Procedures for Cataloging Readers

Department: Technical Services, Christopher Library

Procedure: "Readers" cataloging

Updated 2015 August 24

Purpose: To provide guidelines for creating or editing records for books in our collection considered to be "readers."

Overview:

What is a "reader?"

Readers contain simplified English, with a limited vocabulary. Readers are often abridged editions of literature or juvenile literature, but may also be original fiction or non-fiction books. For our collection, readers are purchased for use by students for whom English is not their first language, (Interlink students.) Readers can also be used by students learning English, or students in literacy classes.

Readers will have one or more of the following features:

The order record in Galileo shows that the book was ordered for Christopher Library from a fund for the Interlink program.

The word "reader" may appear on the cover or title page or elsewhere on the book.

The level of difficulty is printed on the cover or elsewhere, e.g. "level 2" or "level A."

Most pages will have vocabulary words and phrases with definitions, usually at the foot of the page.

Questions about the subject matter of the book are printed either at the end, or throughout the book.

There is an introduction that provides context for the book.

Required Knowledge/Skills:

This procedure assumes a basic familiarity with editing OCLC Connexion, Millennium Cataloging, and MARC tags, and the library's procedures for editing DLC records.

Additionally, when editing non-DLC records, creating original bibliographic records in OCLC, or creating authority records in Millennium, knowledge of the following is required: AACR2rev, Library of Congress Rule Interpretations, Library of Congress Subject Headings, Library of Congress Subject Headings Manual.

Procedures:

1. Select the record that matches the book, using criteria from Christopher Center established policy.

2. Classify readers at the LC number for "readers for new literates" noted below. This call number results in the readers being shelved together, and allows library users to find all readers by searching on this call number in our catalog.

The call number is: PE1126.N43 |b [Cutter][date.] Add this call no. in an 090 field, and delete 050 and any other 090 fields. For readers that are literature or juvenile literature, and for most books, Cutter by the author's name, using the LC Cutter table, and add the date for this edition.

(For some non-fiction readers issued as a series, the Cutter could be based on the series author, with the number of the book in the series, if given. For titles of individual books in series with no number, e.g.the National Geographic reading expeditions series, use the Cutter N3 for National, plus two or three letters from the title, e.g. N366 for the title Money & you. Check the authority record for the series for instructions.)

3. If not already present, add two specific Library of Congress genre subject headings noted below. This allows users to search the public catalog for readers (preferably using the advanced search for "subject" and limiting to English.) Add:

650 0 Readers,

and

650 0 Readers for new literates.

4. When the subject matter of the original work from which the reader is derived is suitable for adults, also add the subject heading:

650 0 Readers (Adult).

5. Use a series that appears consistently on readers. Search Galileo for this series. (For staff editing DLC records, if the treatment for the record in hand does not match the treatment in Galileo and there are no notes in the authority record or standing order record to tell you how
to edit the record, forward the book to a professional cataloger to review the series treatment.) If the series is not found, search the OCLC authority file for the series, and export the authority record into Galileo. If there is no authority record for the series in OCLC, create an authority record in Galileo. Code the authority record acode1 as "m" and include any special instructions in 590 fields.

6. Add a 500 note to show level or reader, if specified on the book, e.g. 500 A "level 1" reader.

7. Add a 500 note to describe features of the reader, e.g. 500 Includes introductions, questions, on-page glossaries and index.

8. When the book contains fiction, include or add 6xx fields which include genre subfields, |vFiction, for adult fiction, or |vJuvenile fiction, for juvenile fiction,
e.g. 651 0Indiana|vJuvenile fiction.

9. Leave the 049 field as IVUG. If we ever have to identify readers that are truly juvenile, we will use the call number and subject headings to do so.

10. Apply constant data "cgen1" to create the 949 field. If adding a second copy, add a message to the item record "Shelve on first floor."

Naomi Goodman, Cataloger, Christopher Library ; Pat HoganVidal, Media Cataloging Services Librarian, Christopher Library