Draft of AACR3 Part I
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5JSC/AACR3/I 17 December 2004 1 To: Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR From: Sally Strutt, Chair, JSC Subject: AACR3 - Part I - Constituency Review of December 2004 Draft The draft of part I consists of the following: • An introductory document providing background, etc. • A template for responses • Draft of part I of AACR3: - Introduction - Section A - Section B - Section C - Glossary (only terms used in part I) JSC members are asked to submit their constituency responses by 28 March 2005. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION 5JSC/AACR3/I 17 December 2004 2 [Verso of cover sheet] NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION 5JSC/AACR3/I 17 December 2004 3 AACR3 – Part I Constituency Review of the December 2004 Draft Background The Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR, with the endorsement of the Committee of Principals, is undertaking the preparation of a new edition of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules. The planned revision will be the most extensive since the publication of the second edition in 1978. The new edition will incorporate a significantly expanded general introduction, revised and expanded introductions to parts I and II, and an introduction to a new part III, which together will articulate the principles underlying the design of the rules and provide a conceptual framework for their application. Part I will be reorganized to facilitate a more efficient application of the rules for description as they pertain to aspects of content and medium. Part II will be restructured to simplify the use of rules pertaining to the choice of access points, and to facilitate the application of general rules in circumstances not addressed by specific rules. A new part III will situate current rules pertaining to the formulation of headings and references in the context of authority control. The revisions being undertaken will entail a re-articulation of the function of the catalogue and a logical “deconstruction” of many of the concepts that underlie the current structure and formulation of the rules. In that context, the objectives established for the revision will entail aligning the rules with the concepts and terminology used in the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records, and re-examining underlying assumptions pertaining to concepts such as class of materials, main entry, authorship, and uniform titles. The adaptation of the concepts underlying the rules to accommodate the description of newly emerging forms of digital resources is a major issue to be addressed with the new edition. The new edition of AACR is envisioned as providing the basis for improved user access to all media in an online search environment. It is being designed with a view to compatibility with other standards for resource description and retrieval and for use worldwide both by libraries and by other information agencies. The intent is to produce a new edition that will be easier and more efficient for cataloguers to use and interpret, both in a printed format and in an enhanced electronic form. Objectives and principles The Joint Steering Committee has formulated a statement of objectives and principles to guide the drafting of part I of AACR3. As the revision work proceeds, the statement will be expanded to incorporate objectives and principles underlying parts II and III, and a comprehensive statement will be included in the general introduction. The statement of objectives and principles for part I is presented in two sections. The first section covers objectives and principles relating to the scope, structure, terminology, etc. of part I as a whole. The second section covers objectives and principles relating to the functionality of the descriptions produced through the application of the rules. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION 5JSC/AACR3/I 17 December 2004 4 (A) Scope, structure, terminology, etc. Objectives: Comprehensiveness The rules for description are designed to cover all types of resources represented in catalogues or similar tools. Consistency The rules for description are designed to be consistent in their formulation. Clarity The rules for description are designed to be clear and unambiguous with respect to underlying concepts, terminology, and scope of application. Rationality The rules for description are designed to reflect rational, non-arbitrary decisions. Currency The rules for description are designed to be responsive to new developments affecting the range, nature, and characteristics of resources covered. Compatibility The rules for description are designed to be compatible with internationally established principles, models, and standards. Adaptability The rules for description are designed to be adaptable to the specific needs of user communities. Ease and efficiency of use The rules for description are designed to be easy and efficient to use. Format The rules for description are designed to be amenable to presentation in either a conventional print format or in a digital format embodying features such as hypertext links, selective display, etc. Principles: Generalization For each element of the description the rules should provide substantive instructions that are applicable to all types of resources. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION 5JSC/AACR3/I 17 December 2004 5 Specificity Where required, the rules for description should provide supplementary or special instructions applicable to a specific type of content, medium, etc. Non-redundancy The rules for description should avoid unnecessary repetition of instructions. Terminology The terminology used in the rules for description should be consistent with the concepts and terms defined in Functional Requirement for Bibliographic Records. Reference structure The reference structure embodied in the rules should be consistent in its overall design and serve as an efficient means of indicating the location of other rules containing instructions that may be relevant to the application of the rule from which the reference is made. (B) Functional Requirements Objectives: Responsiveness to user needs The description produced should enable the user to: ! identify the resource described (i.e., to confirm that the resource described corresponds to the resource sought, or to distinguish between two or more resources with similar characteristics); ! select a resource that is appropriate to the user’s requirements with respect to content, format, etc. Cost efficiency The description produced should meet functional requirements in a cost-efficient manner. Format independence The description produced should function independently of the format, medium, or system used to store or communicate the data it embodies. Principles: Differentiation The data included in the description should serve to differentiate the resource described from other resources represented in the catalogue. Sufficiency NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION 5JSC/AACR3/I 17 December 2004 6 The data included in the description should be sufficient to meet the needs of the user with respect to selection of an appropriate resource. Relationships The data included in the description should indicate significant bibliographic relationships between the resource described and other resources. Representation The data included in the description should reflect the resource’s representation of itself. Accuracy The description should provide supplementary information to correct or clarify ambiguous, unintelligible, or misleading representations made by the resource itself. Uniformity The presentation of elements in descriptions should adhere to prescribed conventions with respect to order, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviations, terminology, etc. Common usage Data other than that transcribed from the resource itself should be given in a form that reflects common usage. While the statement of objectives and principles provides overall guidance in the review and development of the rules, it must be recognized that to a certain extent the revision process entails tradeoffs between one principle and another – the principle of uniformity needs to be balanced with the principle of common usage, the principle of accuracy needs to be balanced with the principle of representation, etc. Highlights of major changes from AACR2 To facilitate comparison of the draft of AACR3 with the current version of AACR2, all changes and additions to the current rules are highlighted in yellow – deletions as such are not marked. The number in square brackets at the end of the first paragraph in each rule indicates the AACR2 rule from which the base text was derived. Unless indicated otherwise, the remainder of the base text and examples for that rule were derived from the same rule as the first paragraph. Major changes in the organization and scope of coverage of the rules are summarized below. Organization of the rules The AACR2 division of part I into a single chapter covering general rules, ten chapters covering various classes of material, a single chapter covering continuing resources, and a final chapter on analysis has been replaced by three new sections. The first section (section A) covers general rules, the second (section B) covers supplementary rules applicable to specific types of content, and the third (section C) covers supplementary rules applicable to specific types of media. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION 5JSC/AACR3/I 17 December 2004 7 Within section A, there are three chapters. The first (chapter A1) contains general rules that apply to all types of resources. The second (chapter A2) contains rules that modify certain general rules for application to resources issued in successive parts.