 FAQs |
Frequently Asked Questions
Select a question below to jump to the answer:
- Who controls the descriptive content of the
cataloging records?
- How does my repository work with the Library
of Congress NUCMC program?
- How do I send information about my collections
to NUCMC?
- What type of descriptive information
should I send to the Library about my collection?
- Does NUCMC help arrange, describe, and catalog
my collections?
- What are my responsibilities as a cooperating
repository?
- Do I need to know anything about computers
or cataloging to use your services?
- What types of materials are acceptable for
the NUCMC Program?
- What types of materials are not acceptable
for the NUCMC Program?
- Do you create a record for each separate archival
or manuscript item, collection, or repository?
- If my repository
contributed to NUCMC between 1960 and 1985 -- prior to
the online catalog -- can those entries be input into OCLC WorldCat?
- Does NUCMC provide assistance or recommendations
in the implementation of local automated catalogs?
- How do I obtain copies of the NUCMC printed
volumes, 1959-1993?
- Is NUCMC the same as NUC?
- Can I order NUC or MARC Organization Codes from NUCMC?
- Who controls the descriptive content of
the catalog records?
The descriptive content of the catalog records comes from
information provided by the repository which holds the
archival or
manuscript
collection.
NUCMC catalogers enter the data into OCLC WorldCat,
following AACR2 (Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd Ed.)
and MARC
(Machine-Readable Cataloging) rules. After catalog records
are created, copies
are
sent to
you
for review
and correction, if necessary. With the exception of AACR2
and MARC requirements, changes
will be made according
to
the
wishes of the repository. The repository will also have the
opportunity to add information to the record it feels should
be included.
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- How does my repository work with the Library
of Congress NUCMC program?
Once you have been accepted into the program, a NUCMC cataloger
will be assigned to you -- we have a four-member
team of manuscript catalogers with
expertise, or access to expertise,
in most subject
areas,
languages,
geographic
areas, religions, and other speciality areas of archives
and manuscript collections. You will receive the cataloger's
direct phone number and email address and will be able to
contact
them whenever you need.
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- How do I send information about my collections
to NUCMC?
Descriptive information for each collection can be sent
to NUCMC in a variety of ways:
- NUCMC cataloging data sheet
- Web fill-in form - fill this out and send to the
Library of Congress
- Microsoft WORD - fill this out and fax/email to
the Library of Congress
- WordPerfect - fill this out and fax/email to the Library
of Congress
- Finding aids or collection
descriptions
-
Finding aids
or descriptions available via your Web site can
be used.
-
Paper finding aids can be faxed/mailed to
us and we can prepare the catalog records from them.
If you
have suggestions for other types of information,
please contact
NUCMC to make arrangements for us to receive the
data.
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- What type of descriptive information
should I send to the Library about my collection?
- name of the collection
- principal name around which the
collection is
formed
-- person (full name, birth and death dates, occupation,
etc. if it is available), family, business, society, governmental
agency, or some other corporate body
- dates of the
papers
or records
- size of the collection in items, folders,
boxes, or linear or cubic feet
- subjects of the papers
or records
- important persons or corporate bodies
in the papers or records
Other information that can be included is listed on the data sheet
and includes donor and date of donation, if there is a finding aid,
and information
on copies or photocopies.
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- Does NUCMC help arrange, describe, and
catalog my collections?
No, NUCMC cannot help with the arrangement and description
of your archival and manuscript collections. We can refer
you to sources of information that will help
you arrange
and describe
your collections and, when you are ready, will prepare
a cataloging record for you.
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- What are my responsibilities as a cooperating
repository?
Cooperating repositories must send a description of each
indivdual collection to the NUCMC Team. In some cases
the NUCMC cataloger
will need to contact you with questions concerning
subjects, persons, or institutions mentioned in the collection.
Printouts
of the cataloging records are then sent to you for review,
revision, and correction and these corrections are then returned
to us so that the corrections
can be made.
- Do I need to know anything about computers
or cataloging to use your services?
Participation in the NUCMC program does not require any
knowledge of computers, cataloging rules, subject headings,
or the MARC cataloging format. Cooperating repositories
only need to be able to supply data concerning the contents
of
the
collections
to the Library of Congress.
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- What types of materials are acceptable
for the NUCMC Program?
NUCMC will catalog:
- collections of original manuscript materials such as
family papers, personal papers, and collections about a
person
or subject (this can include printed material, maps,
and photographs if it is part of a larger manuscript or
archival collection)
- single item manuscripts such as diaries, logbooks,
account books, or letters
- archive collections for private company
or government archives, provided that they are regularly
available to
the public
- collections consisting entirely of handwritten, typewritten,
or photoreproduced copies of manuscripts or archives
are eligible, provided the originals are in private hands,
or
are located in more than one public repository,
in a repository outside the United States, in the archives
of an
institution
ineligible for the NUCMC program, or in more than
one collection within a single U.S. repository
- oral history records consisting of tapes and/or transcripts
of interviewsa
- additions to collections already cataloged
by NUCMC -- such additions could
include a URL (uniform
resource locator) linking the catalog record
to a finding aid on the World Wide Web.
For non-textual collections and materials, please contact
the NUCMC Team.
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- What types of materials are not acceptable
for the NUCMC program?
NUCMC will not catalog collections:
- held by repositories
capable of cataloging in OCLC WorldCat
- held by repositories outside
the United
States and its territories
- located in repositories which are
not open to researchers
- made up entirely
of
medieval manuscripts that were predecessors of books
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- Do you create a record for each separate
archival or manuscript item, collection, or repository?
NUCMC prepares a catalog record for each archival
or manuscript collection housed in your repository. If
the record group or manuscript collection consists of a single
item, we will prepare a record for the single item. If
you
do not have large collections of manuscripts or do not
have individual descriptions of collections, we can prepare
what
is called a repository catalog record covering all materials
housed in your repository.
Please contact NUCMC for more
information.
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- If my repository contributed
to NUCMC between 1960 and 1985 -- prior to the online
catalog -- can those entries be input
into
OCLC WorldCat?
Normally NUCMC does not recatalog collections from the
printed volumes (1960-1985). There are occasionally instances
when it may be possible.
Please contact NUCMC for
more information.
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- Does NUCMC provide assistance or recommendations
in the implementation of local automated catalogs?
NUCMC does not provide assistance or make recommendations
concerning local automated catalogs. However, we can
provide machine-readable catalog records for your use in
loading to a local automated
catalog.
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- How do I obtain copies of the NUCMC printed
volumes, 1959-1993?
NUCMC printed volumes 1-29 (1959-1993) include descriptions
of approximately 72,300 collections located in 1406 different
repositories with approximately 1,085,000 index references
to topical subjects and personal, family, corporate,
and geographic names. All NUCMC printed volumes are currently
out of print. Microfilm copies of these volumes may be
available
at a charge of $35.00 per reel and should be ordered
from:
The Library of Congress
Photoduplication Service
101 Independence Ave. S.E., Stop 5230
Washington, D.C. 20540-5230
Telephone: (202) 707-5640
FAX: 202) 707-1771
Email: photoduplication@loc.gov Return to top of page
- Is NUCMC the same as NUC?
NUCMC is the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections.
We catalog archival and manuscript collections for archives,
libraries, historical societies, and repositories in the
United States and its territories. It has no connection with
the former NUC or National Union Catalog which contained
cataloging information on published material.
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- Can I order NUC or MARC Organization
Codes from NUCMC?
The MARC code for organizations formerly known as NUC codes
which are included in the 040 field of a bibliographic
record can be found or requested on the Library of Congress Network
Development and MARC Standards Office Web site.
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