UCLA Film & Television Archive Cataloging Procedure Manual--Voyager
Bringing a collection into an archive consists of multiple workflows. Appraisal is the process of evaluating the material and determining whether some or all of it will be added to the repository’s holdings. Accessioning is the process of establishing the initial physical and intellectual control, most commonly by creating or assembling documentation of its acquisition, transfer, and receipt. The next step, processing, consists of three primary components:
Before a collection level catalog record is created, ideally all elements essential in formulating an archival information system should be collected and documented by the archivists as the collection is accessioned into the archive. As outlined in Miller (1990), these elements include:
The process involved in establishing an archival information system is analogous to a pyramid, where an archival catalog record is one part of a more complex descriptive system. The catalog record is a summary of information contained in the finding aid that in turn contains summaries, abstracts or lists based on information found in the archival materials themselves. In sum:
Steve Hensen describes this as the hierarchy of surrogacy.
Since users do not always consult the catalog to discover collections, it is good to provide an alternative methodology that users can reference to discover an overview of an institution’s collections. Collection level cataloging serves both to provide a superficial overview for large bodies of otherwise uncataloged materials, as well as plays an important role in reducing the quantity of material returned in an initial search query. This design model is important in that users are expecting that their online catalogs become a portal or gateway for the discovery of information. Instead of searching from one stand-alone database to another, users want to search from one location and be guided to a multiplicity of information resources.
Selected Bibliography:
There are three types of collection level descriptions:
The instructions that follow cover collection level cataloging at the unitary level. For analytic catalog records, see SECTION 3.4, ARCHIVE ANALYSIS POLICY.
Since item level information is lost through traditional archival multi-level finding aids, hierarchic collection level description using Encoded Archival Description (EAD) is not employed. Instead, the UCLA Film & Television Archive creates a unitary collection level catalog record in Voyager that links to an inventory list of items that are described and managed in a FileMaker Pro database that is overseen by the motion picture and television archivists.
Collection level cataloging at the UCLA Film & Television Archive may be considered for the following situations:
In general, a collection of materials where titles must be supplied may be considered for collection level treatment, particularly if the materials that comprise the collection cannot be adequately accommodated in a single item level record.
Poor choices for collection level treatment would include a series of 16 mm. prints of easily identifiable studio-produced motion pictures, such as those in the Mel Tormé Collection or the 16 mm. copies of studio produced films in the Turner Collection. The materials each of these collections contains are not unidentified, ephemeral in nature, nor do they share common characteristics such as title, creator, subject or genre.
Important note: Never mix materials coming from different sources (different donor/depositor codes) into the same collection.
Description is based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) and supplemented by Archival Moving Image Materials (AMIM), Appendix C for collection level catalog records. Where these standards differ, are optional, or are preceded by local practice, these procedures take precedence.
MARC code lists used: see SECTION 1.1, STANDARDS FOLLOWED.
DACS requirements for unitary single-level collection level records:
At a minimum, collection level catalog records at the UCLA Film & Television Archive must conform to the unitary single-level.
DACS requirements for unitary single-level optimum collection level records:
All of the elements included in single-level minimum (SECTION 34A.4.1, Unitary single-level), plus:
Unitary collection level catalog records at the UCLA Film & Television Archive will generally be described as single-level added value.
DACS requirements for unitary single-level added value collection level records:
All of the elements in single-level optimum (SECTION 34A.4.2, Unitary single-level optimum), plus any other relevant elements the repository wishes to include.
(No equivalent in DACS; see SECTION 10, Leader--Bibliographic records--All format)
For collection level catalog records:
(DACS 2.1)
Provide a unique identifier for the materials being described which consists of a local identifier, repository identifier and country identifier.
Since DACS is the primary source used for the basis for description for collection level catalog records, code the 040 field as $e dacs.
008 Field (see SECTION 11, General information (008 field)--Bibliographic records--Films and videorecordings)
Areas of the 008 field not noted, leave blank.
A supplied title is provided by the archivist when no formal title exists for the materials being described and generally consists of two parts:
Follow guidelines for supplied title formation as outlined in DACS 2.3, as formulation of title elements attempts to capture the relationships that exist among the items. In general, the supplied title will consist of the name of the creator(s) to which the materials are related followed by “collection of” and the appropriate form term(s).
Use the list of form terms as defined in SECTION 5.1.2, EXPLANATIONS ADDED TO TITLE PROPER and SECTION 5.2.1, UNTITLED MATERIALS IN PARTICULAR FORM CATEGORIES.
EXAMPLE:
245 10 $a The Hollywood reporter Key Art Awards collection of trailers and electronic press kits.
If more than two specific form types predominate, but there are also other material types present, record the one or two most predominate forms followed by the phrase “other material” (DACS 2.3.20).
EXAMPLE:
245 10 $a Jimmy Van Heusen collection of home movies, short subjects and other material.
If the collection materials are topical in nature, formulate the title as instructed in DACS 2.3.21 and 2.3.22. Do not follow AMIM C4.1.
Instead of (AMIM C4.1):
245 10 $a [Peace rallies and marches in the 1970s].
Construct the title as:
245 10 $a Collection of peace rallies and marches, $f 1970s.
Do not follow this procedure for a collection of materials in a particular form category, instead follow procedures for supplied titles in SECTION 5.2, SUPPLIED TITLES.
Do not bracket supplied titles as instructed in AMIM C4.1, except when the supplied title is constructed according to CPM 5.2. Under this circumstance, use square brackets.
For collections associated with a single commercially released or distributed motion picture or television program, the main entry or primary access point for collection level catalog records is the title proper (refer to DACS 2.3.2, AMIM C4.1). If the formal title is modified through the use of a uniform title, put the uniform title in the 245 field in brackets.
EXAMPLE:
245 10 $a [Peyton Place (Television program)].
Since film and television programs are identified chiefly by title, rather than by provenance, it is preferred that elements connected with a film or program use the formal title as the basis for the description.
Construct titles according to procedures for supplied titles according to SECTION 5.2, SUPPLIED TITLES, including the use of square brackets:
EXAMPLE:
245 10 $a [Night of the hunter—outtakes].
Exception:
Describe a collection of production materials connected with more than one film or program based on provenance under the following circumstances:
Construct the title according to DACS 2.3.
EXAMPLE:
245 10 $a Faces Distribution Corporation collection of trims and outtakes.
Provide in the system of arrangement element (see SECTION 34A.5.9, SYSTEM OF ARRANGEMENT) the title of each of the films or programs that comprise the collection, followed by the date of distribution.
EXAMPLE:
351 bb $a Arranged in the following series: 1. A woman under the influence. 1974. 2. The killing of a Chinese bookie. 1976. 3. Opening night. 1977.
Provide as separate added entries the title of each of the films or programs appended with the appropriate form term (see SECTION 5.2, SUPPLIED TITLES ).
EXAMPLES:
Additionally, provide as subjects the title of the films or programs.
EXAMPLES:
Describing the production elements connected with a number of titles as a single collection will provide an overall context when the production elements are not individually analyzed.
Since field lengths are no longer an issue in our online catalog, do not divide collection level catalog records into parts as defined in AMIM C4.1. Instead describe the current arrangement of the material in terms of the various aggregations within it as instructed in the system of arrangement element (DACS 3.2).
Additionally, do not divide records according to AMIM C7, with the exception of production materials for the same film or program that may have been or was intended to be issued in parts consisting of different casts and production personnel. Under this exception, construct titles as outlined in SECTION 5.2, SUPPLIED TITLES.
Production materials may be further described using a statement of responsibility (see SECTION 5.3, UNEDITED FOOTAGE UNCONNECTED WITH A PARTICULAR FILM OR PROGRAM, STOCK SHOTS, UNTITLED FILM, OR TAPE USED AS A RECORDING MEDIUM). Do not bracket function statements in the statement of responsibility. Instead, place in a note how the credits were supplied.
EXAMPLE:
245 10 $a [It’s all true. Episode 1, My friend Bonito--rushes] / $c Mercury Productions for RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., with the collaboration of Cinédia Studios, Inc., Rio de Janeiro ; director and chief writer, Orson Welles ; associate producer, Richard Wilson.
500 bb $a Credits supplied from researcher’s notes.
(DACS 2.4, AMIM C4.2)
Prefer recording the date element as part of the title proper when the materials described consist of a collection of ephemeral materials such as home movies, outtakes, rushes, commercials or a combination of material types since the addition of the date(s) to the title proper assists in better identifying these materials.
EXAMPLES:
245 10 $a Harold Lloyd collection of home movies, $f 1926-1950, $g bulk 1926-1932.
245 10 $a Hearst Metrotone News collection, $1915-1971, $g bulk 1929-1968.
245 10 $a Jimmy Van Heusen collection of home movies, short subjects and other material, $f 1950s.
Record dates of publication, distribution or broadcast as described in the appropriate chapters of AACR2R when the title of the unit being described is a completed film or television program or describes the elements that form part of a completed film or television program (whether intended or realized). Use the date of release or broadcast for commercially distributed films and television programs. For materials not commercially distributed, use the date the materials were created.
EXAMPLES:
(DACS 2.5, AMIM C4.3)
Record total number of items and format type in separate lines of physical description in the bibliographic record. If readily available, describe sound, color, gauge, and print characteristics enclosed in parentheses following format type.
EXAMPLE:
Provide a general statement of extent when the exact number of items cannot be readily determined.
EXAMPLE:
For general statements of extent, more detailed descriptions may be described in the scope and content note as outlined in AMIM C4.5.3.
EXAMPLE:
Do not record Study Copies created by the UCLA Film & Television Archive in individual lines of extent as they can be described in the existence and location of copies element (DACS 6.2) or described on the inventory list linked from the collection level catalog record.
(DACS 2.6; DACS Part II, Chapter 9; AMIM C6)
The structure and content of archival materials cannot be completely understood without some knowledge of the context in which they were created. There are three main steps in the process of creating documentation that establishes archival context.
Identify the individuals, families, and corporate bodies that played a significant role in the creation of the materials.
Assemble biographical information about these individuals and families or data about the history, structure, functions, and relationships of the relevant organization.
The names of these entities must be rendered in a standardized form to facilitate the retrieval of information.
Traditional archival description will present this information directly to users by incorporating the names of creators and contextual information about them directly in both the catalog records and in finding aids. The source for the name of the creator is usually the name element in the supplied title, which is traced as main entry.
EXAMPLES:
(DACS 2.7; DACS, Part II, Chapter 10; AMIM C4.5.1)
The purpose of the administrative/biographical history element is to provide information about the organization (s) or individual (s) associated in some way with the creation, assembly, accumulation, and/or maintenance and use of the collection being described in order to place the material in context and make it better understood. This element is not required when the context of the creation is unknown or cannot be made public.
This element should be assembled from reliable sources, such as the materials themselves and reference works. Types of information to be recorded in summary notes may include:
EXAMPLE:
545 bb $a Eugene “Gene” Curran Kelly (1912-1996) was born in the Highland Park district of Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania and worked professionally in motion pictures and television as a dancer, choreographer, actor, producer, and director. His first wife was actress Betsy Blair (1923- ) whom he married in 1941. Their only daughter, Kerry, was born on October 16, 1942. Kelly arrived in Hollywood in 1941, where he launched his film career with the MGM musical, For me and my gal (1942). Other films include Du Barry was a lady (1943), Thousands cheer (1943), Cover girl (1944), and Anchors aweigh (1945). At the end of 1944, he enlisted in the United States Naval Air Service and was stationed at the U.S. Naval Photographic Center, starring in several Navy films while on active duty there. After completing his service, he was given the rank of lieutenant, junior grade. Kelly was discharged from the Navy in 1946 and returned to Hollywood, where he initially found little work. MGM eventually cast Kelly opposite Judy Garland in The pirate (1948), which led to Kelly's increased interest in directing his own films. This would come in the form of the unconventional musical, On the town (1950), which Kelly co-directed with Stanley Donen. The collaboration triggered a successful two years with An American in Paris (1951), which won the Best Picture Oscar and Singin' in the Rain (1952), considered the most popular movie musical of all time. Kelly's last productions, including Brigadoon (1954) and the ambitious It's always fair weather (1955), failed to appeal to either critics or the public. The latter film also brought a bitter end to his partnership with Stanley Donen. Professional and personal conflict led to the breakup, including the fact that Donen's wife, Jeanne Coyne (1923-1973), had fallen in love with Kelly. With Kelly's own marriage to Betsy Blair in dissolution, both couples divorced and Kelly eventually married Coyne in 1960. They had two children, Timothy (1962- ) and Bridget (1964-). Small roles and directing jobs followed. Professional highlights included the Broadway musical Flower drum song and an original ballet he created for the Paris Opera. In the late 1950s, the television show Omnibus invited Kelly to create a documentary about the relationship between dance and athletics, Dancing: a man's game, which aired on December 21, 1958, and is considered one of the classic treasures from television's golden age. However, the hit Kelly so badly craved and needed as director of the film Hello, Dolly (1969) eluded him. Kelly was a Kennedy Center honoree in 1982, received the American Film Institute's lifetime achievement award in 1985 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. Kelly married writer Patricia Ward in 1990. For the remaining years of his life he was hard at work on his autobiography, which was unfinished at the time of his death on February 2, 1996.
If the collection materials consist of more than one creator or collector, create a separate administrative/biographical history for each person or entity described.
When the collection consists of production elements connected to a film or television program or consists of a number of episodes connected to a television program, divide the history note into the following sections, when applicable. The first section outlines the production history, the second section lists the cast (see SECTION 5.7.10, PARTICIPANT OR PERFORMER NOTE (511), the third section lists the production personnel (see SECTION 5.7.8, CREDITS NOTES, and the fourth section notes the major shooting locations (see SECTION 5.7.13, DATE/TIME AND PLACE OF AN EVENT NOTE (518).
EXAMPLE 1:
EXAMPLE 2:
Since credits for collection level catalog records will not be transcribed, note any reference sources that were consulted.
EXAMPLE:
500 bb $a Credits supplied from: The complete directory to prime time network and cable TV shows, 1946-present, 1995.
(DACS 3.1, AMIM C4.5.2, C4.5.3)
The scope and content note element is a brief summary of the subject matter, activities, functions, and documentary forms or intellectual characteristics of the materials being described and should be viewed as a good source for access points. Types of information to be recorded in summary notes may include: types and forms of materials, their arrangement, dates of subject coverage, and the most significant topics, persons, places, or events.
EXAMPLE:
In addition to creating access points for the most significant topics, persons, places, or events, create access points for individual titles that are contained as part of the collection.
EXAMPLES:
Do not follow AMIM C4.5.2 for analyzed contents notes for collection level catalog records since scope and content is not differentiated in DACS.
(DACS 3.2, AMIM C4.4)
The system of arrangement should be derived from the materials themselves and described in terms of the various aggregations within it and their relationships.
EXAMPLE 1:
EXAMPLE 2:
(DACS 4.2)
Provide information about access restrictions due to any physical characteristics or storage locations that limit, restrict, delay, or otherwise affect access to the materials being described.
EXAMPLE:
506 bb $a APPOINTMENT REQUIRED FOR VIEWING MATERIALS ONSITE. $b Inquire at the Archive Research and Study Center for further information (email: arsc@ucla.edu).
(DACS 4.6)
The finding aids element identifies any other finding aids to the materials being described, particularly if they are available to the user, and provides information about the form and content of those finding aids.
EXAMPLE:
555 8b $a Inventory list available. Inquire at the Archive Research and Study Center or refer to the Internet version cited in this record.
If the inventory is available electronically, provide a link from the bibliographic record.
EXAMPLE:
856 42 $3 Inventory list $u http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/collections/film.html
Optionally, provide a note to references to other descriptions, most often in published sources, when they are important for interpreting the materials described (see DACS 4.6.5).
EXAMPLE:
510 bb $3 Transcripts. $a The speeches, remarks, press conferences, and statements of Senator John F. Kennedy. Final report of the Committee on Commerce, United States Senate, 1961. $b August 1 through November 7, 1960.
(DACS 5.1, 5.2, 5.3)
Record the source(s) from which the materials being described were acquired, the date of acquisition, and the method of acquisition, if this information is available and not confidential (DACS 5.2.3).
EXAMPLES:
Record the successive transfers of ownership, responsibility, or custody or control of the materials being described from the time it left the possession of the creator until its acquisition by the repository, and any dates thereof, if this information can be ascertained and if it is significant in understanding the authenticity of the materials (DACS 5.1.3).
EXAMPLE:
561 bb $3 videocassettes $a Key Art Award nominees as received from the Hollywood Reporter, Inc. and check prints acquired from THX as part of the Trailer Audio Standards Association (TASA) sound check program.
Do not follow guidelines for appraisal, destruction, and scheduling information (DACS 5.3), since preservation and trafficking activities are recorded in locally defined and maintained FileMaker Pro databases.
(DACS 5.4)
Indicate whether further accruals are expected, if this information is known and is not confidential.
EXAMPLE:
584 bb $a The repository continues to add materials to this collection on a regular basis.
(DACS 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4)
Since archival prints and pre-print are often copies, prefer not to record the existence, location, and availability of originals when the materials being described consist of copies and the originals are not held by the archive (DACS 6.1).
Additionally, prefer not providing a general note referring to the existence, location, and availability of materials (DACS 6.2) unless there is an unusual circumstance preventing users from accessing the materials not covered in the general availability note located in the holdings format.
If known, indicate the existence and location of archival materials that are closely related to the materials being described either in another UCLA information center, in other repositories, or elsewhere (DACS 6.3).
EXAMPLES:
Publications that are about or based on the use, study, or analysis of the materials may be noted when known (DACS 6.4), particularly if the UCLA Film & Television Archive created the publications.
EXAMPLES:
(DACS 7.1.5)
Indicate the preferred style for the citation of the unit being described.
EXAMPLES:
The following table prescribes the order of notes for collection level records.
(DACS 8.1)
Record the name of the person who created or revised the description, as well as the creation or revision date (DACS 8.1.5).
EXAMPLES:
(No equivalent in DACS; see SECTION 15, Holdings fields--Leader--All formats)
(No equivalent in DACS; see SECTION 19, Holdings fields--Fixed-length data elements (008 field)--All formats)
For collection level catalog records, code the 008 field as follows (if value not listed, leave blank):
008 field
(DACS 2.1; see SECTION 22, Holdings fields--852--Location)
Record location as instructed in CPM Section 22, except instead of an inventory number, use a collection number. Collection numbers are assigned in order of record creation.
EXAMPLE:
852 _ 8 $b ftsrr $h Collection 1
(No equivalent in DACS; see SECTION 13A, 9XX fields and SECTION 25, Holdings fields--901--Archive collection codes)
When collection level catalog records contain a mix of television and motion picture materials, use both the MP and TV collection (SPAC) codes:
Use SPAC codes for collection level catalog records when individual titles and other materials from the same source have been separated and where it is desirable that these materials from the named collection can be retrieved together.
EXAMPLES:
Record the donor/depositor source code and availability code (see SECTION 27, Holdings fields--905).
EXAMPLE:
905 bb $c 2067 $d 000 $f R
Always record the physical count (905 $d) as zero. Do not include footage count (905 $e).
(DACS 8.1)
Record the name of the person who created or revised the description, as well as the creation or revision date (DACS 8.1.5).
EXAMPLES:
Last modified: March 6, 2007, my