Literary Authors: AutoDewey and LC Name Authority File

1
Literary Authors AutoDewey and LC Name
Authority File

• Dewey Breakfast/Update
• ALA Midwinter Meeting
• January 12, 2008

2
Overview

• LCs AutoDewey program in literature
• Issues Adding Dewey numbers to records for
  literary authors in the LC Name Authority File

3
LCs AutoDewey program in literature (1)

• AutoDewey takes advantage of those places where
  Library of Congress Classification (LCC) and DDC
  are similar enough to facilitate mapping from LCC
  to DDC
• AutoDewey is currently limited to
• Individual literary authors
• Poetry, drama, fiction
• English, French, Italian literature

4
LCs AutoDewey program in literature (2)

• Where one-to-one mapping is possible, AutoDewey
  assigns DDC numbers automatically, based on the
  LCC number
• Where one-to-one mapping is not possible,
  AutoDewey assigns the DDC number only after the
  cataloger has made one or two decisions beyond
  assigning the LCC number
• About form (poetry, drama, fiction)
• About literary period
• If AutoDewey choices are not right for a work
  (e.g., the form is essays), a cataloger must
  assign the number

5
One-to-one mapping (or many-to-one mapping, if
the one is DDC)

• AutoDewey assigns DDC numbers automatically (with
  segmentation mark)
• Example
• PR1580-PR1588 Beowulf
• 829/.3 Beowulf

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One decision beyond assigning the LCC number

• PS3550-PS3576 American literatureIndividual
  authors 1961-2000
• 811/.54 American poetry, 1945-1999
• 812/.54 American drama, 1945-1999
• 813/.54 American fiction, 1945-1999

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Two decisions beyond assigning the LCC number

• PS3500-PS3549 American literatureIndividual
  authors 1900-1960
• 1900-1945
• 811/.52 American poetry, 1900-1945
• 812/.52 American drama, 1900-1945
• 813/.52 American fiction, 1900-1945
• 1945-1999
• 811/.54 American poetry, 1945-1999
• 812/.54 American drama, 1945-1999
• 813/.54 American fiction, 1945-1999

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Literary periods from the Manual at T3A

• Use only one literary period for an author and
  all of the author's works, including works that
  may have been published earlier or later than the
  dates covered by that period. Determine the
  literary period in accordance with scholarly
  consensus about when an author flourished. . . .
  In the absence of scholarly comment, use the
  weight of bibliographic evidence to determine
  when an author flourished. For example, class an
  author who published one novel in 1999, one novel
  in 2000, one in 2001, and one in 2002 in the
  literary period beginning with 2000.

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WorldCat Identities (1)
10
WorldCat Identities (2)
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Literary periods LCs Dewey authority file

• LCs Decimal Classification Division has card
  files that give the established literary period
  for literary authorscard files not accessible by
  AutoDewey and not available to catalogers who
  assign LCC numbers and use AutoDewey, unless they
  leave their work area and walk into the Decimal
  Classification Division.
• What is the best way to make that information
  available?
• One possibility is to put that information in
  the LC Name Authority record for the author.

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LC name authority record example (1)

• 010 n 79060436
• 053 0 PS3535.O39
• 100 1 Roethke, Theodore, ?d 1908-1963
• Meaning of LCC number excluding cutter (not given
  in name authority record)
• PS3535.A-PS3535.Z American literatureIndividual
  authors1900-1960R

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LC name authority record example (2)

• 010 n 50007725
• 053 0 PR9619.3.M32
• 100 1 McCullough, Colleen, ?d 1937-
• Meaning of LCC number excluding cutter (not given
  in name authority record)
• PR9619.3.A-PR9619.3.Z English literatureEnglish
  literature Provincial, local, etc.English
  literature outside of Great BritainAustraliaIndi
  vidual authors20th century, A-Z

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083 field in MARC 21 authorities format

• 083 - DEWEY DECIMAL CLASSIFICATION NUMBER (R)
• a - Classification number elementsingle number
  or beginning number of span (NR)
• b - Classification number elementending number
  of span (NR)
• c - Explanatory term (NR) A phrase or term that
  specifies the topic of the classification number
  when the heading is represented in more than one
  place in the classification schedules.
• z - Table identificationtable number (NR)
• 2 - Edition number (NR)

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Literary period How to specify in 083 field? (1)

• In LCs Dewey authority file, an authors
  literary period is shown in a way not appropriate
  for MARC 21
• For Theodore Roethke 81X.54
• For Colleen McCullough 82X.914
• X represents the form
• MARC Proposal 2008-01 Representation of the
  Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) System in MARC
  21 formats has a y subfield that could be used
  to represent the literary period without
  specifying form for details see
  http//www.loc.gov/marc/marbi/2008/2008-01.html

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Literary period How to specify in 083 field? (2)

• Alternatively, give full number, including form?
• For Theodore Roethke
• 083 00 a 811.54 2 22
• For Colleen McCullough
• 083 00 a 823.914 2 22
• Potential problem people may think that number
  should be used for every literary work by that
  author, even works in a different form

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What other information would you like to see in
the 083 field?

• Use the subfield c - Explanatory term to give
  information about the meaning of the number,
  e.g., caption substitute as in WebDewey?
• For Theodore Roethke
• 083 00 a 811.54 c American poetry1945-1999 2
  22
• For Colleen McCullough
• 083 00 a 823.914 c English fiction1945-1999 2
  22

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Literary authors Comprehensive works

• From the Manual at T3A
• Literary form
• For comprehensive works, use the form with which
  an author is chiefly identified, e.g., Jane
  Austen 823.7. If the author is not chiefly
  identified with one form, use T3A8 Miscellaneous
  writings plus literary period plus notation 09
  from the table at T3A81-T3A89, e.g., use
  828.91409 for a late-20th century English author
  who is equally famous as a novelist, dramatist,
  and poet. For an individual work, use the form in
  which the work is written.

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Comprehensive works information in LCs Dewey
authority file

• In LCs Dewey authority file, an authors
  comprehensive works number is identified by an
  asterisk
• For Theodore Roethke 811.54
• For Colleen McCullough 823.914

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Interdisciplinary works information in LCs Dewey
authority file

• An authors interdisciplinary number may also be
  marked with an asterisk
• For Vaclav Havel
• 943.7043092
• 891.86254 for belles lettres

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How to indicate comprehensive and
interdisciplinary works information? (1)

• Use the subfield c - Explanatory term to specify
  the comprehensive and interdisciplinary works
  numbers?
• For Theodore Roethke
• 083 00 a 811.54 c Comprehensive works 2 22
• For Colleen McCullough
• 083 00 a 823.914 c Comprehensive works 2 22

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How to indicate comprehensive and
interdisciplinary works information? (2)

• For Vaclav Havel
• 083 00 a 943.7043092 c Interdisciplinary works
  2 22
• 083 00 a 891.86254 c Comprehensive works 2 22

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Give combined information? (1)

• Use the subfield c - Explanatory term to give
  information about the meaning of the number and
  to specify the comprehensive and
  interdisciplinary works numbers?
• For Theodore Roethke
• 083 00 a 811.54 c American poetry1945-1999
  (Comprehensive works) 2 22
• For Colleen McCullough
• 083 00 a 823.914 c English fiction1945-1999
  (Comprehensive works) 2 22

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Give combined information? (2)

• For Vaclav Havel
• 083 00 a 943.7043092 c Czechoslovakia1968-1992
  biography (Interdisciplinary works) 2 22
• 083 00 a 891.86254 c Czech drama1945-1989
  (Comprehensive works) 2 22

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Information in name authority files Summary list
of questions

• To indicate literary period, give full number
  with form?
• Give information about meaning of DDC number?
• Indicate comprehensive and interdisciplinary
  works numbers?
• Indicate both meaning of number and comprehensive
  and interdisciplinary works numbers?
• Please reply directly to the 025.431 The Dewey
  blog entry on this topic. If you prefer, you may
  also send comments and suggestions directly to
  dewey_at_loc.gov.