Title (RDA 2.3)

CORE ELEMENT

“A word, character, or group of words and/or characters that names a resource or a work contained in it” (RDA 2.3.1.1).

More than one title can be associated with the resource. Multiple titles can be found in:

Sources of information (title page, title frame; caption title, running title; cover, spine; title bar)

On a jacket, sleeve, container, etc.

In material accompanying it.

Through reference sources

Through assignment by a registration agency (for example, key title)

By an agency preparing a description of it (For example, a translation by the cataloger).

245 Title field: 1st indicator (Title added entry: MARC coding)

If a 1xx field is present, the indicator is coded 1 and a title access point is made.

If a 1xx field is not present, the indicator is coded 0 and a title access point is not made.

245 Title field: 2nd Indicator (Nonfiling characters: MARC coding)

Indicator is coded with 0-9 for the number of nonfiling characters to be skipped in indexing or filing.

0 is used when the title does not begin with an article an means no characters are skipped.

Diacritical marks or special characters at the beginning of a title field that does not begin with an initial article are not counted as nonfiling characters.

1-9 is used when a Title begins with a definite or indefinite article that is skipped in sorting and filing.

Include in the count any diacritical mark, space, or mark of punctuation related to the article and any space or mark of punctuation preceding the first filing character after the initial article.

This rule also applies to foreign languages that have definite or indefinite articles.

Examples:

245 10 Hamlet.

245 10 “Who is afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

245 12 A good man is hard to find.

245 13 An eye toward perfection.

245 14 The trial.

245 15 “The definitive answer”…

245 15 The “winter mind”

246 16 –the serpent–snapping eye.

245 17 The … annual report to the Governor.

245 ǂa Title proper (RDA 1.3, 2.3.2, 2.3.4, 2.4.2)

CORE ELEMENT

A principal name of a manifestation, normally used when naming the manifestation.

Examples:

Title page: The Big Book of Colours, Smells & Tastes.

245 _4 The big book of colours, smells & tastes

An alternative title is treated as part of the title proper (RDA 2.3.2.1)

Title page: Moby Dick or The Whale

245 _0 Moby Dick, or, The Whale

Omission of Introductory Words, etc. (2.3.1.6)

Do not transcribe words that serve as an introduction and are not intended to be part of the title.

Example:

On resource: Disney presents Sleeping Beauty

245 00 Sleeping Beauty.

Preferred source of information (RDA 2.3.2.2)

The title proper should be taken from the preferred source of information as specified in RDA 2.2.2 and 2.2.3.

If the manifestation does not include a title proper, take it from a source specified in RDA 2.2.4.

If required (see RDA 2.17.2.3), make a note defining the source.

Other elements recorded as part of the title proper: Titles of Parts, Sections, and Supplements (RDA 2.3.1.7)

“If the title of the part, section, or supplement has a numeric and/or alphabetic designation, record (in this order):

a) the common title

b) the designation of the part, section or supplement

c) the title of the part, section, or supplement” (RDA 2.3.1.7)

Examples:

245 04 The new encyclopedia of Southern culture. ǂn Volume 10, ǂp Law & politics

245 00 Multicultural America. ǂn Volume 1 : ǂb a multimedia encyclopedia

Supplied or devised title (RDA 2.2.4, 2.3.2.10, 2.34)

As a CORE ELEMENT in RDA, a title proper must be recorded. If no title appears on the resource in the preferred source of information (RDA 2.2.2, 2.2.3), either find a title from the resource in specified sources (RDA 2.2.4), or devise a title. In either case, enclose the supplied title in square brackets and add a note in a 500 field to indicate the source of the title.

Examples:

245 00 [Multicultural America].

500 Title supplied from (publisher’s) website.

245 00 [Southern recipes].

500 Title supplied by cataloger.

Other Title Information: 245 field, ǂb (RDA 2.3.4)

LC-PCC PS CORE ELEMENT

“A word, character, or group of words and/or characters that appears in conjunction with, and is subordinate to, the title proper of a resource”. (RDA 2.3.4)

Other title information present on the resource and recorded or transcribed in 245 ǂb is not an RDA core element but is a Library of Congress-Program for Cooperative Cataloging Policy Statements (LC-PCC PS) core element. PINES follows LC-PCC PS.

Examples:

245 10 Nostromo : ǂb a tale of the seaboard

245 14 The crime busters : ǂb the FBE, Scotland Yard, Interpol : the story of criminal detection

245 ǂb is not repeatable. If there are two subtitles, use one ǂb for both subtitles and precede the 2nd subtitle with a colon and a space.

Parallel Title Proper : 245 field, ǂb (RDA 2.3.3)

LC-PCC PS CORE ELEMENT

A parallel title proper is a title proper in another language and/or script.

If a parallel title proper is taken from a different source than the title proper, and that fact is considered important for identification, make a note on the source

Example:

245 14 The red and the black = ǂb Le rouge et le noir

246 1 ǂi Parallel title on page 3 in Preface : ǂa Le rouge et le noir

Variant Titles: 246 fields (RDA 2.3.6)

“A title associated with a resource that differs from a title recorded as a title proper, a parallel title proper, an other title information, a parallel other title information, an earlier title proper, a later title proper, a key title, or an abbreviated title.” (RDA 2.3.6)

Examples:

245 10 Moby Dick, or, The whale.

246 30 Whale

245 10 Jane Austen’s pride and prejudice

246 30 Pride and prejudice

If any sign/mark/symbol (for example, &) is within the first five key word of a title proper, spell it out in a 246 title added entry.

Examples:

245 10 Father & son.

246 3_ Father and son

245 00 3 little pigs.

246 3_ Three little pigs

Variant titles are not core elements, so tracing of them is optional; add as needed:

246 30 alternative titles or partial title

246 3_ Cataloger revised titles

246 14 Cover title

246 17 Running title

246 18 Spine title

246 1 ‡i At head of title: ǂa

246 1 ‡i Also known as: ǂa …

Drop all initial articles when adding titles in 246 fields and end them without periods.

You can also use a 500 note for an added title information: 500 At head of title: ….

For a more complete 246 title list, see OCLC Bibliographic Formats and Standards: 246 Varying Form of Title