Art Libraries Society of North America 31^st Annual Conference
Wyndham Baltimore Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland - March 20-26, 2003

Workshop 5 

Descriptive and subject cataloging for art materials

Saturday, 22 March 2003, 10-4 pm

Three policy experts from the Cataloging Policy and Support Office of the Library of Congress described the rules, interpretations, and policies for descriptive and subject cataloging of printed materials on art.  The workshop was introduced and moderated by Sherman Clarke, New York University.

Robert Ewald began the workshop with a presentation on "Descriptive cataloging of books containing art reproductions."  He systematically proceeded through the AACR2 rules on works about one artist, without named author, with named author(s), from a single collection.  He then discussed the rules for works with reproductions of the works of two or more artists.  Throughout, he elaborated on sources of information and the relationship to main or added entry, the rule of three in regard to authorship, added entries for exhibition documentation, illustrations for a text versus compiled reproductions, headings and entry for exhibitions, and other topics.  In the question and answer period, Ewald stated that the footnote to AACR2 21.17 on pictorial representation can be seen to eliminate architecture from consideration under this rule.

Robert Hiatt discussed "Name headings for named individual works of art."  The rule interpretations for uniform titles for named works of art came from a proposal submitted by the ARLIS/NA Cataloging Advisory Committee.  Buildings, monuments and decorative arts are generally omitted from coverage by these rule interpretations.  In the question and answer period, he addressed the proposal from CAC to establish buildings in the Name Authority File rather than the Subject Authority File; a rationale will be added and the proposal re-submitted to the Standing Committee on Standards of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging.

Milicent Wewerka discussed subject headings in art cataloging.  She described the difference in LCSH between fine and decorative arts and qualifiers for nationality or region, for ethnic group, for religion, for time period or style, for origin of art, and for current location.  She also discussed time period subdivisions, the order of subdivisions, art movements and artist groups, and themes in art.  The primary instruction sheets in the Subject cataloging manual: subject headings are H 1148 and H 1250.  Her handout also included general free-floating subdivisions frequently used under art form headings (extracted from H 1095) and under names of artists (extracted from H 1110), as well as a list of instruction sheets that are of special interest for art cataloging, e.g. Buildings and other structures (H 1334 and H 1334.5), Collections of objects (H 1427), Exhibitions (H 1593).  She closed her remarks with a short discussion of subject headings for works on architecture.  No instruction sheet yet exists for architecture.  Each speaker distributed a handout with extensive examples.  The workshop was followed by a joint Cataloging Problems Discussion Group and Cataloging Section business meeting.  Report prepared by Sherman Clarke, New York University Libraries sherman.clarke@nyu.edu .