Cataloging Games

Cataloging Games IST 616, Fall 2008 Katharine Posner Bradley Shipps

Not much to go on… ,[object Object]

Elon University Catalog Entry for Ticket to Ride: Europe

The College of St. Scholastic’s Record for Ticket to Ride: Europe

Based on the examples we found and AACR2 Ch. 10, we cataloged this similar title:

Getting Started ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

Title and Statement of Responsibility (MARC 245) ,[object Object],Often games do not list an individual creator – should the statement of responsibility then include the publisher? Our conclusion: According to AACR2 Chapter 10, the chief source of information is the container, so if an individual creator is not listed on the box, the publisher should be listed under the statement of responsibility. However, if the name of an individual creator is known through some other source, a cataloger might choose to include that information in brackets.

Other Considerations ,[object Object],[object Object]

Publication Information (MARC 260) ,[object Object],Game titles often change hands among the corporate entities that publish them. Because the chief source of information is the container, if a company sells the rights or gets bought out, the cataloger should still use the information on the box. Additional information could be placed in brackets or in a notes field as needed.

Description/Physical Details (MARC 300) ,[object Object],This serves as an inventory so that circulation is certain that all pieces have been returned.

General Note (MARC 500) ,[object Object],[object Object]

Credits (MARC 508) ,[object Object],This information is frequently not provided for games and might be left blank.

Audience (MARC 521) ,[object Object]

Summary (MARC 520) ,[object Object],The cataloger must choose a description that will be most helpful for patrons from the extensive text on back of box. If the box lacks a summary, the information might be found inside the box or created by the cataloger.

Genre (MARC 655) ,[object Object],One record we found included “Board games” as a second genre. Another example place “Board games” under subject headings, MARC 650. We liked this better. A key consideration in cataloging any game should be including the type of game, such as card game, board game, video game, etc. In reviewing records for video games, we found that the platform or console, such as “Xbox” was sometimes included under Edition.

Subject Headings (MARC 650) ,[object Object],Neither example we found included any other subject headings, but given the time for more detailed cataloging, we might choose to include headings related to the content of the game, such as geography or trains. This would become more important to facilitate searches if a library’s game collection was large.

Added Entries ,[object Object],[object Object]

Related Resources (MARC 856) ,[object Object],This is a link to the rules for the game. The 856 field is reserved for electronic location and access. Neither catalog had this web address in brackets; however we feel that since it was not from the “container” it should be bracketed.

Some thoughts on Games and FRBR: ,[object Object]

Bibliography ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

Cataloging Games

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