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Reviewed by:
  • Uniform Titles for Music, and: Shelflisting Music: Guidelines for Use with the Library of Congress Classification: M
  • G. Dale Vargason
Uniform Titles for Music. By Michelle S. Koth. (Music Library Association Technical Reports, no. 31.) Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2008. [xiv, 277 p. ISBN 13-9780810852815. $50.] Bibliographic references, index. [End Page 495]
Shelflisting Music: Guidelines for Use with the Library of Congress Classification: M. By Richard Smiraglia. 2d ed. (Music Library Association Technical Reports, No. 30.) Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2008. [x, 37 p. ISBN-13: 9780810854185. $15.] Illustrations.

Both of these books, each part of the Music Library Association technical reports series, are welcome additions to the literature. The authors, Michelle Koth and Richard Smiraglia, are authorities on music cataloging and need no introduction to most of us.

Uniform titles, perhaps the most complex and difficult part of music cataloging, are important to library catalogs, and bring together all variant manifestations of a musical work under one unique heading. Koth's extensive work in the field has allowed her to produce this long-awaited tome on the subject. She begins the book by defining uniform titles and explaining basic principles, and proceeds to cover every aspect of the topic in fine detail, using plain, easy to understand terms, giving numerous examples throughout. With ease, she simplifies the most complex and confusing aspects of creating uniform titles for music. Basically following the structure of Anglo American Cataloging Rules, 2d ed. (AACR2), chapter 25, and the Li brary of Congress Rule Interpretations (LCRIs) that go with them, Koth thoroughly discusses generic titles (sonatas, concertos, etc.) and distinctive titles, going beyond the rules and adding much deeper information, including "unwritten" practices used by LC and others.

Koth also includes MARC format information alongside the rules, making this work an excellent reference source. She also discusses authority files and their relationship to uniform titles, which is most helpful. She provides several important and useful appendices, including a valuable list of thematic index numbers for composers whose works are assigned numbers other than or in addition to opus numbers, a chart comparing uniform titles for music and LC subject headings, and an extensive bibliography of sources for catalogers to consult. All of these, with the index, are very useful.

Finely written, Koth's text is accurate and easy to read. She is to be commended greatly for this work. With RDA (Resource Description and Access, the new standard that will be the successor to AACR2), due to be implemented in 2009, and the strong possibility of changes in how uniform titles are constructed, it is too bad this book did not come out sooner. Much of it will still be applicable, but some rules may change, possibly making parts of this book obsolete. A revised edition will most likely be needed. Koth worked on this book for years, and it is understandable that it took a long time to produce, given the complexities of the topic. She has done impeccable work of the highest quality. Finally, there is a concise "handbook" for consulting uniform titles in music, covering every aspect of the topic, delving into many questionable areas not completely covered by the rules. Whether a beginning or seasoned cataloger, this work is a necessity for anyone in the field. The examples Koth gives are excellent and help answer questions quickly. Everything needed to form uniform titles can be found in the book, and it is of great value in quickly answering complex issues that often come up.

Many elements in uniform titles are helpful in shelflisting music scores, and allow for a useful shelf arrangement of these items. Richard Smiraglia's second edition of his book, which first appeared in 1981, provides an excellent overview of the topic, and is very similar to the first edition. In the introduction, the author states "The guidelines presented here represent an updating and expansion of those first set in print by Virginia Cunningham in 1961, and incorporate rules presented by Helvi Jaakola at the 1971 Institute on Library of Congress Music Cataloging Policies and Procedures. These pages reflect shelflisting practice at the Library of Congress as determined from aforementioned sources, LC printed cards...

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