CDL: Response 1-2, Sabin Collection

Response 1-2 to the following question:

Original posting:

From: John Barnett <JBarnett_at_utsa.edu>

Our library has purchased a number of units (over 130) of the microfiche set
of Joseph Sabin's Bibliotheca Americana, also known as The Sabin Collection:
Selected Americana from Sabin's Dictionary of Books Relating to America.
There are more than 46,000 fiche in the units that we have purchased, so
this is a massive collection, of which we currently own little more than
half. As funding allows, we plan to add to this collection in the future.

Has anyone on this list had much experience with organizing the collection
in your library? There are individual fiche numbers, accessible by searching
a stand-alone CD-ROM product, which I am not completely satisfied with. The
Dictionary of Books Relating to America and the Author-Title Index to Sabin
provide unit numbers and dictionary item numbers, which can be found on the
CD-ROM, but which do not appear on the fiche. My feeling at this point is to
organize the collection by main entry and to work toward providing access in
our catalog to bibliographic records for each item. I realize this is a
massive undertaking, but I'm stumped for a better way to provide access.
This is not a perfect solution, but that's what I've been able to come up
with so far.

I realize this may be more of a cataloging and classification question, and
I'm not a cataloger by profession. However, if anyone has any insights into
organization of this collection, I would appreciate hearing from you. Please
email me directly at jbarnett_at_utsa.edu.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

John Barnett
Collection Development, UTSA Library
University of Texas at San Antonio


==1==

From: Linda Dobb <bgsulib_at_wcnet.org>
 
You should check with OCLC...they used to sell cataloging for these big
sets that you could buy and just load into your online catalog...then you
could modify already extant marc. 

Linda S. Dobb
Executive Vice President
Bowling Green State University
Hayes Hall 209
Bowling Green, OH 43403
(419) 372-9233/(419) 372-7723 (fax)
bgsulib_at_wcnet.org

==2==

From: Ellen Chapman <ellen_at_hawaii.edu>
   
At one time, the Center for Research Libraries provided "bookmarks" that
could be secured inside each of the printed volumes, to hang outside it.
Each said something like "All books in this volume are available from CRL.
See your interlibrary loan librarian."  We pasted over that our own
notice with something refering people to the microfiche.  The fiche were
arranged alphabetically by main entry, usually author.  Thus, we didn't
have to add cards to the catalog for all those items.

This was long ago and I no longer know how those materials are made
available.  If there is any way you can avoid creating records for all the
items, I'd recommend it.  Does someone sell bib records for this set that
you could just load into a database?  Or, paste a notice on the cover of
each of the printed vols. and/or on the CD case itself to tell people the
items are on fiche, where they are located, and how they are arranged.
(don't think you want to mention the now-meaningless "main entry."  You
could say "filed by author, or title if there is no author" which is kinda
lame, but.........

Best wishes

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
     Ellen L. Chapman
     Archivist for Congressional Papers            voice:  (808) 944-7656
     University of Hawaii at Manoa Library         fax:    (808) 956-5968
     2550 The Mall                                 email: ellen_at_hawaii.edu
     Honolulu, HI 96822  USA
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