II. Matching process

There are four types of records to which a match can be made: edited, 18th century, unedited, and partial.

  1. Edited records represent the book as a whole, with the complete title (minus extraneous quotes and scriptural references), imprint, pagination, format, and, sometimes, an internal description of the book. (See example 1)
  2. 18th century records were created according to the cataloging rules of the Eighteenth Century Short Title Catalogue.
    1. 18th century records omit most of the title and, in the imprint, the printer’s and publishers’ addresses. Punctuation following the printers’ and publishers’ names in the imprint field is the punctuation at the end of the printers’ or publishers’ address. If a large number of printers or publishers are present, the names at the end of the imprint may be replaced with "[and [#] others]". Roman numeral dates are almost always given, silently, as Arabic. Pagination does not include blank leaves, or the number of plates, when present. (See example 2)
  3. Unedited and partial records are atypical of the database and require special attention. These records are batch-loaded records incorporated into the ESTC database and are in the process of being upgraded.
    1. Unedited records may omit words silently from the title and use ISBD punctuation. They lack printers’ and publishers’ addresses in the imprint and sometimes give Roman numeral publication dates as Arabic. Pagination often lacks preliminary or final leaves and format is never recorded. These records sometimes supply an edition statement from an outside source without so noting. The primary library holding is either umi or oclc. (See example 3)
    2. Partial records have titles as per Wing CD-Rom, 1996 and STC file entries and omit much of the title. Imprints often lack printers’ and publishers’ addresses and Roman numeral publication dates are sometimes given in Arabic. The pagination is absent in most cases, but the format is present either numerically or spelled out. (See example 4)

Matches are of two kinds: verified and unverified. It is assumed that any matching done with a book in hand will result in a verified match.

  1. A verified match means that the book in hand corresponds exactly to the online record, with a few exceptions. Your verified match will include:
    1. Your ESTC library code.
    2. The book’s shelfmark (optional).
    3. Any non-negative/negative characteristics (See section III).
    4. General information about the book, such as binding or provenance, (optional).
  2. To be a Verified match, the book in hand must correspond to edited records exactly in the following fields, and to 18th century records within the limits of 18th century cataloging conventions:
    1. Title: title proper should match exactly with regard to spelling and punctuation.
    2. Edition: edition statements may be found within the text of the title or following it and must match exactly with regard to spelling and punctuation.
    3. Imprint: if an element of the imprint is taken from another source or from another position within the imprint, it is enclosed within brackets. The first element of the imprint field is the place of publication followed by a space and a colon. The last element contains the date of publication and is always preceded by a comma. All else is contained in the second element of the imprint field and should match exactly with regard to spelling and punctuation.
    4. Pagination: matches may be made in conjunction with reporting, in the Copy Notes field, any imperfections of the book in hand (See section III).
    5. Format: format refers to the imposition of the type and resultant folding of the paper on which the text was printed. This is determined from the evidence of watermarks, number of leaves per gathering, chainlines and size. (See Gaskell)
    6. General notes: when a general note pertains to variants in title, (imprint, pagination, etc.) differing text settings, and other details with regard to edition, it is very important to compare these notes with the book in hand to complete a match.

For a given book, the matcher may take one of six actions.

  1. Uncomplicated match to an edited record.
    1. Absolutely everything corresponds to the book in hand or can be accounted for.
  2. Match to an edited record, with the addition of a Cataloguer’s Note.

    3. Instances where a Cataloguer’s Note is called for: (See example 5)

    1. Everything matches except for a typo in the title or imprint.
    2. There is a break in the pagination not accounted for in the record.
    3. The book in hand has an additional preliminary or final leaf not acknowledged in the record.
    4. Everything matches in the title, imprint, and pagination, but one of the general notes does not describe the book in hand (i.e. describes another edition or a variant).
    5. There is more than one record your copy can match, so an additional general note is needed to further differentiate the records.
    6. Something looks weird.

     
    Why a Cataloguer’s Note is needed:

    1. This is done to notify ESTC that the contributing library, based on examination of the book, is reporting or querying a point on which the contributing library’s copy is at odds with a record. One common reason will be to report a leaf (i.e. blank, advertisement, imprimatur) which completes a gathering and is not reported in the ESTC record. More serious problems may involve differences in transcription or contents and typographical errors in the record. ESTC staff will take responsibility for resolving these inconsistencies and upgrading the record based on the information provided by the contributing library. Resolution may include querying the contributing library on particular points, or asking the contributing library to report the item for a new record. (See section IV)

     

  3. Match to an unedited record with a Cataloguer’s Note. (See example 6)
    1. Unedited records are in the process of being upgraded. Preference is given to those unedited records that are matched to by a contributing library. Every match by a contributing library to an unedited record requires notification of the ESTC. Notification is given using the Cataloguer’s Notes field. Information required from the contributing library will include specification of the bibliographical format of the book. Since physical examination of the book is not possible for ESTC staff, this is important information to contribute.
    2. Match to an unedited record when words in the title and imprint, the date of publication, and the number of paginated pages correspond to the book in hand (disregard spelling and punctuation).
  4. Match to a partial record: DO NOT add a match to a partial record.
    1. There is no way to update partial records without a report from a contributing library. Report your holding as if reporting for a new record. Include the ESTC identification number on the report. (See section IV)
  5. No match to a record with a Cataloguer’s Note.
    1. Exceptionally, the matcher will find more than one possible record to match to, and the general notes they contain are either contradictory or insufficient to permit narrowing the choice to one. The matcher will enter an unverified match with a Cataloguer’s Note in one of the records, explaining the problem. ESTC will resolve the problem to permit a match, sometimes requiring additional information from the contributing library.
  6. No match, report the item to ESTC for a new record.
    1. The matcher will report the book to ESTC for a new record if it fails to match any record online based on the above criteria. (See section IV)

 
Holdings
The matcher fills in the following fields in the holding record.

  1. Library (enter ESTC code in box)
  2. Region (click on appropriate radio button)
  3. Shelfmark (optional)
  4. Copy notes (see Copy specific notes)
    1. There is a 10 line limit in this field.

Cataloguer’s Notes

In order for ESTC to answer queries from contributing libraries, a specific form of note must be used. Preface all queries with "QUERY [your library code]". Example: QUERY DFo. Occasionally additional information will be required from the contributing library to further update a record. In this case, ESTC will send a response to the contributing library of the form "RESPOND [your library code]". Example: RESPOND DFo. Searching the Notes field after clicking the radio button Queries and typing "RESPOND [your library code]" will allow the contributing library find these return queries. It is recommended that the contributing library search for these return queries at least once a day. If a more immediate response is needed by ESTC, an email will be sent to the appropriate librarian. Conversely, if there is a question about an item or procedure or a question needs a more immediate response from ESTC, email dione.shastid@ucr.edu.

  1. Matching in STAR — The mechanical process of adding your holding to a record in the ESTC
  2. Matching process — The types of record to match to and the criteria by which to determine if the book in hand matches an ESTC record
  3. Copy-specific notes — Examples most commonly used in the ESTC
  4. Reporting procedures — How to report an item not found in the ESTC