Heading
The heading plays an important role in the formal recording of documents such as books in libraries . The aim of setting recording criteria is a uniform notation of characteristics that take on the ordering and search functions. In the case of books, these characteristics are primarily title and author.
purpose
Titles and names must be stated according to certain rules. So it is e.g. B. still logical and easy to remember that the name of an author always begins with the last name, followed by a comma and his first name. But if the author has a title of nobility in the name, the librarian has to ask himself how the name is spelled: "von Siemens, Werner" or "Siemens, Werner von". The placement of the name thus decisively determines which place the author occupies in the alphabet and thus in the library catalog. The librarian must be familiar with the preferred form of the name so that he can correctly record it and carry out subsequent research successfully.
Even with today's usual use of EDP, a uniform approach is absolutely necessary so that all relevant documents can be found reliably when researching the library database under a certain name or title, e.g. B. all existing works by a particular author. In the case of deviating forms, a reference is made to the preferred form.
Examples
In contrast to the preferred form, the form in which the information in the document, e.g. B. on the title page of the book, are given, also template form.
Examples of a heading that deviates from the template are:
| Name / title | becomes |
|---|---|
| Daphne du Maurier | You Maurier, Daphne |
| Critique of Pure Reason | Critique of Pure Reason |
| James Earl Carter | Carter, Jimmy |
The examples are not necessarily to be regarded as binding, because the form of application depends on the set of rules used.
regulate
There are rules and regulations for the correct approach. In most German libraries, the rules for alphabetical cataloging (RAK) are used. In Switzerland, the VSB rules that dominated until the 1990s (created by the Association of Swiss Librarians, VSB, today BBS ) are increasingly being replaced by the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules .