Merging duplicate graphic material records: A field-by-field comparison

1.1.1. Rare materials (pre-1830)

 Note: Catalogers unfamiliar with rare books and rare book cataloging rules should not merge bibliographic records for either original rare materials or their electronic reproductions. When considering the merging of records for electronic reproductions of rare materials, take into account the additional electronic resource guidelines in Appendix A of the Book Guidelines.

Graphic materials that are published prior to 1830 are by default considered rare, or "historic". However, rare graphics cataloging rules can be applied to graphics regardless of date of publication, and any graphic cataloged according to such rules should be considered rare. Rare graphics cataloging rules are coded in the 040 subfield $e (e.g., dcrmg; older records may have used gihc). The full list of descriptive conventions is: amin, amremm, appm, bdrb, cgcrb, cco, dacs, dcarlisnaaf, dcgpm, dcrb, dcrmb, dcrmc, dcrmg, dcrmm, dcrmmss, dcrms, dcrmr, dmbsb, enol, estc, fiafcm, gihc, hmstcn, iosr, kam, nmxcmdf, ohcm, rad, rna, rnab, vd16, vd17. Catalogers who are not familiar with rare graphics and rare graphics cataloging rules should not merge records for rare graphics.

Records may be considered duplicates regardless of the absence or presence of field 040 subfield $e. Determine the record to be retained based on the following guidelines:

• If one of the records is coded as rare in field 040 subfield $e and the potential duplicates are not, but it is evident from all fields (including note fields) that they represent the same manifestation, merge and retain the record coded as rare in field 040 subfield $e
• If the records are encoded using the same rare cataloging rules in field 040 subfield $e, compare all records (including note fields) to determine whether they are duplicates, and if appropriate, merge, retaining the most complete record (based on content, not holdings)
• If the records are encoded using different rare cataloging rules, and are of equal fullness, retain the record coded for the most recent cataloging rules (that is, prefer dcrmg over gihc)
• If the records are encoded using different rare cataloging rules, and are not of equal fullness, transfer information from the more complete record(s) to the one with the most recent cataloging rules
• If none of the records are coded as rare, compare all records (including note fields) to determine whether or not they are duplicates, and if appropriate, merge, retaining the most complete record (based on content, not holdings)

In all cases, be aware of fields that will not auto-transfer during the merge process and manually transfer these as appropriate, such as unique 510 fields, or fields containing copy-specific information that include subfield $5.

Specific exceptions for rare graphics are noted throughout this document.

Fixed fields

1.2.1. 006 and 007

• Records may be considered duplicates for merge regardless of absence or presence of field 006 or 007.
• Specific differences in the physical format of the resource may justify separate records. Compare fields 300, 340, 500, 510, etc. to justify a merge.

1.2.2. 007

• If Nonprojected Graphic field 007 is present on both records, subfield coding need not match, but must not be mutually exclusive.
  
  Examples:
  Subfield ‡b (007/01) coded "h" does not match subfield ‡b coded "j".
  However, subfield ‡b coded "h" may possibly match subfield ‡b coded "i".
  
  Subfield ‡d (007/03) coded "c" does not match subfield ‡d coded "b".
  However, subfield ‡d coded "c" may possibly match subfield ‡d coded "u".
   
• In cases where subfield ‡b (007/01) is different, but compatible, retain the more specific code (e.g., prefer "j" for "Print" to "i" for "Picture").
• Specific differences in the physical format of the resource may justify separate records. Compare fields 300, 340, 500, 510, etc. to justify a merge.

1.2.3. 010

• Records may be merged regardless of the absence or presence of field 010. Records with a difference in control numbers issued by the same agency may be potential duplicate records. Compare fields 245 through 5xx to justify a merge.
• Do not merge two DLC records with different LCCNs if neither is ELvl "J". Report these to AskQC. Otherwise, add the LCCN from the ELvl "J" record to field 010 subfield $z of the retained record.

1.2.4. 020

• A different ISBN alone does not justify separate records. The records could still be potential duplicates to be merged. Conversely, the same ISBN in different records does not necessarily justify a merge. Publishers sometimes assign the same ISBN to different manifestations. Compare fields 245 through 5xx to justify a merge.

1.2.5. 041

• Ideally, fields 041 should match, but be aware that determining the linguistic content of graphic materials is often a matter of cataloger judgment. Latin terms and abbreviations commonly found in historic statements of responsibility (e.g., sculp., del., fec.) are typically not considered part of the linguistic content.
• Compare fields 130, 240, 245, 377, 500, 510, and 546.

1.2.6. 1xx

• Records may be considered duplicates for merge even with the absence, presence, or difference in choice or form of field 1xx.
• Records may be considered duplicates for merge even with the absence, presence, or difference in choice of subfield $e.
• If a creator has changed their name, it is okay to merge. Retain the authorized form of the name. If there is no authorized form, retain the most recent form.
• Always consult the authority file for the authorized form of the name.

1.2.7. 245

• May not match exactly but must be verifiably the same manifestation. Variations in the title proper may be due to differences in the source of information (e.g., title taken from text above image versus text below image), judgment about what constitutes title proper, judgment about word order when text is scattered across the image, etc.
• It is usually okay if one record has subfield $b and the other does not. Different cataloger decisions regarding where the title proper ends do not disqualify records from being merged.
• Subfield $c, if present, should not show substantive differences in responsibility. Separate statements may not have been recorded in the same order or may have been recorded elsewhere in the description.
• Use of subfield $n and subfield $p are based on cataloger's interpretation. Use judgment.
• Tworecords can be merged if there is an error in transcription and it is clearly a typo as opposed to an alternate spelling (e.g., color vs. colour) on the source.

Rare graphics: In addition to the above, field 245 may not match exactly due to cataloger's language skills, transcription rules, and choice of reference source for supplied title. Differences in transcription of the letters I/J/U/V, ligatures, and expanded versus unexpanded brevigraphs do not disqualify records from merging. Differences in source of supplied title do not disqualify records from merging. Catalogers should verify information through consulting reference sources, contacting other owning libraries, and/or other means, as appropriate, prior to merging. If in doubt, do not merge.

1.2.8. 250

• Transcribed information should match but allow that practices regarding abbreviation have changed over time. Statements supplied by the cataloger under provisions of RDA 2.5.1.4 (or AACR2 1.2B4) may vary because they are supplied, but if their essence is the same, they are considered matches.
• Compare 245 through 5xx for other differences to justify a merge.

Rare graphics: Catalogers sometimes use MARC 250 to record the particular state of a print known to exist in multiple states, particularly for states that differ only in graphic rather than textual content, but this is not required. If not apparent from the rest of the description, catalogers should verify information through consulting reference sources, contacting other owning libraries, and/or other means, as appropriate, prior to merging. If in doubt, do not merge.

1.2.9. 260 and 264

1.2.10. 300

1.2.11. 336

• Absence or presence does not necessarily justify a new record.
• Predominant or only content type should match. When additional content types are included, compare fields 007, 245, 300, 34X, and 5xx to justify a merge.

1.2.12. 337

• Absence or presence does not necessarily justify a new record.
• Predominant or only media type should match. When additional media types are included, compare fields 007, 245, 300, 34X, and 5xx to justify a merge.

Rare graphics: Slides, transparencies, stereographs, and other historic graphic materials that might once have been used with a mediating device are always recorded in field 337 as subfield $a as unmediated and/or subfield $b as n to reflect their current use as unmediated artifacts.

1.2.13. 338

• Absence or presence does not necessarily justify a new record.
• Predominant or only carrier type should match. When additional carrier types are included, compare fields 007, 245, 300, 34X, and 5xx to justify a merge.

1.2.14. 340

• Absence or presence does not necessarily justify a new record.
• A difference may justify a new record. Compare fields 300 and 5xx for other differences to justify a new record.

1.2.15. 490

• Guidelines regarding series retention can be found in the Record Merge Field Transfers.
• Records may be considered duplicates for merge even with the absence or presence of field 490.
• Examples of situations that may justify a merge. Use judgment.
  • Variation in form of series statement
  • Variation in tracing decision or form (e.g., 490 vs. 490 with 830)
  • Absence, presence, or difference in series statement of responsibility
  • Change of series among issues or parts of a serial or multipart item. Do not merge if the item is issued in a different series.

1.2.16. 5xx

• Some fields 5xx do not automatically transfer when merging records. Take care to copy all relevant notes into the record being retained before merging.

1.2.17. 501

The use of field 501 implies that there must be separate bibliographic record(s) for the resource(s) described following “With:” and that when all of those records are considered together, they describe the complete resource. If cataloged correctly, each of those records would describe only part of the complete resource, a fact that would be reflected in field 300.

• Records may be merged regardless of the presence or absence of fields 501 only if they represent the same complete resource, with fields 300 matching (according to the field 300 criteria) and all constituent parts of the resource being accounted for in fields 245, 505, and or 1xx/7xx
• In current cataloging, field 501 is primarily for rare, historical, and other special materials
• Field 501 would not properly be used to show local binding or mounting practice, and does not justify a separate record in such cases

1.2.18. 510

• Do not merge records with conflicting citation entry numbers.
  
  Example:
  
  100      1_ $a Hollar, Wenceslaus, $d 1607-1677, $e artist, $e printmaker.
  
  245      10 $a By Islington / $c W. Hollar delin. et sculp.
  
  264      _1 $a [London?] : $b [publisher not identified], $c 1665.
  
  300      __ $a 1 print : $b etching ; $c image 84 x 122 mm
  
  510      4_ $a Pennington, R. Descriptive catalogue of the etched work of Wenceslaus Hollar, $c no. 916
  
  DOES NOT MATCH
  
  100      1_ $a Hollar, Wenceslaus, $d 1607-1677, $e artist, $e printmaker.
  
  245      10 $a By Islington / $c W. Hollar delin. et sculp.
  
  264      _1 $a [London?] : $b [publisher not identified], $c 1665.
  
  300      __ $a 1 print : $b etching ; $c image 82 x 121 mm
  
  510      4_ $a Pennington, R. Descriptive catalogue of the etched work of Wenceslaus Hollar, $c no. 917

1.2.19. 533

• Do not merge if one record has field 533 and the other does not, unless the records represent electronic resources or print-on-demand and photocopies.
• Some older records have 533 information in a 500 field.
• Do not merge if the series differ.
• Make sure type, place, and agency of reproduction match.

1.2.20. 546

• Language note absence or presence does not necessarily justify a separate record. Compare 041 field to justify a merge
• See also Lang and 041.

1.2.21. 6xx

• Records may be considered duplicates for merge even with the absence, presence, or difference in 6xx fields.
• Consider all 6xx fields, including 655, in duplicate records, and determine which will need to be retained by transferring manually.

1.2.22. 7xx

• Records may be considered duplicates for merge even with the absence, presence, or difference in 7xx fields.

1.3.1. Merging Parallel Records in Connexion Client

• Records for the same title, but cataloged in different languages, such as English, Spanish, and French, are not considered duplicate records, but are considered parallel records
  
  Examples:
  
  A library with Spanish as the language of cataloging that finds only an English record in WorldCat may enter a Spanish language of cataloging record.
  
  A library with English as the language of cataloging that finds only an Italian record in WorldCat may enter an English language of cataloging record.
  • Field 040 subfield $b should be present, but is not always, in records created by libraries for which English is not the language of the cataloging agency. Therefore, it may be necessary to check the rest of the record to determine the language of cataloging and add field 040 subfield $b if needed.
  
  Examples:
  
  040       B3N $b pol $c B3N  
  040       FLD $b fre $c FLD
  
  A good way to determine the language of cataloging is by the language of free-text notes in 5xx fields.
  
  Examples:
  
  500       In lower margin, at left: "No. 31" (English)
  
  500       Dans la marge en bas, à gauche: "No. 31" (French)
  
  500       En el margen inferior izquierdo: "No. 31" (Spanish)
  
  If no notes fields are present in the record, another field that can be referenced is field 300.
  
  Examples: 
  
  300       1 print : $b etching (English)
  
  300       1 Druckgraphik : $b Radierung (German) 
  
  300       1 grafika : $b akwaforta (Polish)

   Caution: Be aware that field 040 subfield $b present in the record cannot always be trusted. An example would be that the cataloging is English, but field 040 subfield $b is coded "spa" because the institution that did the cataloging is Latin American. In such a case, field 040 subfield $b should be corrected.

1.3.2. Guidelines for Comparing LC PCC and Member PCC Records

• Both records will have field 042 coded 'pcc'.
• If the records are determined to be duplicates, retain the most complete record based on content, NOT the number of fields.

1.3.3. Vendor Records

There are looser criteria for merging records from vendors that are less-than-full level (Encoding Levels 3, M, K, etc.). They are very brief in content, usually consisting of a title, publisher, date, and ISBN.

These records are candidates for potential merging with other records.

Please refer to the Vendor List for Merging document for a list of the vendors and guidelines for merging.