Library Technical Services

Standard Edits to Make When Updating Manuscript Records (LTS Procedure #83)

Scope: These are the edits that LTS RMC staff routinely make when updating the catalog record for a manuscript or archival collection.

Contact: Margaret Nichols

Unit: RMC

Date last reviewed: 03/28/08

Date of next review: March 2009

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Routine Deletes

035 field: Delete duplicate 035 fields.
245 field: Delete $u (Cornell University Class of 19xx)
510 field: Delete entire field if it says: 510 3_ $a Described in REPORT OF THE CURATOR AND ARCHIVIST, [date]

Routine Edits

245 field

Incorporate the creator's name, if there is one, into the title.

245 00 $a Harold Creal. Papers or
245 00 $kPapers

Change text and punctuation to:
245 00 $aHarold Creal papers

The same goes for other generic titles such as 245 00 $k Scrapbook, 245 00 $k Report, 245 00 $k Letter, etc.

506 field

Check to see whether the access restriction on the collection has expired. If it has, delete the restriction field.

524 field

524 $a […]. Department of Manuscripts and University Archives, Cornell University Libraries.

Change to: 524 $a[…]. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.

655 field

655 7 $aPhotoprints.$2ftamc

Change to: 655 7 $aPhotographs.$2aat [no final punctuation]

NOTE: The FTAMC file has been superseded by the Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT). Check the term in $a subfield in the AAT to make sure it's still correct and up to date.

656 field

656 $a Physicians. $2 lcsh

The $2lcsh means that this term is a Library of Congress subject heading. First, look it up in Voyager to make sure it’s still an authorized subject heading.

Change it to:

650 _0 $aPhysicians.

696 field

The 69x MARC tags are no longer used. Change it to a 600 10 for a person’s name, or a 650 _4 for a local subject heading (such as Regional History).

852 field

If the 852 field contains Cornell University. $b Dept. of Rare Books, OR … $b History of Science Collections, OR … $b Fiske Icelandic Collection, delete it. These no longer exist as separate departments in the Library.

If the 852 field contains $aNIC$j[collection number], you don’t need to delete it.

Parting shots

1. If in doubt about a change or deletion, ask before doing anything.
2. After the Voyager record is corrected, be sure to add a 948 field for catalog maintenance (macro: [comma comma] mc).