contents note should be included if the item being cataloged is a collection of audio or video.
Since the resource being cataloged is available online, it’s important to provide access via the catalog. This can be done by adding a link to the resource in an 856 field.
What do a cake pan, a fishing pole, and a puppet have in common? All are items collected and cataloged by libraries. But how are these items cataloged?
Realia can be intimidating. Unlike books or most physical A/V formats, there’s a lot left to cataloger’s judgment. You may have to supply a title, make notes of unique characteristics of the item, decide what is or is not important enough to include in the record.
So what types of materials are considered realia?According to AACR, realia includes “three-dimensional objects of all kinds (other than those covered in previous chapters), including models, dioramas, games, braille cassettes, sculptures, and other three-dimensional art works, exhibits, machines, and clothing…naturally occurring objects, including microscope specimens and other specimens mounted for viewing.”All of the items on this slide would be considered realia, and would be cataloged following the rules in AACR Chapter 10.
The chief source of information for realia is the item itself, as well as any accompanying textual material or container. Information found on the object itself is preferred to information from textual material or a container.For titles, there are situations where this would be easily applied, such as a game. The title of the game will generally appear on the game board or on the container, so there is nothing for the cataloger to supply. Physical artifacts can be more difficult, and may require the cataloger to supply a title. The geode on this slide, for example, contains no textual material. It is merely a lovely rock. If the cataloger is supplying a title, the title should appear in square brackets.
There are a number of GMDs that can be used to describe realia. These include: art original art reproduction diorama game microscope slide modelrealia toy
Publication, distribution and dates for realia can get tricky. For published artifacts, or artifacts “mounted for viewing or packaged for presentation,” list publication and distribution information as available. Use s.l. (sine loco) or s.n. (sine nomine) as needed.For naturally occurring objects, AACR instructs catalogers not to record place of publication, publisher, or date of publication, and instructs us not to use s.l. or s.n., either.
Physical description of realia can either be very straightforward, or it can require a significant amount of creativity. For the extent of item, catalogers can be as general or as specific as necessary. AACR does instruct us to be as concise as possible, so this is not the place for flowery descriptions of the item being cataloged. Catalogers can also add numbers and names of component pieces in this area, or they can list them in a note.For physical details, the material that the object is made of should be listed, if it can be ascertained. If items are multicolored, colors can also be listed.Dimensions for realia should be recorded in centimeters, and given as height x width x depth.
As you may have guessed, there are a number of notes that can be added to a catalog record for realia. The majority of the notes are intended to provide a fuller description of the item being cataloged. Notes can include (examples from AACR): Nature of the item (e.g., “Section of a fetal pig mandible”) Source of title proper (e.g., “Title supplied by cataloger”) Edition and history (e.g., “Recast in bronze from artist’s plaster original of 1903”) Physical description (e.g., “The parts of the ear are painted to show anatomical structure”) Summary (e.g., “Puppets from a set designed to dramatize real-life situations”) Contents (e.g., “Includes a simplified version of the game.”
Where do you go when you have a question about cataloging? Who can you turn to for help? What resources are available, both online and in print, to help catalogers stay current?The next portion of the presentation provides an overview of some of the best continuing education and current information for catalogers. I’ve set aside some time at the end for you to share any resources that I may have missed!
When it comes to e-mail-based discussion lists for catalogers, AUTOCAT is the grand-daddy of them all. And like some granddaddies, it’s frequently touchy, opinionated, and a little too crotchety for some people’s tastes—mine included. I’ve been on and off of AUTOCAT since I was in library school, and while I believe that there’s tons of excellent information in the archives, and while I am always entertained by a cataloger catfight/trainwreck, subscribing to the list (and keeping up with the subscription) is a little too much cataloging information overload.When I need AUTOCAT, I search the archives instead. This allows me to ignore the stuff that does not interest me.
The following lists are more specific and lower-traffic than AUTOCAT, but can be particularly useful, especially if you are working with a specific format. I’ve been on OCLC-Cat and OLAC-L for quite a while, and I find both of them very manageable, friendly, and helpful.Like most lists, archives are available, but you may need a login and password. My suggestion? If you don’t want the e-mail, but you want access to the list archives, subscribe to the list but set your subscription to NOMAIL so you won’t receive the mail. You can also set your subscription to DIGEST and receive a daily digest of posts.
There are several associations and organizations for catalogers. ALCTS, which is a division of the American Library Association, is the largest and most comprehensive. Based on my personal experience, I’ve found that ALCTS has a very strong academic library focus, although they recently started a committee focused on the technical services needs of public libraries. OLAC attracts members from a variety of different types of libraries who share an interest in audiovisual cataloging. The OLAC newsletter (which is available for free online) is a handy publication, and one that I tend to hold on to because the information is often useful. MOUG is for catalogers at music libraries and catalogers who work with music. There is some overlap between OLAC and MOUG, and they occasionally host joint conferences.IOUG is the OCLC Users Group for Illinois. IOUG provides cataloging training for OCLC member libraries throughout the state. The IOUG Cataloging Mentors list is a good place to go for expert assistance with specific formats.
Free is always good, especially when budgets are shrinking. The web sites on this list are all free, authoritative, and very useful to catalogers faced with unfamiliar or unusual formats.
Most catalogers have a copy of AACR at close hand. Here are a few other books that you might want to add to your professional bookshelf.
PLANET CATALOGING is an aggregated feed of a number of cataloging- and metadata-related blogs. Some of the blogs are regularly updated, a few haven’t been updated since 2007, and some of them aren’t really cataloging-related but are the personal blogs of people who work as catalogers. The result? There’s some good information, and some awful song lyrics.Two of the better cataloging blogs aren’t part of Planet Cataloging (but should be). THREE CATALOGERS WALK INTO A BLOG is the product of Jen Young, Joy Anhalt, and Richard Stewart—familiar names to many in this room, since they are all Illinois catalogers who are very professionally active. The updates aren’t frequent, but when they are, they are substantive and useful, making this one of the better continuing-education blogs out there for catalogers. CATALOGING AIDS is the “blog portal” to Lynne DeGraw’s long-running Cataloging Aids web site. DeGraw grabs her information from all over the web, covering descriptive and subject cataloging as well as classification. While the majority of the content is quick information, there’s also the occasional “rant,” as she calls them—although they’re more thoughtful and informed than most Internet-based rants.