Cataloguing rules: author and title entries / compiled by committees of the American library association of the Library association.

Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Cataloguing rules: author and title entries / compiled by committees of the American library association of the Library association. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    History. The Condensed Rules for an Author and Title Catalog, of which a revision is here presented, were prepared by a committee* of the American Li- brary Association appointed September 5, 1877. The full text of the rules was first submitted at the Buffalo conference in 1883,1 was printed in full in the Pro- ceedings of that year (Library Journal, 8 : 251-254), and reprinted in Cutter’s R.ules for a Dictionary Catalog. The importance of some uniformity in cata- loging practice has therefore from the beginning been fully recognized by the Association. The compilation and issue of the A. L. A. Rules has not, however, prevented considerable divergence in the practice even of libraries organized subsequent to 1883. Questions of cooperative cataloging continued to engage attention, and com- ing to the front at the Montreal meeting of June, 1900, finally resulted in definite action by the Association. One of the first matters to be considered by the Pub- lishing Board was the means of introducing more uniformity into the size and style of type, the size and quality of catalog cards, and the rules governing en- tries. As soon as the agreement had been consummated between the Publishing Board and the Library of Congress whereby the latter was to supply printed cards for current books, beginning, if possible, with January 1, 1901, the appoint- ment of the present Catalog Rules Committee was decided upon. The work so far accomplished by this committee can be summarized briefly as follows: Immediately after its appointment, about the middle of December, 1900, it was instructed to inquire into the type and style of entry in use at the Library of Congress, to recommend such modifications as might seem necessary, and, further, to consider the catalog rules in force—especially the points on which American libraries had hitherto failed to reach an agreement. Special efforts were to be made to secure agreement between the rules of the Library of Congress and the new A. L. A. Rules. In case of disagreement, the variations on the part of the Library of Congress rules were to be specified in notes. In order that the issue of printed cards by the Library of Congress might begin with the calendar year 1901, the Committee agreed that for the time being the type and style of entry in use at the Library of Congress should be accepted, with a few slight modifications. The Committee met for the first time in March, 1901. The points first to be considered were those affecting typography and form of entry, and the following recommendations were agreed upon and submitted: a) The entire heading to be printed in 12-point heavy-faced type, exceptions being made for titles, explanatory phrases, etc. b) The author’s name or the heading to be printed on a line by itself. c) The title to be printed in 12-point. * C. A. Cutter, A. R. Spofford, S. S. Green, J. N. Dyer, L. E. Jones, t C. A. Cutter, S. H. Scudder. C. B. Tillinghast. committee.