G 810  Rare Materials  (LC-Specific Information)

BACKGROUND:  Materials selected for the Rare Book and Special Collections Division are given special treatment in the cataloging process.  Included in the category of rare materials are:

books and non-book materials having unusual monetary value, aesthetic significance (unusually good quality type or design), and/or potential rarity (certain limited editions);

books and non-book materials of historical significance because of provenance, and early imprint date, or because they represent an important contribution to American or Western civilization (e.g., the first book on accounting in America, the first book on the telegraph, etc.)

Materials selected for the Rare Book and Special Collections Division are generally shelflisted by staff in the Special Materials Cataloging Division, following the provisions of the Subject Cataloging Manual: Shelflisting as well as internal division procedures.  This instruction contains a list of the categories of materials that are assigned to the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, followed by the procedures that are used to shelflist those materials.

CATEGORIES OF MATERIALS:

1.  Pre-1801 imprints

Books printed anywhere before 1801.

2.  American imprints

American imprints published before the dates indicated.

3.  Imprints of the Confederate states during the Civil War, 1861-1865

Alabama

Arkansas

Georgia

Louisiana

Mississippi

North Carolina

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia

4.  Latin American imprints

Imprints published before 1820.

PROCEDURES FOR SHELFLISTING:

1.  General procedures

a.  Unbound items.  Write the call number in the upper left quarter of the last page.  Write the number on this page whether it is blank or not.

b.  Bound items.  Write the call number in the upper left quarter of the inside back cover.

c.  Variant form of title.  If the cataloged form varies from the publisher's title, write the title or statement of responsibility above the call number in the book.

d.  Special attention slip.  Insert a Special Attention slip in the book and indicate the reference assignment.

2.  Pre-1801 imprints

Pre-1801 imprints are cataloged and shelflisted by staff in the Special Materials Cataloging Division.  Place all pre-1801 imprints on the appropriate shelves in the Special Materials Cataloging Division for processing.

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LC Specific Information