Print

Print


For MeSH (Medical Subject Headings), MARC 655 _2 maps to Mesh's Publication Types controlled vocab, which are physical formats/manifestations.

For example https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/record/ui?ui=D055824 (Formularies vs Formularies as Topic)

John


John P. Rees
Archivist and Digital Resources Manager
History of Medicine Division
National Library of Medicine
301-827-4510



-----Original Message-----
From: Jane Stevenson [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2017 10:28 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Genre and Form

Hi all,

Possibly a can of worms I've opened up here, but its really useful to get some feedback to help me with advising archivists what to put into this field. I usually have to stand at the front and sound like I know what I'm talking about when I advise on cataloguing.....

> I think Jane's statement is about the conflation of genre and format.


Yes, I wanted to understand a bit more about why that is the case. 

> My understanding has always been that the <genreform> element in EAD was intended to correspond to the 655 field in MARC. If you read the 655 field definition at http://loc.gov/marc/bibliographic/bd655.html, you'll notice the language describing <genreform> is very similar.

I should have thought of looking at MARC - I don't ever use it myself - I think there is more importance placed on the cross walk from MARC to EAD in the US than in the UK? Here archivists rarely refer to MARC. So, that's useful as something I can reference. 


> Controlled vocabularies combine genre and form because there is no clear-cut way to differentiate these and there is very little point in arguing about which list a term should be in.


I think that may be another argument, along with basing this on MARC. But it does feel a little wrong to combine 'diaries, romance, account books, comedy' (OK, I've gone for an extreme example). 

> A memoir can be published in a diary, or a monograph, online as a blog, or as a docudrama on television. Disambiguating between genre and format (if by format we mean physical or electronic medium) is difficult, but is done routinely within the museum realm.


Yes - I guess my feeling is that at times it seems important to distinguish them...but then I come back to the fact that it can all get a bit tricky....

> diaries are only form/physical characterics?! So, my *memoir* can be a genre, but my *diary* can only be a form? Surely you want memoirs and diaries to be on the same list of options.


Ha. Yes. I thought of diaries as one example where I get confused.  Is a diary a form? Surely the form would be how it was physically represented? Shouldn't a diary be a 'style', which is really a genre? 

I'm not sure I'm closer to clarity, but its helpful to have a discussion! 

cheers,
Jane




> On 26 Apr 2017, at 15:10, Bowers, Kate A. <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> Wait--so you are definitely telling me "diaries" are not a genre of writing?  In AAT diaries are in the physical object facet.  Now, about that diary I kept on my PDA and now I keep in the cloud...
> 
> Kate Bowers
> Collections Services Archivist for Metadata, Systems, and Standards 
> Harvard University Archives [log in to unmask]
> 617.496.2713
> voice: (617) 998-5238
> fax: (617) 495-8011
> web: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:archives
> Twitter: @k8_bowers
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> From: Encoded Archival Description List <[log in to unmask]> on 
> behalf of Ethan Gruber <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2017 10:01 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [EAD] Genre and Form
>  
> A memoir can be published in a diary, or a monograph, online as a blog, or as a docudrama on television. Disambiguating between genre and format (if by format we mean physical or electronic medium) is difficult, but is done routinely within the museum realm. Fortunately, the Getty AAT has organized their vocabulary in a way that allows us to disambiguate genre and format.
> 
> Ruth, EAD 2002 doesn't have @localtype, but it does have @type, which is functionally equivalent.
> 
> Ethan
> 
> On Wed, Apr 26, 2017 at 9:52 AM, Bowers, Kate A. <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Controlled vocabularies combine genre and form because there is no clear-cut way to differentiate these and there is very little point in arguing about which list a term should be in.
> 
> Quoting from the MARC format 655, which covers genre, form, and 
> physical characteristics "Examples of genre terms for textual materials are: biographies, catechisms, essays, hymns, or reviews. Examples of form and physical characteristic terms are: daybooks, diaries, directories, journals, memoranda, questionnaires, syllabi, or time sheets. "
> 
> Well, that's nice--diaries are only form/physical characterics?! So, my *memoir* can be a genre, but my *diary* can only be a form? Surely you want memoirs and diaries to be on the same list of options.
> 
> 
> Kate Bowers
> Collections Services Archivist for Metadata, Systems, and Standards 
> Harvard University Archives [log in to unmask]
> 617.496.2713
> voice: (617) 998-5238
> fax: (617) 495-8011
> web: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:archives
> Twitter: @k8_bowers
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> From: Encoded Archival Description List <[log in to unmask]> on 
> behalf of Jane Stevenson <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2017 4:29 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [EAD] Genre and Form
>  
> HI there,
> 
> i've never been quite clear about the <genreform> tag. 
> 
> 
> The EAD2002 and EAD3 guide says:
> 
> "A term that identifies the types of material being described, by naming the style or technique of their intellectual content (genre); order of information or object function (form); and physical characteristics. Examples include: account books, architectural drawings, portraits, short stories, sound recordings, and videotapes."
> 
> But genre is a style, like 'gothic' architecture or 'romantic' literature or 'garage' music. So, you might say the 'form' is a short story or a videotape, but the genre is 'comedy' or 'documentary'. 
> 
> It just doesn't seem like these are the same thing and I've never understood why they are put together. 
> 
> I just wondered if anyone has any thoughts on this. I've just never been able to convey it to our contributors in a way that makes sense to me because describing something as a 'short story' seems very different from describing its style as, say, 'romantic' in terms of genre. I've never understood why we put these together. 
> 
> cheers,
> Jane
> 
> Jane Stevenson
> Archives Hub Service Manager
> [log in to unmask]
> 
> Jisc is a registered charity (number 1149740) and a company limited by guarantee which is registered in England under Company No. 5747339, VAT No. GB 197 0632 86. Jisc's registered office is: One Castlepark, Tower Hill, Bristol, BS2 0JA. T 0203 697 5800.
> 
> Jisc Services Limited is a wholly owned Jisc subsidiary and a company limited by guarantee which is registered in England under company number 2881024, VAT number GB 197 0632 86. The registered office is: One Castle Park, Tower Hill, Bristol BS2 0JA. T 0203 697 5800.