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Relator Code Usage Policy

Abstract:  Policy for usage of USMARC relator codes (|4) in bibliographic records for special formats and special collections at Brown University.

Table of contents

Background

Summary of relator code usage policy

Relator code usage policy by collections:
  General research materials
    Books, serials, maps, and computer files
    Videos, music scores, and sound recordings
  Special collections materials
    Hay materials (Non-Harris)
    Hay and Hay Harris broadsides
    Hay Harris books
    Hay Harris music scores and sound recordings

Policy for application of relator codes to bibliographic records for materials housed at the John Hay Library

Searching Josiah by relator codes

Related document:
USMARC Code List for Relators

Background

Prior to Fall, 1996, application of relator codes was inconsistent within the Brown Libraries, and no formal policy had been written. The following policy was implemented in Fall, 1996, based on recommendations from a working group report submitted by Sarah Shaw and Joanna Katsune on Sept. 20, 1996 to the Head of the Catalog Department. The full report is available upon request. It documents past and present usage of relator codes at Brown by examining three separate types of materials (general collection materials, music materials, special collections), and concludes with recommendations for application of relator codes to each type.

Summary of relator code usage policy

GENERAL RESEARCH MATERIALS

ARTSLIDE, DEMOGRAPHY, ELIBRARY, ESOURCE, MEDIA, ORWIG, ROCK, SCIENCE
    Format of material:   Books, serials, maps, and computer files
    Current policy:         Do not apply relator codes

    Prior to Fall 1996:     Relator codes were not applied

MEDIA
    Format of material:   Videos
    Current policy:         Do not apply relator codes

    Prior to Fall 1996:     Two relator codes were applied (director (drt); narrator (nrt))

ORWIG
    Format of material:   Music scores and sound recordings
    Current policy:         Do not apply relator codes

    Prior to Fall 1996:     A short list of music-related codes were applied, following LC practice (composer (cmp)--authorized but rarely used; conductor (cnd); librettist (lbt); lyricist (lyr); performer (prf))

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS MATERIALS

Past and present application of relator codes:
Since their advent, relator terms, and more recently relator codes, have been applied extensively in special collections cataloging. Currently, the full list of codes is applied to most special collection materials, with the exception that Harris collections within the Hay Library receive a more limited application and Broadsides application varies slightly from other materials.

HAY materials (Non-Harris)
    Format of material:   All non-music
    Current policy:         Apply the full list of relator codes, as applicable

    Prior to Fall 1996:     Relator codes from the full list were used as applicable. The code for the most specific relationship known was used. For example, wood-engraver rather than engraver, if the relationship was clearly known to apply

HAY and HAY Harris
    Format of material:   Broadsides
    Current policy:         Apply the full list of relator codes, in uniformity with the recommendation for other special collection materials

    Prior to Fall 1996:     The full list of relator codes were used as applicable

HAY Harris
    Format of material:   Books
    Current policy:         Apply the full list of relator codes, in uniformity with the recommendation for other special collection materials

    Prior to Fall 1996:     Four relator codes for copy-specific relationships were applied, followed by $5RPB (formerly expressed in Fields 79x) (binder (bnd); former owner (fmo); inscriber (ins); signer (sgn))

HAY Harris
    Format of material:   Music scores and sound recordings
    Current policy:         Apply the full list of relator codes, in uniformity with the recommendation for other special collection materials and in conformity with LC Music Division policy. Note that LC applies the codes for performer [prf], but does not use the more specific codes for instrumentalist [itr] or vocalist [voc]. Brown policy will follow LC policy in this case, and thus apply "prf", rather than "itr" or "voc"

    Prior to Fall 1996:     In addition to the four copy-specific relator codes used for Harris books (binder (bnd); former owner (fmo); inscriber (ins); signer (sgn)), a short list of five music-related codes were applied to follow LC practice (composer (cmp); conductor (cnd); librettist (lbt); lyricist (lyr); performer (prf))

Policy for application of relator codes to bibliographic records for materials housed at the John Hay Library

Overall policy
The full list of relator codes is applied to all bibliographic records for materials housed in the John Hay Library.

Bibliographic-level vs. copy-specific relationships
When there are multiple relationships to code for the same added entry, those which are at the bibliographic level are expressed in a separate field from those which are copy-specific. The field for copy-specific relationships is followed by $5RPB. For example:

700 1# Shelton, Miles.$4ltg$4trl (lithographer and translator)

700 1# Shelton, Miles.$4dnr$4sgn$5RPB (donor and signer of Brown's copy)

Stringing
If more than one bibliographic-level relationship exists, subfield 4 is repeated within the field ("stringing") rather than creating separate fields for each relationship. Likewise, when there is more than one copy-specific relationship, these are st rung together within one field.

In the case of multiple relator codes applied to one field, the codes are given in alphabetical order. This is less subjective than weighting the relationships and giving the code for the most "important" relationships first, or than giving the codes in an arbitrary order.

Fields for relator coding
USMARC allows relator codes to be used with Fields 100, 110, 111, 400, 410, 411, 600, 610, 611, 700, 710, 711, 800, 810, and 811. Relator codes are limited to the 6xx and 7xx fields at Brown, and allowed for the 1xx field only when the main entry is by principal performer.

Main entry
With the exception of main entry by principal performer ($4prf), no relator codes should be applied to the main entry field. In the USMARC list of relator codes, authorship itself is not coded. If relationships secondary to authorship apply, these s hould be expressed in an added entry field for the same name. While there exists a code for composer [cmp], the LC Music Division is not using this code for composers as main entry.

Author/uniform title entries
If a bibliographic record has a main entry/uniform title heading combination (1xx/240), do not apply a relator code to the main entry heading. Likewise, do not insert a relator code between a name and title in an added entry uniform title (Field 7xx|t), but rather created an additional added entry (7xx$4). For example:

100 1# Copland, Aaron,$d1900-
240 10 Billy the Kid
700 1# Copland, Aaron,$d1900-$4sgn$5RPB

700 12 Blake, William,$d1757-1827.$tJerusalem.
700 1# Blake, William,$d1757-1827.$4ill

Previously cataloged items
There will be no systematic retrospective project to add or delete relator codes to previously cataloged items. In the case of added copies or recataloging of items for Hay locations, the relator codes may be added to existing cataloging.

Multi-locations (Hay/Rock, Harris/Orwig, etc.)

1)   If the first copy is cataloged for a location within the Hay Library, relator codes will be applied as needed. If a copy is later added for a non-Hay location, relator codes will be retained.

2)   If the first copy is cataloged for a non-Hay location, relator codes will not be applied. If a copy is later added for a location within the Hay Library, relator codes will be applied.

Cataloging from copy for locations other than Hay

When editing copy for non-Hay locations:

1)   Delete relator codes (subfield $4) from fields which identify bibliographic level relationships:

700 1# Morton, Elinor.$4ill

2)   Delete entire fields which contain relator codes identifying copy specific relationships for another institution's copy:

700 1# Norris, Peter.$4sgn$5BGU

Relator terms
Relator terms will continue to be deleted as encountered both in member copy being edited and for old Brown records.

Searching Josiah by relator codes

In the public display of Josiah, the relator code information is spelled out rather than displayed in code ("lithographer" rather than "ltg" and "signer" rather than "sgn") in the OPAC bibliographic records. This option became available with Release 10 of Innopac.

BARENBOIM, DANIEL, 1942- CONDUCTOR

(rather than: BARENBOIM, DANIEL, 1942- [cnd])

To retrieve the subset of a personal name with a specific relator term requires a two-step search. First the name is searched, and then limited by the three character relator code as "word in author". However, the system searches for any occurrence o f ANY author field within the same bibliographic record, and not for JUST that author first searched upon (i.e., a search for Leonard Bernstein as author further limited by conductor [cnd] as keyword in author field, would retrieve bibliographic records w ith Bernstein as the composer, and Ozawa as the conductor if the Ozawa heading had $4cnd applied.

Public service librarians can help guide the more sophisticated searcher in limiting searches by relator codes, and make known the location of the full list of codes applied, as well as this document itself, which summarizes relator code usage by collection.