In June 2005, given staff turnover and the threatened or actual loss of institutional memory, as well as Houghton Library's strategic goal of compiling standard operating procedures, it was decided that a draft manual outlining present Houghton practice relating to the cataloging of printed material should be prepared as an aide-mémoire and as a foundation for future revision. An initial draft was compiled from various cataloging memos and documents, annotated copies of AACR2, online resources, staff input, and fallible memory.
It was revised over the following year in a series of catalogers' meetings, and it will be continually expanded and updated as necessary. Ideally it will serve as a means of eliciting staff input and encouraging uniformity of practice.
The primary focus of this document is printed material (books, music, graphics) that is being cataloged as special collection material. However, it is recognized that some of the department's time is also spent on what is not normally considered traditional "rare book cataloging." Examples of this work are that which is done with modern collections, in database clean-up, with collection-level descriptions, and in expedited cataloging. These do not easily fall into the rubric of existing standards and so the department has sought to document here decisions made about the treatment of such material as they are made. Hence, while the primary focus is on the sort of thorough rare book work historically done at Houghton, the manual also contains helpful pointers for other types of cataloging practiced here.
This manual will continually be added to and changed in light of conversations and developments in cataloging practice both locally and internationally. Changes will be added in red, which will then be changed to black at the end of each fiscal year (June 30); a copy of the original document will be saved in the Historical Documents folder in the RBT groups drive in PDF form before these changes are made; the newest PDF version will replace the older on the Houghton website; hyperlinks will also be checked annually for currency.
NOTE:
In this manual, "Houghton" should be interpreted as comprising Houghton Library, the Harvard Theatre Collection, the Poetry Room, and any other collections administered by Houghton Library, unless specific exception is made.