Civil War Treasures from the New-York Historical Society

Cataloging the Collection

The individual archival collections represented in Civil War Treasures from the New-York Historical Society vary in medium, source within the institution, and internal organization. Most collections have been cataloged in databases created using the Microsoft Access database management system. One collection's descriptive information is derived from a MARC record created for the Society's online catalog, hosted through New York University's GEAC Advance system, BobCat. These different approaches allow for flexibility in the types and level of information that is recorded. A core set of descriptive elements is common to most of the databases. The list below uses the element names used for data entry; in the American Memory bibliographic display, some elements are grouped or labeled differently.

Creator

This field includes the author, photographer, or artist who created the item described. All names are checked against the Library of Congress Name Authority File, and the authorized Library of Congress form of the name is used. If no authority record exists for the name, a heading is formulated according to the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd ed., 1988 rev. When the creator is not known, the field is left blank.

Title

The title is transcribed from the item, devised by the cataloger, or taken from another source and enclosed in square brackets. When titles are devised by the cataloger, every attempt is made to compose titles that fully describe the scene depicted.

Date

This field contains the date when the item was created, not necessarily the time period shown. It is often the date inscribed or printed on an item, but may also be a date ascribed by the cataloger based on research. These dates are enclosed in square brackets.

Medium

The specific medium used to produce the item is recorded, for instance, Albumen print, Etching, or Watercolor. Terms are taken from the Thesaurus for Graphic Materials, 2nd ed. This field is not available for all collections.

Dimensions

The dimensions of the original work are recorded, rounded to the nearest inch. This data element is not available for all collections. [In the American Memory display, it is displayed with Medium.]

Subject fields

There are several fields that provide topical, name, and geographic subject access. Topical subjects are taken from the Library of Congress Subject Headings, and when more specific terms are necessary, from the Thesaurus for Graphic Materials, 2nd ed. Personal and corporate names are taken from the Library of Congress Name Authority File, or formulated according to the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd ed., 1988 rev. Geographic names are taken from the Library of Congress Subject Headings or from the Library of Congress Name Authority File.

Description

This field includes a brief description of the item, usually created by the cataloger, though sometimes taken from the item itself. The description is intended to convey the subject content of the item. [In the American Memory display, this element is labeled Summary.]

Notes

Occasionally, additional information will be available for a work, including notes on its creation or physical form, further explication of subjects or related items, or citations of works used in research. These are included in the Notes field. [Most elements specific to individual archival collections within Civil War Treasures of the New-York Historical Society are also displayed under the label Notes. For example, all forms of regimental identification transcribed from posters are treated as Notes.

Inscriptions

Drawings in the Civil War Sketches, the Point Lookout sketches and the Sketchbook have inscriptions which include dialogue or descriptions of the drawings beyond caption or title information. These are transcribed in the Inscriptions field. [In the American Memory display, the inscriptions are displayed after Description and labeled Summary.]

Call Number

This field includes Print Room identifiers, Manuscript Department call phrases or Museum Accession numbers which serve as locators for the original collections in the various divisions of the New-York Historical Society.