[MinervaCats] MinervaCats Digest, Vol 17, Issue 9

[Bonnie Collins]

Hi Ellen

I agree with your guidelines for writing a good summary statement entirely. Brief is always better. There have been numerous scientific studied to prove this. Most adjectives should be omitted from the summary as by their very nature they imply subjectivity. The summary is an overview of the contents not a synopsis of the item being cataloged. Thanks for the excellent review of the use of access points including the contents, which does not need to be enhanced to be searched by key word, use of web links and good subject headings.

Bonnie Collins
Maine InfoNet Cataloging Consultant 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ellen Conway 
  To: minervacats at lists.maine.gov 
  Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 1:55 PM
  Subject: Re: [MinervaCats] MinervaCats Digest, Vol 17, Issue 9


  Dear Barbara,

  The AACR2 rule for summarizing states the following:

   for printed monographs "Rule 2.7B17. Summary.  Give a brief objective summary of the content of an item unless another part of the description provides enough information."

   for videorecordings "Rule 7.7b17. Summary.  Give a brief objective summary of the content of an item unless another part of the description provides enough information."

  Note the use of the words "brief" and "objective".  A summary does provide keyword access but it should not take the place of appropriate LC subject headings.  I checked the Minerva catalog records for the book "Enrique's journey" and found that the bibs include multiple subject entries that would enable anyone using a keyword search to locate this book.  In fact the only one missing that I would add is "Migrant agricultural laborers".  In my opinion this summary adds nothing to the quality of the description, providing instead a synopsis that gives too much away about the story. 

  If I were to edit the summary it would read like this:  "The story of a Honduran child who follows his migrant worker mother to the U.S. by riding freight trains, a journey known as the Train of Death. Based on a Pulitzer prize winning Los Angeles Times series."  Okay, it's 38 words, not 25, but it's still a lot more concise than the publisher's sales pitch. 25 words is a guideline. 

  The summary really is not the appropriate field to provide a detailed synopsis or a reviewer's opinion about the quality of an item's content.  If a patron seeks this information it is available from a wide variety of sources.  If the patron is unable to access this information, then most reference librarians should be able to do so.  If you must include a review, be sure to use a first indicator "1", quotation marks, and name the source.  Remember, too, that Minerva pays an annual fee to Syndetics for enhanced content on the OPAC.  If you click on "More about this book" in the OPAC for "Enrique's journey" you will easily access a summary and an excerpt from the book itself. 

  The subject of summaries has been discussed numerous times at the Cataloging Users meetings, and catalogers have been told that they are expected to keep them short and objective, and to edit them if necessary. 

  Earlier today I received an email from a member of your cataloging staff who objects on many levels to the guidelines in the "Tip of the Week".  I would like to respond to those objections here.  First, as members of the Minerva consortium, our cataloging is expected to follow AACR2 rules and the standards of the Minerva group.  Please refer to the online cataloging manual at http://www.maine.gov/infonet/minerva/cataloging/manual/ch10.htm#marc520 

  He also questions the ethics of encouraging the ridiculing of other catalogers, rather than correcting errors and offering constructive criticism.  If I offended anyone in this way, I sincerely apologize.  That is not my intent at all; in fact the purpose of these tips is to respond to frequent requests for clarification of certain issues.  

  Finally, as to whether or not it is appropriate to expect "tasteful" material in a summary, I agree that this is a subjective choice, but I would remind everyone that our catalog is shared not just by university libraries but by public libraries and schools, including elementary schools, and it would not hurt to keep that in mind. 

  Thank you,
  Ellen Conway



   
  On 6/22/07, minervacats-request at informe.org <minervacats-request at informe.org > wrote: 
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    Today's Topics:

      1. FW:  Cataloging Tip of the Week, part 2 (Barbara Bartley) 


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Message: 1
    Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 11:31:05 -0400
    From: "Barbara Bartley" < bbartley at kvcc.me.edu>
    Subject: [MinervaCats] FW:  Cataloging Tip of the Week, part 2
    To: < minervacats at lists.maine.gov>
    Message-ID:
           < 1C47929A511A81469DEC89A91F0D1DC904965426 at exchange2.kvtc.net >
    Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

    Any cataloging colleagues up for some constructive discussion of this
    issue?



    Please consider the following example for the book Enrique's Journey: 



    http://ursus2.ursus.maine.edu/search~S18/t?SEARCH=enrique%27s+journey&se 
    archscope=18





    Based on the Los Angeles Times series that won two Pulitzer Prizes, this
    is a timeless story of families torn apart. When Enrique was five, his
    mother, too poor to feed her children, left Honduras to work in the 
    United States. The move allowed her to send money back home so Enrique
    could eat better and go to school past the third grade. She promised she
    would return quickly, but she struggled in America. Without her, he 
    became lonely and troubled. After eleven years, he decided he would go
    find her. He set off alone, with little more than a slip of paper
    bearing his mother's North Carolina telephone number. Without money, he 
    made the dangerous trek up the length of Mexico, clinging to the sides
    and tops of freight trains. He and other migrants, many of them
    children, are hunted like animals. To evade bandits and authorities,
    they must jump onto and off the moving boxcars they call the Train of 
    Death. It is an epic journey, one thousands of children make each year
    to find their mothers in the United States.--From publisher description.



    Who can provide this level of keyword access in 25 words or less? I dare 
    you! :-)





    Barbara Bartley, Librarian

    Lunder Library

    Kennebec Valley Community College

    92 Western Ave.

    Fairfield ME 04937-1367

    (207) 453-5004

    ________________________________ 

    From: minervacats-bounces at informe.org
    [mailto: minervacats-bounces at informe.org] On Behalf Of Ellen Conway 
    Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 9:10 PM
    To: minervacats at lists.maine.gov
    Subject: [MinervaCats] Cataloging Tip of the Week, part 2



    Hi Catalogers!



    I have had several requests to address the subject of the 520 field.
    The 520 field is the appropriate location for the "Summary note".  A 
    summary note is "intended to be a brief and objective summary of the 
    content of the resource."  A summary note should not exceed 25 words if
    possible.



    Recently we have been seeing more and more excessively long summary 
    notes in new bib records.  Frequently they contain nonobjective 
    information, opinions, and even quotations from reviewers.  This may be
    the result of copying text from a publisher's blurb on a book jacket or 
    container, or could be the result of excessive enthusiasm!  However, 
    this is not an appropriate use of the summary note.  Remember, it is not
    our role as catalogers to express opinions about the material in a
    summary; we should merely give the briefest of descriptions of an item's 
    plot or content.



    Charlotte from South Portland sent me an especially egregious example of
    a bad summary note that she found on a record for the film "Trust the 
    Man":



       "Rebecca is an actress who is married to Tom; together they have two 
    children. As Rebecca begins rehearsals on a new play at the Lincoln
    Center, Tom stays at home to watch the kids. He begins to think about 
    how horny he is. They go to see a counselor and discuss their sexual
    problems. Tom wants to have sex twice a day, while Rebecca thinks Tom is 
    a maniac. Rebecca's brother, Tobey is in a long term relationship with 
    Elaine, Rebecca's best friend, who suddenly hears her biological clock
    ticking and realizes she wants to be married and have a child. This is 
    not good news for commitment phobic Tobey."



    Thanks, Charlotte!  This summary certainly is too long, and I am sure
    that there is a more "tasteful" way to describe the plot of this film. 



    Other important details to remember about the 520 field include the fact 
    that it is repeatable and keyword indexed.  Pay attention to the 2
    indicators.  If the first indicator is left blank, your record will 
    appear in the OPAC with the word "Summary" at the beginning of the 
    field.  In most cases you will want to use "0" for the first indicator;
    this means that the field describes the subject of the material.  If for 
    some reason you absolutely must quote from a review, you should use 
    first indicator "1".  Right click on the field for more information and
    choices.



    As you are cataloging, if you should find a record with a summary note 
    that is too long or contains inappropriate information, please make an 
    effort to rewrite or edit it if possible.  And just for fun, feel free
    to send me copies of any summaries you think are candidates for the
    Summary Hall of Shame.



    Thanks,

    Ellen






    --
    Ellen M. Conway
    Maine InfoNet Cataloging Consultant
    797-9464, cell ph. 329-5443

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    End of MinervaCats Digest, Vol 17, Issue 9
    ******************************************




  -- 
  Ellen M. Conway 
  Maine InfoNet Cataloging Consultant
  797-9464, cell ph. 329-5443 


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