Background

Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Books), referred to hereafter as DCRM(B), is third in direct descent from Bibliographic Description of Rare Books (BDRB).  BDRB was published in 1981 as the interpretations of the Library of Congress for AACR2, rules 2.12-2.18, on early printed monographs.  When it was due for revision, the RBMS Bibliographic Standards Committee under Jackie M. Dooley teamed up with Ben R. Tucker and Robert Ewald of the Library of Congress to produce Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Books (DCRB), which appeared in 1991.  In 1998, Robert L. Maxwell, then chair of the Bibliographic Standards Committee, inaugurated the current revision.

In contrast to the previous two editions of the rare book cataloging rules, the Library of Congress preferred to be responsible for commenting on and approving the text rather than actively engaged in writing it.  Director for Cataloging Beacher Wiggins (now Director for Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access) first authorized the revision and the Bibliographic Standards Committee’s lead role in it, and Barbara B. Tillett, Chief of the Policy and Standards Division, confirmed his decision.  Along with Elizabeth Robinson (team leader for rare book cataloging), Policy and Standards Division members Margaret Detweiler and Robert Ewald (both now retired) and Judith Kuhagen have scrutinized drafts and monitored DCRM(B)’s progress.

DCRM(B) was already well underway when work on RDA: Resource Description and Access (then called AACR3) was announced.  The DCRM(B) editors briefly considered, then rejected, postponing further work until after RDA’s publication.  We agreed it would be unwise to delay, given the progress already made on DCRM(B) and the considerable investment to date of time, labor, and money.

Changes from DCRB

The most significant changes from DCRB are:  new introductory sections on "Objectives and Principles" and "Precataloging Decisions;" the explicit incorporation of machine-made books into the rule text and examples; the addition of Area 6; an expanded appendix on early letterforms and symbols (including images of early letters and symbols accompanied by their correct transcriptions); and new appendixes on collection-level cataloging, core-level cataloging, variations requiring the creation of a new bibliographic record, and individual issues of serials.

DCRM(B) gives expanded guidance and prescribes a more rigorous and consistent approach to transcription than did DCRB, and incorporates a sharp distinction between information transcribed from the source and information that has been supplied by the cataloger.  Transcribed information is never to be placed within square brackets (unless the letter or character is unclear; see 0G6.2).  Conversely, the presence of square brackets in those areas of the description that require transcription (see introductory section III.2.2) immediately and unambiguously identifies text as supplied or interpolated.  Another notable change related to more rigorous transcription principles is that roman dates in the source are transcribed as roman rather than arabic numerals.

Other changes include restricting transcription of the statement of responsibility to the chief source of information; the inclusion of dust jackets as a prescribed source of information for areas 2, 4, and 6; a discussion on the transcription of manufacturers in Area 4; the exclusion of copyright dates from the date of publication element; the elimination of special status for engraved title pages in the statement of extent; the dropping of periods after cm and mm (approved for AACR2 in 2002 but implementation deferred until publication in RDA), and an expanded section on local notes.  Area 0 is substantially re-organized, and the language throughout has been made more consistent and explicit.

Acknowledgments

Many people have contributed their time and effort in bringing DCRM(B) to fruition. Members of the Bibliographic Standards Committee since DCRB went into revision in the spring of 1998:

Randal S. Brandt

Deborah J. Leslie

Nina Schneider

Christine Clarke

Megan Lewis

E.C. Schroeder

Ann W. Copeland

M. Winslow Lundy

Sandra Sider

Laurence S. Creider

Juliet McLaren

Stephen Skuce

Emily Epstein

Russell Martin

Eileen L. Smith

David M. Faulds

Robert L. Maxwell

Joe A. Springer

Sarah Schmidt Fisher

Kate Moriarty

James Stephenson

Jain Fletcher

R. Arvid Nelsen

Bruce Tabb

Jane Gillis

Richard Noble

Manon Théroux

Melinda Hayes

Gregory A. Pass

Alex Thurman

Eileen Heeran

Elizabeth Robinson

Gerald R. Wager

Ryan Hildebrand

Jennifer O'Brien Roper

Beth M. Whittaker

James Larrabee

Patrick Russell

 

The Bibliographic Standards Committee is profoundly grateful to the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Yale University, for their abundant generosity in bringing twenty-five participants to New Haven for the DCRM Working Conference in 2003, and providing food, housing, space, and staff assistance for an enormously productive four-day meeting.  It is not an exaggeration to say that DCRM(B) would have been much the poorer and much the slower without the Beinecke’s unstinting support.  Conference participants were:

John Attig

Barbara M. Jones

Eileen L. Smith

Ann W. Copeland

James Larrabee

Joe A. Springer

Laurence S. Creider

Deborah J. Leslie

Laura Stalker

Jackie M. Dooley

Robert L. Maxwell

Bruce H. Tabb

Sarah Schmidt Fisher

Juliet McLaren

Suzy Taraba

Jain Fletcher

Gregory A. Pass

Manon Théroux

Jane Gillis

Elizabeth Robinson

Beth M. Whittaker

Brian Hillyard

Jennifer O'Brien Roper

 

Elizabeth L. Johnson

Stephen Skuce

 

Our heartfelt thanks go, too, to the Folger Shakespeare Library for generously providing meeting space for three DCRM(B) editorial meetings.  All images come from the collections of the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Conscientious and insightful comment on earlier drafts of DCRM(B) was provided by the Rare Books Department of Cambridge University Library; the Bibliographic Standards Committee of the Rare Books and Special Collections Group, Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (UK); CC:DA; the Rare Book Team of Yale University Library, and of course our partner in this endeavor, the Policy and Standards Division of the Library of Congress.

We extend our warm gratitude to all those who, in addition to those listed above, contributed to DCRM(B) by participating actively at the public hearing, commenting on or proofreading drafts, and providing valuable research and expert opinion.  This is surely a community document:  Karen Attar, Dorothy Auyong, Matthew Beacom, Erin C. Blake, Ronald Bogdan, J.P. Brigham, Lyle E. Buettner, Deanna Chavez, Ellen Ellickson, Will Evans, Todd Fell, Carol Fink, Lisa Furubotten, Benjamin Griffin, John J. Hall, Matthew Heintzelman, Barry E. Hinman, Eric Holzenberg, Nancy A. Kandoian, Jim Kuhn, Daniel Lovins, Lucy Marks, Alexandra Mason, Christopher S. Motta, Walter F. Nickeson, Michael North, Doris N. O'Keefe, Carol E. Pardo, Mitchell Pendleton, Sara Piasecki, Daniel Rettberg, Joseph Ripp, Joseph Ross, Lenore M. Rouse, Christopher Smith, Karen Spicher, Stephen Tabor, Penny Welbourne, Kathleen Whalen, Jane Wickenden, David Woodruff, and Stephen R. Young.

The scores of students who have passed through my Rare Book School cataloging course at the University of Virginia, and now, California, have helped shape this document immeasurably, whether they know it or not.  By applying their fresh and inquisitive minds to DCRB and the drafts of DCRM(B), they have kept my own from the dangers of a blindness born of too-long acquaintance.

The index was prepared by Jean Skipp of IncludesIndex.  The cover and title page design is by Kathy Bowlin of Graphic Answers Inc.

Finally, I want to acknowledge and thank the four people who agreed to serve with me as DCRM(B) editors, who have given generously of their time and considerable intellect; it has been a delight as well as an education working with them:  John Attig, Robert L. Maxwell, Joe A. Springer, and Manon Théroux.  Editors preparing the other DCRM components have as well provided smart, substantive, cheerful, and most welcome editorial help and advice:  Randal S. Brandt, Ann W. Copeland, Jain Fletcher, Jane Gillis, Juliet McLaren, and Stephen Skuce.

Manon Théroux deserves special recognition:  as chair of the Editorial Team, she has devoted uncountable hours (many of them while the rest of us slept, not to mention postponing her honeymoon) to organizing the work of the editorial team, setting meeting agendas, keeping track of its progress, taking up the slack when assigned tasks fell through, carefully evaluating each proposed change and addition, writing portions of new text, and making painstaking, well-documented edits.  My esteem, gratitude, and admiration know no bounds.

 

Deborah J. Leslie

Chair, RBMS Bibliographic Standards Committee

7 December 2006

See also:

Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Books):  Contents