This a matter of descriptive rules for which DACS is the appropriate source for guidance.

Michael Fox

On Feb 10, 2011, at 5:19 PM, "Dean DeBolt" <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:

We usually use a title like  John S. Smith Papers Relating to John Wayne.
That helps us separate the "gatherer" from creator.   They are not Smith's papers
having to do with Smith; they are not John Wayne's papers.

We ran into this for a business also.   A current law firm gave us its records of a former law firm; they wanted ackknowledgement/recognition of their gift but really they were not THEIR records....so we called it "The Beggs and Lane Collection of the Blount and Blount and Carter Records."

Dean



On Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 1:55 PM, Michele R Combs <<mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
[Posting this to both EAD and A&A -- apologies for duplication]

Is there a rule of thumb on when to include the creator's name in the title of a collection of stuff about a third party?  For example, say Mary Smith amassed a huge collection of John Wayne material that she donates to us.  Does one call it the John Wayne Collection (and list the creator as Mary Smith), or would you call it the Mary Smith Collection Relating to John Wayne?  Or is it just local practice?

APPM simply says to do so "if appropriate" which is flexible (good) but also vague (bad).

This is of more than academic interest with automated sorting and list generation, because if the collection title appears as "The John Wayne Collection" but it's in a list of collections sorted by creator, it will be listed under S for Smith, which may puzzle the researcher expecting to find it under "W" for Wayne.

I guess maybe that answers my question -- always include it in the title?

Thanks --

Michele

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Michele Combs
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Dean DeBolt, University Librarian
Special Collections
University of West Florida Library
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