My only problem with your proposal is that some library integrated systems
read the b. as middle initial of the person's name. Looks very interesting
on the opac. When we first starting using our LIS here, we also found that
the system could not differentiate between numbers, such as the ISSN in the
series statement. Because we don't any further confusion, even though it
may have been cured by now, we routinely take the ISSN out of the 4XX field
Gene Fieg
Cataloger
Claremont School of Theology
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-----Original Message-----
From: Program for Cooperative Cataloging [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Adam Schiff
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2005 10:35 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Proposal to allow the addition of dates to established personal
name headings
Sue Wartzok wrote:
> Another crazy idea occurs to me: perhaps we should enter dates in a
uniform
> manner no matter whether a person was born more than 100 years ago or
> not--that is, enter birth dates in the form of "b. 1968". Such a form
does
> not look as incomplete as "1968- ".
>
I don't think this idea is crazy at all, in fact, it's something I've
raised in various venues from time to time too. I think using a "b." form
for all persons when only the birth date is known at the time of
cataloging would bring consistency to our catalogs and less controversy,
as it gives no implication that a person is considered to still be alive.
When both dates are known, the current practice of giving both could still
be considered and when a person dies there would not be a need to change a
heading that just has "b. <date>".
Perhaps if there is consensus on this within the PCC, the PCC rep to CC:DA
could prepare a rule revision proposal for them (and the JSC if it passed
CC:DA) to consider.
Adam Schiff
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* Adam L. Schiff *
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* University of Washington Libraries *
* Box 352900 *
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