By Paul Amies

Introduction

These guidelines for UCL cataloguers are based on Best practices for cataloging DVD-video and Blu-ray discs using RDA and MARC21 prepared by the Online Audiovisual Catalogers Inc. Cataloging Policy Committee DVD/Blu-ray RDA Cataloging Task Force (Version 1.0, January 2015):

http://olacinc.org/drupal/capc_files/DVD_RDA_Guide.pdf

but may not agree with them on several points. Comments and criticism should be addressed to p.amies@ucl.ac.uk

These guidelines aim to cover only the most common situations encountered when cataloguing videorecordings. For more detailed instructions and examples of more unusual situations cataloguers should refer to the OLAC Best practices.

Format

Use format VM.

LDR: Leader

Position 6 (Type of Record) of LDR field should be set to g to indicate visual material; otherwise the LDR is the same as for books. Position 18 (Descriptive cataloguing form) should be set to i to indicate that it is an RDA record.

007: Physical Description Fixed Field

NB. Use the format for Videorecording, not for Motion Picture.

Position 00 (Category of material):

v (videorecording)

Position 01 (Specific material designation):

d (videodisc)

f (videocassette)

Position 02 (Undefined):

# (undefined)

Position 03 (Color):

a (one color)

b (black and white)

c (multicolored)

m (mixed)

n (not applicable) The item has no images, e.g. a videorecording with sound only.

u (unknown)

z (other)

| (no attempt to code)

Position 04 (Videorecording fomat):

b (VHS)

s (Blu-ray disc)

v (DVD)

Position 05 (Sound on medium or separate):

a (sound on medium)

[blank] (if the DVD is completely silent, without even music)

Position 06 (Medium for sound):

h (videotape)

i (videodisc)

Position 07 (Dimensions):

o (videocassette)

z (DVD or Blu-ray disc)

Note that 007 is a repeatable field, so if you are cataloguing a “dual-format” set consisting of a DVD and a Blu-ray disc then you should create two 007 fields, which will be identical apart from position 4.

Position 08 (Configuration of playback channels):

m (Mono)

n (Not applicable. DVD has no sound or sound is on separate medium.)

q (Quadrophonic, multichannel, or surround)

s (Stereo)

u (Unknown)

z (Other)

| (No attempt to code)

008: Fixed-Length Data Elements

Ignore undefined fields. Other fields are the same as for books, with the following exceptions:

Position 33 (Type of visual material):

v (videorecording)

Position 34 (Technique):

a (animation)

c (animation and live action)

l (live action)

| (no attempt to code)

02X: Identifiers for the manifestation (RDA 2.15)

This is a core element in RDA, and we will record the following where present:

020 ISBN

A very small percentage of DVDs contain an ISBN number. Record this in the same way that you would record an ISBN for a printed book (no indicators, $a, and with qualifiying information when needed in $q)

e.g. 020 __ $a9781234567890$qdisc 2

028.4X Publisher number

Publisher number seems a useful piece of information to record. This is the number that generally appears at the bottom of the spine on the case of commercially produced discs. Record the number in $a exactly as it is presented on the resource, including spaces, punctuation and capitalisation. The name of the publisher is given in $b.

e.g. 028.42 $aP-SGB P919701001$bPathé

Only record ISBNs and publisher numbers. If the item you are cataloguing has neither of these then do not look for any other sort of identifier.

040: Cataloging source

This is the same as for books.

041: Language code

Only use this field if there is more than one language associated with the resource you are cataloguing. The most commonly used subfields will be the following:

a Spoken, sung and signed languages

h Original languages of main work(s)

j Written languages, including subtitles, captions and intertitles

The main language of the resource is recorded in 008/35-37

The following examples cover the most common situations:

008/35-37: eng

041.0_ $aeng$aita

(Dialogue in English and Italian)

008/35-37: spa

041.0_ $aspa$jeng$hspa

(Spanish language film issued with English subtitles)

008/35-37: swe

041.1_ $aswe$aeng$jeng$hswe

(Swedish language film with optional dubbed English soundtrack and subtitles)

008/35-37: zxx (no linguistic content)

041.0_ $jeng

(Silent film with English intertitles ; NB. Subfield a is not used when zxx appears in 008/35-37)

1XX: Name (main entry)

It is very unusual for records for videos/DVDs to include a 1XX name main entry, but it can happen, particularly in the case of some video art which is written, directed, produced, performed and photographed by one person. In these rare cases use a 1XX field with the relationship designator filmmaker.

130: Preferred title

Check Library of Congress Authorities to see if an authorised heading is listed for the title you are cataloguing. If there is, use it in a 130 field.

e.g.

130.0_ $aKilling (Motion picture)

130.0_ $aKilling (Television program)

If you need to create a preferred title and there is no authorised heading, create one using the same format. A preferred title will be needed when the title conflicts with the title of another resource, or when the title has been released with different titles, which is often the case with foreign language films which are issued in the UK with a title in English.

e.g.

130.0_ $aPiel que habito (Motion picture)

245.14 $aThe skin I live in

Note that although there is (at the time of writing) no authorised heading in Library of Congress Authorities and the title does not currently conflict with the title of another resource, we will still include the qualifier “(Motion picture)”. This is a local policy decision.

In cases where further qualifiers are needed to break a conflict, use the year of release:

e.g.

130.0_ $aHairspray (Motion picture : 1988)

130.0_ $aHairspray (Motion picture : 2007)

245: Title proper (RDA 2.3.2)

Transcribe the title from the disc label if possible. If the title is not on the disc label, transcribe it from the container. Do not include introductory phrases that are clearly not intended to be part of the title e.g. Sergei Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible should be recorded as Ivan the Terrible; Disney presents Sleeping Beauty should be recorded as Sleeping Beauty. (The full version with the introductory phrase can be given as a variant title (246.33), but only do this if you feel strongly that this would help our users.)

NB. As we are not taking the title from the preferred source (the title frames), we need to specify in a 500 note where we have taken it from:

500.__ $aTitle from disc label.

500.__ $aTitle from container.

245: Parallel title (RDA 2.3.3)

Sometimes the title proper will also be given in another language. In these cases record the other title as a parallel title and give access in a 246.31 field:

245.14 $aThe flower of my secret =

$bLa flor de mi secreto /

$ca film by Almodóvar.

246.31 $aFlor de mi secreto

245: Statement of responsibility (RDA 2.4)

Transcribe the statement of responsibility from the disc label if it is clear and helpful.

e.g.

245 $ca film by Pedro Almodóvar.

245 $cdirected by Pedro Almodóvar.

245 $cwritten and directed by Pedro Almodóvar.

Do NOT transcribe statements involving the name of the production company and “presents”:

e.g. 245 $cEl Deseo presents an Almodóvar film.

If there is no statement of responsibility on the disc label itself, look for a statement of responsibility relating to the director only on the container and use that. Take the information from IMDB if necessary.

Other roles (e.g. producer, editor, director of photography) will be recorded in a 508 note.

250: Edition statement (RDA 2.5)

Record any statements that reflect the edition, or version of either the DVD or the film in the 250 field. If in doubt consider any statement including the words "edition, issue, version" as an edition statement. However, statements specifying a quite distinct remake or identifying one of several versions of a film are not edition statements.

e.g.

250.__ $aDirector’s cut.

250.__$aTwo-disc edition.

250.__$aDual format edition.

250.__$aCollector’s edition.

257: Country of Producing Entity

This field does not map directly to any RDA element, but is useful information to record if it can easily be established. IMDB gives this information in the “Details” section of the main page for a film.

257.__ $aGermany

$2naf [this indicates that this is the form of name in the LC/NACO Authority File]

264: Publication statement (RDA 2.8)

Place of publication: It is unusual for a place of publication to be stated on either the disc label or the packaging. It can often be found on the organisation’s website, but if no specific place can be found just give the country where you assume the disc has been published (given the format, certificate etc.) in square brackets:

264._1 $a[U.K.] :$bWarner Brothers Home Entertainment

Publisher: It can be difficult to identify the publisher of a DVD, as it is often the case that the names of various organisations are given on the disc label and on the container, none of which are explicitly stated to be the publisher. The publisher number given on the spine of the container often helps to identify the publisher (e.g. DOG285 is published by Dogwoof).

Date of publication: It is rare for a publication date to be given on the resource. You will often find a copyright date relating to the packaging, and we can assume that this is also the date of publication. Amazon is a useful source of information for publication dates. Give any dates not taken from the resource itself in square brackets:

264._1 $a[U.K.] :

$bWarner Brothers Home Entertainment,

$c[2014]

264._4 $c©2014

300: Carrier description

Extent (RDA 3.4)

Unit terms are taken from the list of carrier types at RDA 3.3.1.3. For DVD or Blu-ray discs use the carrier type “videodisc”.The total duration of the primary content (RDA 7.22) (e.g. the length of a feature film excluding any extra material which may be included on the disc) is recorded in brackets after the extent. Record duration using the abbreviations given in RDA Appendix B.7 (hr., min., sec.).

Sound content (RDA 7.18)

Record in $b whether the DVD has sound if it is specified on the disc, its packaging, or is easy to find out. Write sound if there is sound; write silent if there is no sound. N.B. It is important to think in terms of the DVD, not the original film: even the vast majority of silent films will have a musical soundtrack; make a note to clarify the matter if necessary. In case of doubt, record nothing.

See also terms in RDA 7.17.3.3.

Colour content (RDA 7.17)

Use the same criteria to determine whether the DVD has colour, in which case write colour, also in $b. If the DVD is in black and white, write black and white. If the video is in a mixture of colour and black and white, use a short phrase to make it clear, e.g. colour with black and white sequences. In case of doubt, record nothing.

Dimensions (RDA 3.5)

Give the size of a DVD or Blu-ray disc as 4 3/4 in. in $c.

Accompanying material (RDA 25.1)

Record the presence of significant accompanying material in $e. Normal sleeve notes are not significant. (Anything which you do not consider to be bibliographically significant but which nevertheless may be useful to record, can be given in a note.)

e.g.

300.__ $a1 videodisc (1 hr. 24 min.) :

$bsound, colour ;

$c4 3/4 in. +

$e1 booklet (24 pages : illustrations ; 16 cm)

336: Content Type (RDA 6.9)

336.__ $atwo-dimensional moving image

$btdi

$2rdacontent

337: Media Type (RDA 3.2)

337.__ $avideo

$bv

$2rdamedia

338: Carrier Type (RDA 3.3)

For a DVD or a Blu-ray disc:

338.__ $avideodisc

$bvd

$2rdacarrier

For a videocassette:

338.__ $avideocassette

$bvf

$2rdacarrier

344: Sound Characteristics (RDA 3.16)

344.__ $adigital [taken from list at 3.16.2.3]

$boptical [taken from list at 3.16.3.3]

$gstereo [taken from list at 3.16.8.3]

$hDolby [taken from list at 3.16.9.3]

$2rda

346: Video Characteristics (RDA 3.18)

346.__ $bPAL or NTSC [taken from list at 3.18.3.3]

$2rda

347: Digital File Characteristics (RDA 3.19)

347.__ $avideo file [taken from list at 3.19.2.3]

$bDVD video OR Blu-ray [taken from list at 3.19.3.3]

$eregion 2 [no prescribed terms; generally record the information as it is found on resource]

$2rda

380: Form of Work

Provide this if it falls in the following categories:

380.__ $aMotion picture.

380.__ $aTelevision program.

NOTES FIELDS

The following are the most commonly used notes fields in records for DVDs, and should be entered in this order:

500 Title from disc label.

546 Language note.

511 Performers.

508 Technical credits.

500 Based on.

500 Originally released.

520 Summary.

500 Extras/Special features.

505 Contents.

500: Note on title (RDA 2.17.2.3)

Always make a note about the source of the title if it is not taken from the title screen. This will usually be “disc label” but we can also use “container” (for one-piece containers) or “box” (for containers with two or more pieces).

500.__ $aTitle from disc label.

500.__ $aTitle from container.

500.__ $aTitle from box.

546: Language of the content (RDA 7.12)

Make a 546 note on the language and subtitles of the DVD. If more than three languages are given for subtitles, only record the most significant ones including at least English if present, and give the number of remaining languages.

546.__ $aIn Spanish with English subtitles.

546.__ $aSoundtracks in English, Spanish or French, with optional subtitles in each language.

546.__ $aIn German, with optional subtitles in English, French, Spanish and 8 other languages.

546.__ $aIn Italian with English subtitles; “making of” featurette in English.

511: Performer, Narrator, and/or Presenter (RDA 7.23)

Cast members

List cast members as given on the box in a 511 field with first indicator 1. Use discretion to ascertain a suitable number of cast members. If the names of cast members appear on the front of the container, then use all of those. If no cast members are named on the front of the container use other sources (e,g, the cast list on the back of the container, often in the traditional “poster block” format, or the cast list given on IMDB). Generally do not list more than three, but use your judgment to include more (or less) if you think it is necessary. Use the spelling and form of name used on whatever source is consulted and separate each actor with a comma.

Other performers

For performers who are not actors, such as presenters or narrators in documentaries, use a 511 with first indicator 0 and format as for Cast members.

508: Artistic and/or Technical Credit (RDA 7.24)

List non-performers who have contributed to the artistic and technical production of a video and in a 508 field.

In general, always include the following, where available from either the box OR IMDB:

Director [NB. The director is repeated in the 508 field even when he/she is named in the statement of responsibility]
Producer
Editor
Director of photography, or equivalent
Writer of screenplay or script
Music director, composer, or performer if one person or group chiefly responsibly
Presenter or narrator (e.g. for documentaries)

In general, do not include the following, unless they are particularly significant (e.g. multiple musical performers for a musical film, make-up for Planet of the Apes.):

Costume

Art director

Sound

Set

Make-up

Special effects

Visual effects

Stunts

Production company

Executive producer

Musical performers if more than one person or group

Preface each name or group of names with a statement of function, separating each name with a comma and each function with a semicolon.

508.__ $aDirector, Pedro Almodóvar ; producer, Esther García ; editor, José Salcedo ; director of photography, José Luis Alcaine ; music, Alberto Iglesias.

500: Based on

Make a note if the film was based on a particular work and this information is readily available:

500.__ $aBased on: The little book of paper clips / Marcel Proust.

500: History of the Work (RDA 6.7)

Make a 500 for the original release date of a film, or the original broadcast date of a television programme. If the box and IMDB disagree, prefer the date given by IMDB. This is also a suitable place to record that the film was originally silent.

500.__ $a Originally released as a motion picture in 1969.

500.__ $a Originally released as a silent motion picture in 1923.

500.__ $a Originally broadcast as a documentary television programme on BBC2 in 1990.

500.__ $a Originally broadcast as a Danish television series in 2011.

Note that if the disc or set you are cataloguing contains more than one film then you should create separate 511, 508 etc. fields for each of the works, each starting with the title followed by a colon:

511.1_ $a Volver: Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo, Chus Lampreave.

508.__ $a Volver: director, Pedro Almodóvar ; producer, Esther García ; editor, José Salcedo ; director of photography, José Luis Alcaine ; original music by Alberto Iglesias.

505: Contents Note (RDA 25.1)

Add a contents note if:

The DVD set consists of several items and each has their own title OR

The DVD contains a number of distinct works

Add a contents note in a 505 field. Set the first indicator to 0 unless the contents are incomplete. Do not add a phrase to the beginning of the field itself, such as Contents:.

For each item, add statements of responsibility if easily ascertained and if they can be kept brief. If necessary for brevity, add only the director.

For each item, add the duration in brackets if known.

245 04 $aThe century of cinema

$bRussia and Poland.

505 0 $aThe Russian idea / director, Sergei Selyanov (53 min.) – 100 years of Polish cinema / director, Pawel Lozinski (61 min.).

Add added entries, using uniform titles, if judged to be significant and not too many in number.

700: Authorised access points and relationship designators

Include access points for all the names listed in the title, statements of responsibility (245 field), cast note (511), and credits notes (508). Add as many entries as are needed, even if they number more than three.

Use relationship designators from RDA Appendix I.

These are the most commonly used designators in records for video recordings:

Relationship designators for motion pictures:

film director W

actor E

film producer W

editor of moving image work E

director of photography W

screenwriter W

composer (expression) E

Relationship designators for television programmes:

television director W

television producer W

creator W

Relationship designators for documentaries:

narrator E

onscreen presenter E

The relationship designator filmmaker (W) is used in those rare cases where an individual is responsible for all aspects of a film (i.e. directing, producing, editing, cinematography and screenwriting). As filmmaker is a creator the heading would be in a 1XX field rather than a 7XX field.

Make entries for related works as appropriate using designators from RDA Appendix J:

e.g.

700.1_ $iMotion picture adaptation of (work):

$aJonquet, Thierry.

$tMygale.

700.1_ $iTelevision adaptation of (work):

$aAusten, Jane,

$d1775-1817.

$tPersuasion.

Examples

The tag uclrdadvd has been added to DVDs already catalogued using RDA.

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