The document discusses the cataloguing of the Cardiff Rare Books Collection. It describes how the collection was originally part of the Cardiff Public Library but was up for sale. In 2009, cataloguers from Cardiff University performed an initial scoping of the collection and found that most books were previously uncatalogued. The university later purchased the collection and it is now housed in their special collections library. Cataloguing the full collection posed various challenges around standards, conservation, and prioritization. The project aims to make the collection accessible to researchers through detailed cataloguing of individual rare books.
3. Scoping
March 2009
3 cataloguers from Cardiff University
perform 10 % scoping exercise of
collection
1,387 items sampled
4. Collections
Incunabula Restoration Drama
Atlases Private Presses / Fine
Bibles Bindings
Early English Folios ‘Rare Books’
Early English Quartos Calligraphy
Early English Octavos Continental
5. Scoping Project Report
April 2009 project report prepared for
CyMAL
Sample indicated over 90% of books not
already held in Cardiff, and 75% not held
in National Library of Wales
12.04% contained marginalia
39.44% contained provenance information
6. Listing the books
August 2009-October
2009
Cataloguing &
acquisitions staff work
at the Public Library
stacks to list the
collection
7. Cardiff University purchase books
Books came to Cardiff
University in 2010
and are housed in
SCOLAR (Special
Collections and
Archives)
8. Academics welcome news (1)
“Finding a permanent home for this
collection will help enrich the cultural life of
Wales and Cardiff. The University is proud
to have helped secure its future.”
Prof. Jonathan Osmond, Pro Vice-
Chancellor
9. Academics welcome news (2)
“Because of the wealth and varied nature
of the material acquired by the University,
this opens up the possibility for a wide
range of research projects and areas of
research for postgraduate students across
many disciplines…”
Prof. Sioned Davies, Head of the School
of Welsh
11. Cataloguing Challenges
Cataloguing team
One day training from
CILIP
Advertise for Rare
Books Cataloguer
Appointment in 2011
12. Where to begin? - The 1% Project
140 books - 1% of total
collection
Cataloguing issues
Conservation and
handling
How much detail?
Setting priorities
Report for Rare Books
Strategy Group
13. How we are cataloguing the books
Descriptive Cataloguing of
Rare Materials - DCRM(B)
Anglo-American Cataloguing
Rules - AACR2
Library of Congress Subject
Headings
Library of Congress
Classification
Copy-specific fields for
provenance and bindings
