CCO in Libraries

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CCO in Libraries Whats in It for Us?
CCO Boot Camp, ALCTS Preconference ALA New
Orleans, Friday, June 23, 2006
Maria Oldal Head of Cataloging and Database
Maintenance Pierpont Morgan Library oldalm_at_themorg
an.org
The Pierpont Morgan Library
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Objects in Libraries
Most libraries have a few objects in their
collections.

• Some are genuine works of art
• portraits or busts of founders, patrons
• art objects acquired with personal papers or
  libraries
• artwork gifted or acquired for decorative
  purposes
• But most objects fall outside the scope of museum
  collections
• cultural objects associated with the librarys
  collections
• printing plates, woodblocks, etc.
• cultural objects acquired with personal papers or
  libraries
• unpredictable odds and ends

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Library Treatment of Objects
Objects are considered outside the scope of
library collections.

• objects are mostly undocumented (ask the simple
  how many question)
• they remain outside the main cataloging flow
• they present a challenge to library catalogers

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Cataloging Manuals So Many of Them

• AACR
• - general chapter
• special format chapters

Special Material Cataloging Manuals Descriptive
Cataloging of Rare Books (dcrb) Betz, E.W.
Graphic Materials (gihc) Describing Archives
(dacs) Manual of Map Library Classification and
Cataloguing (mmlcc) etc.
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Special Material Cataloging Manuals
Most of them

• are add-ons to AACR
• leave access part to AACR
• take MARC for granted

Others, e.g. Describing Archives (dacs)

• move away from AACR
• refer back to access part of AACR
• work with other data formats, e.g. EAD

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But Wait, Theres More
AACR Chapter 10 Three-Dimensional Artefacts and
Realia
no special format cataloging manual
Is CCO the answer?
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Cataloging Cultural Objects

• did not originate in the library community
• was developed independently from other data
  content standards
• provides for display as well as indexing forms
• includes chapters on authorities
• is data format independent

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Possible Model for Library Cataloging
AACR, etc.
CCO
unpublished created objects etc.
published printed language material etc.
MARC
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MARC

• continues to be the most widely used data format
  standard in libraries
• data format and communications standard
• was designed for and works best with AACR
• has the potential to accommodate other data
  content standards
• current generation of IOLS design is based on
  MARC
• records can be easily migrated or shared

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Work Type

• central role in object description
• focus is on the concrete object
• the carrier is a large part of the content
• unlimited choice of terms
• singular form of terms

teapot sculpture
bell
painting
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Title

• no concept of transcription
• title often coincides with work type
• e.g. earthenware, jewelry, etc.
• fluidity of title
• e.g. changes in iconographic interpretation
• Portrait of a Man vs Portrait of a Moor
• Roman Feast vs First Passover
• multiple titles with their sources
• no concept of uniform title

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Creator Creator Role

• display and indexing forms of creator names
• John Singer Sargent vs Sargent, John Singer
• includes school and biographical information
• John Singer Sargent (American Florence 1856-1925
  London)
• role of creator
• multiple creators and their roles

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Creator Creator Role

• uncertainty or changes in attribution
• alternatively attributed to possibly formerly
  attributed to
• unknown creators
• unknown French artist
• anonymous artist qualifiers
• school of workshop of follower of
• wider range of source of information than just
  the object

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Physical Characteristics

• emphasis on materials and techniques
• complex structures
• parts and all their dimensions
• precise measurements
• measurement practices of various fields

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Stylistic Chronological Information

• culture of creator rather than place of creation
• concept of school
• concept of style
• uncertain and approximate dates
• provisions for BCE dates

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Location Geography

• elaborate system of locations
• Creation Location
• Discovery Location
• Current Location
• Former Location
• display and indexing forms
• holding institution and item identifier
• provenance information

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Subject

• broad and inclusive
• proper names
• form terms
• genre terms
• iconographic terms
• free-text and controlled fields
• no precoordination of subject headings
• no subject subdivisions
• singular or plural form of terms

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Example of CCO MARC21 Record
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Possible Model for Library Cataloging
AACR, etc.
CCO
MARC
IOLS
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IOLS Drawbacks

• MARC format only
• MARC input only difficult for non-librarians
• inherent display limitations
• limited number of indexes
• book-centric, e.g. default labels, focus of the
  indexes
• sharp learning curve for proper use

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IOLS Advantages

• availability of the system
• turn-key functionality
• instant public visibility of object records
• improved access to a portion of the collections
• cross-collection searching facilitates exhibition
  planning
• object records coexist with records for
  traditional library materials
• catalogers gain experience fresh perspective

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Environment
CCO
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What CCO Offers

• guidance on the documentation of objects
• fresh perspective for library catalogers
• viable alternative to library cataloging rules
• compatible with data standards librarians are
  committed to
• no need for new infrastructure
• helpful in cataloging inaccessible portions of
  library collections

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Thank you.
The Pierpont Morgan Library, McKim Building
Maria Oldal Head of Cataloging and Database
Maintenance Pierpont Morgan Library oldalm_at_themorg
an.org