DRAFT, 12/01/1998

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This draft contains contributions from the AMIM Revision Subcommittee of the Cataloging and Documentation Committee of the Association of Moving Image Archivists: Jane Johnson (chair), Ruta Abolins, Judi Hoffman, Henry Mattoon, and Joanne Rudof. These expert contributions relate to structuring supplied titles, and to form and technical terms.

[Further acknowledgements are not included in this draft but will be added later]

INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION

The purpose of this manual is to provide rules for archival cataloging of moving image material, both film and video, within the framework of the International Standard Bibliographic Description and Chapter 7 of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition (AACR 2). The general introduction to AACR 2 states that the rules "are not specifically intended for specialist and archival libraries, but such libraries are recommended to use the rules as the basis of their cataloguing and to augment their provisions as necessary."

There are four major differences between these rules and AACR 2. For archival moving image cataloging, filmographic data for the original manifestation of the work is used as the basis for cataloging all subsequent manifestations of that work; multiple lines of physical description are used in one record to describe separate sets of elements for the same work or its manifestations; rereleases and reissues are combined on the same cataloging record with the original manifestation of that work; and there is no chief source of information.

Archives which hold moving image material that is exclusively of a single format or type, e.g., commercials or industrial films, will find only general guidelines for describing collections of this nature. Those archives will probably need to develop more detailed policies and rules for their specific collections.

When applying these rules, catalogers will need to interpret them and exercise judgment. If archives determine that such interpretations should be applied consistently, they should record them in documentation, such as local rule interpretations and policies.

These rules do not address name and subject access. Some guidance in choosing name access points is provided in Appendix B, M/B/RS Policy on Levels of Cataloging. AACR 2 provides rules for the formulation of name headings in Chapters 22 through 24. The Subject Cataloging Manual and the Library of Congress Subject Headings provide guidance for the choice and formulation of subject headings.

This manual does not attempt to define archival moving image material. Institutions should decide whether or not they want to treat all or part of their collections archivally.

Changes in the second edition

• There is no longer any distinction made between "major" and "minor" change versions: whenever deliberate modifications are made to the contents of the original manifestation of a work, these new works are considered versions and are each cataloged separately from the original work.

• Since works in another language and/or script will now be treated as versions, parallel titles have been defined much more narrowly, and are used only for rereleases and reissues in the same language which have no changes to the content of the work.

• An option to use a main entry heading other than the title proper has been added.

• This manual now allows the use of uniform titles and provides guidance for their use in Appendix D, M/B/RS Policy on Uniform Titles.

• Many of M/B/RS's rule interpretations and policy decisions which were developed during the 15 years since the publication of AMIM have been incorporated into the rules.
• Other important changes include:
• expanded rules for the statement of responsibility
• expanded rules for television materials
• new rule for works with a collective title
• elimination of "umbrella" series
• US MARC tagged examples
• reorganized and renumbered sections within chapters
• updated and expanded appendices, glossary, and index

Viewing and research

While information taken from viewing the work is frequently preferred, such information is often not sufficient for cataloging, and therefore, research is necessary. Further, the information taken from viewing may not be reliable because film and video titles and credits may have been altered, removed or lost before the moving image material reaches an archive. Viewing may not be practical under some conditions due to limited resources. Archives will need to delineate their own policies on viewing and instructions on performing research.

Filmographic information is included on the cataloging record whether the information is taken from the work, accompanying material, or other secondary sources. Unlike traditional library cataloging, there is no chief source of information. Data is not bracketed unless it is probable, questionable, or supplied by the cataloger.

Options and alternatives

Some rules or parts of rules are introduced by the words, "optionally" or "alternatively." When it is recognized that different solutions to a problem and differing levels of detail and specificity are appropriate in different contexts, an option is supplied. Sometimes more than one option is given within one rule. In such cases, archives may choose to use one or more of the options. An alternative is an option to the option. When an alternative is given, only the option or the alternative should be used. Archives should decide whether or not to use options or alternatives as a matter of cataloging policy and should document these policy decisions.

Examples

The examples in this manual are illustrations of the rules. Do not take the examples or the form in which they are presented as the rule. Examples of complete descriptive cataloging records are included as Appendix A. Most examples are from actual titles; in those that are not, an attempt has been made to formulate realistic data. Examples are given using US MARC tagging.

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